Senior Data Scientist - Remote Nationwide

Job Summary

As a Senior Data Scientist serves as the data architecture lead within the Quality Data Management Oversight, overseeing data integrity, system performance, and governance for HEDIS reconciliation and quality reporting. This role is responsible for managing data pipelines, ETL processes, and database infrastructure to ensure accurate, scalable, and efficient data operations. Acting as the primary database owner, the Principal Data Scientist works closely with business and analytics teams to optimize data management, improve data transfer reliability, and support reconciliation efforts across Care Delivery Organizations (CDOs) and UHC. The Senior Data Scientist will be working with data strategy and structure that contributes to clinical quality gap closures, and the improvement of Medicare Stars & HEDIS measures. Responsibilities engineering downstream reporting and analysis, data validations, consulting between internal and external teams, proactively identifying performance improvement opportunities, and being a subject matter expert on all things Quality Measures and Star Ratings through the use of data analytics, technology, reference material, following specifications, and providing operational support. Partner with stakeholders to understand data requirements and develop tools and models such as segmentation, dashboards, data visualizations, decision aids and business case analysis to support Optum Care. The analyst may serve in a project manager capacity for smaller work efforts.

Primary Responsibilities

• Serve as the database owner for the Quality Data Management Oversight, ensuring data availability, accuracy, and security. Lead the design, maintenance, and optimization of data pipelines to support data reconciliation and reporting needs.
• Monitor data transfers between CDOs and UHC, troubleshooting inconsistencies and performance issues.
• Develop and implement data quality controls and governance policies to maintain data integrity.
• Optimize ETL processes to automate data ingestion, transformation, and storage across systems.
• Collaborate with the Senior Data Analyst to align technical solutions with reconciliation priorities.
• Ensure compliance with data governance best practices and regulatory reporting standards (e.g., HEDIS).
• Work with senior leadership to support strategic data initiatives and process improvements.
• Document system workflows, data models, and technical processes for long-term data management efficiency.
• Work with business to develop and operationalize analytic solutions.
• Engage in communications for all important functions including data understanding/exploration, strategizing solutions etc. Leverage big data analytics infrastructure comprising Hadoop, MapR, Python, H2O, Spark and Snowflake to solve complex business problems in the healthcare domain.
• Collaborate with fellow data scientists, business analysts and subject matter experts to design and oversee the development of working prototypes of data science solutions.
• Participate in Sprint Planning and Sprint Review meetings with the Scrum Team and project stakeholders.
• Support and drive analytic efforts around machine learning and innovation.
• Communicate analytic results and predictive models to business partners.
• Manipulation and analysis of data in support of a variety of analytic solutions.
• Work with vast amounts of data from multiple sources to provide predictive and prescriptive analytics to the enterprise
• Produce innovative solutions driven by exploratory data analysis from unstructured, diverse datasets typically measured in gigabytes or larger.
• Applies knowledge of statistics, machine learning, programming, data modeling, simulation, and advanced mathematics to recognize patterns, identify opportunities, pose business questions, and make valuable discoveries leading to prototype development and product improvement.
• Uses a flexible, analytical approach to design, develop, and evaluate predictive and prescriptive models and advanced algorithms that lead to optimal value extraction from the data.
• Works with analytics and statistical software to perform analysis and interpret data.

Required Qualifications:

• High School Diploma/GED (or higher)
• 5+ years of experience as a Data Scientist
• 5+ years of experience with SQL, R, Python, Hadoop, PowerBI and Snowflake
• 5+ years of demonstrated experience using programming to solve complex technical problems
• 5+ years of demonstrated experience accessing data from various data environments

Preferred Qualifications:

• Degree in applied mathematics, physics, computer science, engineering, statistics, bioinformatics, actuarial science or similar
• Experience in analytics / data science in a business or academic context
• Ability to break down and clearly define problems
• Demonstrated ability to own and deliver projects that deliver real business value
• Strong communication, presentation and influencing skills

*All Telecommuters will be required to adhere to UnitedHealth Group's Telecommuter Policy.

The salary range for this role is $89,800 to $176,700 annually based on full-time employment. Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to local labor markets, education, work experience, certifications, etc. UnitedHealth Group complies with all minimum wage laws as applicable. In addition to your salary, UnitedHealth Group offers 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 UnitedHealth Group, you'll find a far-reaching choice of benefits and incentives.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Application Deadline: This will be posted for a minimum of 2 business days or until a sufficient candidate pool has been collected. Job posting may come down early due to the volume of applicants.

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.

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