Lead AI Technical Product Manager

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 inclusion, talented peers, comprehensive benefits and career development opportunities. Come make an impact on the communities we serve as you help us advance health optimization on a global scale. Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

We are seeking a Lead AI Technical Product Manager to join our Optum Tech UHC Technology team within the UHC Operations and Experience division. In this role, you will own AI product strategy end-to-end - defining the vision, roadmap, and long-term strategy while aligning technology delivery with business priorities. Acting as the critical bridge between business outcomes, data readiness, model capabilities, and engineering execution, you will move beyond research and prototyping to deliver and maintain applied AI systems in production. You will design and scale modern, high-quality technical platforms that leverage data, automation, and AI/ML - including generative AI (GenAI), agentic AI, and autonomous AI agents - to improve operational efficiency and business outcomes. Partnering closely with engineering, data science, and design teams, you will champion Agile execution, full model lifecycle ownership, and the responsible use of AI to build scalable, secure systems that drive measurable business impact.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Product Strategy & Vision: Own the end-to-end AI product strategy - vision, roadmap, prioritization, and long-term strategy aligned with business priorities; translate business goals into clear product objectives, success metrics, and quantifiable KPIs

• AI & Solution Design: Design, develop, and deploy AI-powered, automation-driven, and data platform solutions to complex business challenges, translating AI/ML capabilities into clear value propositions for users and business leaders

• Generative & Agentic AI: Drive the adoption and productization of generative AI (GenAI), agentic AI, and AI agent solutions - including LLM-powered applications, multi-agent orchestration, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and autonomous or semi-autonomous workflows - while defining the guardrails, evaluation criteria, and human-in-the-loop controls needed for safe, reliable operation

• Applied AI & Model Lifecycle Ownership: Be accountable for the performance and reliability of AI systems in production - moving beyond research and prototypes to scalable, real-world applications - and manage the complete model lifecycle so solutions are continuously monitored, evaluated, and improved based on production feedback

• Workflow & Process Optimization: Leverage and advocate for enterprise-approved AI tools and modern technologies (cloud, automation, AI/ML) to streamline workflows, automate tasks, and drive continuous improvement across operations

• Delivery & Agile Execution: Own the end-to-end product lifecycle from ideation through development, launch, and optimization. Prioritize the product backlog, define features, write specifications, and drive Agile ceremonies (planning, grooming, reviews)

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Lead cross-functional teams across engineering, data science, design, and business stakeholders to deliver high-quality, scalable, and secure solutions, evaluating technical architectures and cloud approaches

• Stakeholder Management: Act as the primary interface between business stakeholders, leadership, and technical teams; communicate product strategy, progress, risks, and outcomes clearly to executive leaders

• Data & Platform Enablement: Lead the development of data platforms, reporting solutions, and integrated data pipelines while defining data requirements, governance standards, and integration approaches to ensure data readiness for AI

• Responsible AI & Risk Governance: Champion the ethical use of AI by embedding transparency, fairness, and accountability throughout the AI lifecycle; identify and manage risks - including incorrect predictions, unintended bias, and downstream business impact - while ensuring strict compliance with enterprise data privacy and security policies

• Customer & Business Impact: Gather and synthesize user feedback to refine product offerings, tracking performance metrics to ensure solutions drive measurable business value (efficiency, cost savings, and quality improvement)

• AI Tool Proficiency & Adoption (AIDCL)

  • These resources are expected to demonstrate baseline proficiency in enterprise-approved AI tools as part of their day-to-day responsibilities, This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Consistent Use: Maintain a minimum of 90% weekly usage of AI tools such as GitHub Copilot, Microsoft 365 Copilot, and other GenAI platforms approved by the enterprise

  • Applied Productivity: Leverage AI tools to enhance coding, documentation, data analysis, and decision-making workflows

  • Continuous Learning: Stay current with evolving AI capabilities and features, and apply them to improve delivery quality and velocity

You'll be rewarded and recognized 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 provide development for other roles you may be interested in.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Business, or a related field, OR equivalent experience (4+ years of additional product management or technology delivery experience in lieu of a degree)
• 10+ years of experience in technical product management, technology delivery, or data platform management
• 5+ years of experience leading complex, enterprise-scale technology products from concept to implementation (vision to production)
• 3+ years of experience writing business requirements and technical product specifications within an Agile development methodology
• 2+ years of experience working directly with cloud technologies (e.g., Snowflake, Azure, AWS) and data/analytics architectures
• 2+ years of experience delivering or managing AI-enabled or Applied AI products in production (real-world delivery, not just research or prototyping)

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Business, or a related field
• 3+ years of experience delivering and managing Applied AI or Production AI systems, including generative AI or agentic AI solutions, in real-world environments
• Hands-on experience delivering generative AI or agentic AI solutions in production (e.g., LLM applications, AI agents, multi-agent systems, RAG pipelines, or agent orchestration frameworks)
• Experience defining and driving product roadmaps and strategic visions for data-driven, automated, or AI/ML-powered systems
• Experience with model lifecycle ownership, including monitoring and performance tuning in production environments
• Experience managing data governance, privacy compliance, and security policies within an enterprise environment
• Working fluency in AI/ML concepts - including an understanding of model capabilities, limitations, outcomes, and data requirements (non-hands-on modeling) - with a working understanding of generative AI and agentic AI concepts such as large language models (LLMs), AI agents, prompt engineering, and orchestration/RAG patterns
• Technical working knowledge of APIs, cloud platforms (primarily Azure), and the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and align cross-functional, geographically distributed teams within a complex, matrixed global organization
• Proven excellent problem-solving, risk mitigation, and decision-making skills with a high ownership mindset
• Proven solid communication skills with a proven ability to translate complex technical and AI concepts into business-friendly language for executive audiences

Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to local labor markets, education, work experience, certifications, etc. In addition to your salary, we offer benefits such as, a comprehensive benefits package, incentive and recognition programs, equity stock purchase and 401k contribution (all benefits are subject to eligibility requirements). No matter where or when you begin a career with us, you'll find a far-reaching choice of benefits and incentives. The salary for this role will range from $112,700 - $193,200 annually based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable.

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 marginalized 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.

UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer under applicable law and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations.

UnitedHealth Group is a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.