Senior Data Scientist

Senior Data Scientist – Dublin

Optum is a global organization that delivers care, aided by technology, to help millions of people live healthier lives. The work you do with our team will directly improve health outcomes by connecting people with the care, pharmacy benefits, data and resources they need to feel their best. Here, you will find a culture guided by diversity and inclusion, talented peers, comprehensive benefits and career development opportunities. Come makes an impact on the communities we serve as you help us advance health equity on a global scale. Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

At UnitedHealth Group and Optum, we want to make healthcare work better for everyone. This depends on hiring the best and brightest. With a thriving ecosystem of investment and innovation, our business in Ireland is constantly growing to support the healthcare needs of the future.

Our teams are at the forefront of building and adapting the latest technologies to propel healthcare forward in a way that better serves everyone. With our hands at work across all aspects of health, we use the most advanced development tools, AI, data science and innovative approaches to make the healthcare system work better for everyone.

Optum’s Payment Integrity Decision Intelligence is seeking a Senior Data Scientist to help drive our mission of driving efficiency and Medical Cost Savings growth within Payment Integrity operations using advanced AI/ML tooling to drive detection, inventory prioritization and orchestration.

We are seeking a disciplined, self‑motivated professional who approaches challenges with integrity and humility. Ideal candidates will have experience working with cutting‑edge technologies such as large language models (LLMs), Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG), GenAI solutions, and predictive modelling, and demonstrate a commitment to continuous learning and collaborative problem‑solving.

Primary Responsibilities of the Senior Data Scientist

- Design and deploy intelligent models by applying advanced statistical techniques, traditional machine learning algorithms, deep learning architectures, and modern approaches such as Large Language Models (LLMs), Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG), and Agentic AI. Leverage state‑of‑the‑art libraries and frameworks to ensure scalable, production‑grade solutions aligned with enterprise deployment standards.

- Lead cross‑functional discovery sessions with Data Scientists and Payment Integrity Operations leadership to translate business challenges into actionable analytical objectives. Drive alignment between statistical rigor and emerging AI capabilities to maximise operational impact.

- Deliver robust statistical analyses that frame business scenarios with clarity and precision, integrating classical inference methods with generative and agentic reasoning to inform critical decisions and enhance process outcomes.

- Collaborate with data stewards and engineering teams to curate high‑quality datasets for model development. Ensure data integrity and readiness for both traditional predictive modelling and autonomous agent workflows.

- Develop end‑to‑end modelling pipelines encompassing sampling design, data and selection of appropriate statistical and AI methodologies. Document processes and results with transparency, supporting reproducibility and auditability across both ML and LLM‑based systems.

- Communicate insights and model outputs effectively to stakeholders, translating complex statistical and AI‑driven findings into actionable business narratives.

- Monitor and refine model performance through continuous evaluation, incorporating feedback loops and adaptive learning mechanisms. Recommend enhancements to algorithms and agentic workflows that unlock new insights and drive measurable improvements.

You will be rewarded and recognised for your performance in an environment that will challenge you and give you clear direction on what it takes to succeed in your role, as well as providing development for other roles you may be interested in.

Required Qualifications of the Senior Data Scientist

- Advanced degree in Applied Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science, Statistics, or a related technical field or equivalent experience.

- Proficiency in traditional machine learning and statistical modelling, including regression, classification, sampling design.

- Strong coding skills in Python, SQL, and related languages.

- Demonstrated system‑level thinking and a track record of creative problem‑solving, including non‑standard approaches to complex challenges.

- Proven experience in transitioning projects from proof‑of‑concept (PoC) to production, with a focus on scalability, reliability, and performance.

- Exposure to LLM technologies.

Preferred Qualifications of the Senior Data Scientist

- Knowledge of working with US healthcare data (claims, clinical records, authorization, provider contracts).

- Proficiency in deep learning frameworks PyTorch, Tensorflow or other.

- Experience with Agentic AI frameworks such as LangChain, LlamaIndex and other orchestration tools for autonomous agents.

- Hands‑on experience implementing/adapting published academic research into tangible solutions.

- Ability to understand emerging prompting strategies/research and evaluate benefits/trade‑offs.

Please note you must currently be eligible to work and remain indefinitely without any restrictions in the country to which you are making an application. Proof will be required to support your application.

At UnitedHealth Group, our mission is to help people live healthier lives and make the health system work better for everyone. We believe everyone—of every race, gender, sexuality, age, location and income—deserves the opportunity to live their healthiest life. Today, however, there are still far too many barriers to good health which are disproportionately experienced by people of color, historically marginalised groups and those with lower incomes. We are committed to mitigating our impact on the environment and enabling and delivering equitable care that addresses health disparities and improves health outcomes - an enterprise priority reflected in our mission.

Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: Optum is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, disability, religion, age, race, and membership of the Traveller community, or any other characteristic protected by law. Optum is a drug‑free workplace. © 2024 Optum Services (Ireland) Limited. All rights reserved.

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