Principal Data Scientist - Out Of Network Analytics,

Principal Data Scientist - Out of Network Analytics

Join to apply for the Principal Data Scientist - Out of Network Analytics role at Optum

Overview

Principal Data Scientist – Out of Network Analytics - Dublin & Letterkenny, Ireland.

Optum is a global organisation that delivers care, aided by technology, to help billions 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 make 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.

In healthcare, evolution does not just happen.

It takes innovation, imagination, and a passion for solving problems in new and better ways.

And innovation is taking place at a lightning-fast pace every day at Optum.

As the fastest growing part of the UnitedHealth Group family of businesses, we're expanding our team in Ireland and creating excellent opportunities for those who want greater purpose and more impact in their work.

We'll provide the investment, support, and resources to advance your career.

You'll provide the talent, ambition, and drive.

Responsibilities

Code daily to build and deploy impactful data science solutions, taking full ownership of projects from problem framing and data exploration to model development, deployment, and monitoring—delivering measurable improvements in healthcare cost, quality, and access

Lead by example as a hands-on technical expert, writing production-grade code and contributing directly to the development of big data systems, pipelines, and tools

Collaborate closely with business and technical leadership, acting as a strategic thought partner to shape the roadmap for data-driven innovation across provider networks, claims data, and member experience

Design and implement scalable, real-world machine learning systems, balancing performance, interpretability, and operational constraints in high-stakes healthcare environments

Drive cross-functional initiatives, using experimentation and advanced analytics to define success metrics and guide decision-making

Mentor and elevate the data science team, conducting code reviews, setting technical standards, and fostering a culture of curiosity, rigor, and continuous learning

Translate complex healthcare data into actionable insights, integrating diverse data sources to build a comprehensive view of network behavior, risk, and opportunity

Proactively surface emerging risks and opportunities, using anomaly detection, fraud analytics, and pattern recognition to inform strategic interventions

Contribute to the evolution of data science infrastructure, working with platform teams to enhance tooling for experimentation, model monitoring, and reproducibility

Represent the data science function in executive forums, clearly communicating technical insights and their strategic implications to influence decisions and investments

Develop your understanding of healthcare and the U.S. healthcare system, ensuring that solutions are context-aware and impactful

Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree in a quantitative field such as mathematics, statistics, computer science, actuarial science, engineering, or related discipline

Extensive experience in SQL and Python / R with a strong track record of building data science solutions

Demonstrated ability to solve complex technical problems through hands-on coding and model development

Experience applying data science to real-world business challenges, driving measurable impact

Preferred Qualifications

Master's Degree, PhD in a quantitative field or relevant professional qualification

Soft Skills

Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts to diverse audiences and influence decision-making

Leadership in collaborative, cross-functional settings, including mentoring and setting technical direction

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.

All telecommuters will be required to adhere to the UnitedHealth Group's Telecommuter Policy.

For more information on our Internal Job Posting Policy, click here.

At UnitedHealth Group, our mission is to help people live healthier lives and make the health system work better for everyone.

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, or other protected characteristics.

Optum is a drug-free workplace.

2025 Optum Services (Ireland) Limited.

All rights reserved.

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