Lead Data Scientist - Safety Alignment

Join Our Innovative Team and Make a Difference in Health Care The Enterprise AI organization at Humana is at the forefront of AI advancements, transforming our Insurance and CenterWell business segments. By collaborating with industry leaders, we aim to create advanced AI solutions that elevate the quality of care and enrich the experiences of millions of consumers. We invite talented individuals to develop impactful AI modules and pipelines, prioritizing best practices in accountable AI to effectively manage risks and measure outcomes. Be a part of our mission to revolutionize healthcare with AI excellence. We are seeking a Lead Data Scientist to champion the safety, alignment, and ethical development of Agentic AI systems. In this pivotal role, you will lead initiatives to ensure that our intelligent agents operate consistently, safely, and in harmony with human values in complex, multi-agent, and critical environments. Collaboration across teams involving technical safety research, systems engineering, governance, and product implementation will be key to this position. Key Responsibilities Design and implement safety frameworks for Agentic AI systems, integrating guardrails, reward modeling, and self-monitoring capabilities. Lead and collaborate on alignment strategies including inverse reinforcement learning, preference learning, interpretability tools, and human-in-the-loop evaluations. Establish ongoing monitoring strategies for agent behavior in both simulated and real-world contexts. Engage closely with product, legal, Responsible AI, governance, and deployment teams to ensure responsible scaling and implementation. Contribute to groundbreaking research on the alignment of LLM-based agents, multi-agent dynamics, and value learning. Identify and proactively manage potential failure modes, such as goal misgeneralization, deceptive behaviors, and unintended consequences. Develop safety standards for autonomous features as part of deployment readiness evaluations. Technical Skills Strong proficiency in SQL, Python, and data analysis/data mining tools. Experience with machine learning frameworks like PyTorch, JAX, ReAct, LangChain, LangGraph, or AutoGen. Expertise in designing high-performance, large-scale ML systems. Familiarity with deploying or assessing LLM-based agents or multi-agent AI systems. Experience with extensive ETL processes. Required Qualifications Master's Degree with 4+ years of experience in research/ML engineering or a comparable applied research scientist role focused on production-ready AI solutions. 2+ years of experience leading the development of AI/ML systems. Deep understanding of AI alignment, multi-agent systems, or reinforcement learning. Proven experience driving research-to-production projects or defining technical governance frameworks. Strong publication record or contributions in AI safety, interoperability, or algorithm ethics. Preferred Qualifications Ph.D. in Computer Science, Data Science, Machine Learning, or a related field. Contributions to open-source AI safety tools or benchmarks. Knowledge of value-sensitive design, constitutional AI, or multi-agent alignment. Experience in regulated sectors such as healthcare, finance, or defense. Additional Information Work Style: Remote US Why Choose Humana? At Humana, we prioritize your well-being. We are dedicated to providing resources that help you lead a healthier, happier, and more fulfilling life. Our benefits include: Work-Life Balance Generous PTO package Health benefits from day 1 Annual Incentive Plan 401K with significant company match Well-being programs Paid Volunteer Time Off If you share our passion for helping others, we would love to have you on our team at Humana. Work from Home Guidelines To support Home or Hybrid Home/Office associates, it's crucial that your personal internet service meets the following standards: A minimum download speed of 25 Mbps and an upload speed of 10 Mbps is recommended; a wireless, wired cable, or DSL connection is preferred. Satellite, cellular, and microwave connections are only permitted with leadership approval. Associates residing in California, Illinois, Montana, or South Dakota will receive a bi-weekly payment for internet expenses. Humana will provide necessary telephone equipment to fulfill business requirements. Work from a dedicated space free from interruptions to safeguard member PHI / HIPAA information. SSN Alert Statement Humana is committed to protecting personal identity. You may be required to provide your Social Security Number if it is not already on file. If needed, you will receive an email from [email protected] with instructions on how to securely add this information through Humana's website. Travel: This is a remote role, but occasional travel to Humana's offices for training or meetings may be necessary. Scheduled Weekly Hours 40 Pay Range The compensation range provided below is a good faith estimate of starting base pay for full-time employment at the time of posting. This range may vary based on geographic location and individual qualifications, skills, knowledge, experience, and education. $142,300 - $195,700 annually This role is also eligible for a bonus incentive plan based on individual and/or company performance. Description of Benefits Humana, Inc. and its subsidiaries offer robust benefits aimed at supporting overall health and wellness. Our benefits are designed to encourage personal wellness and informed healthcare decisions for you and your family while recognizing your life outside of work. Benefits encompass medical, dental, and vision coverage, a 401(k) retirement savings plan, various forms of time off, short-term and long-term disability, life insurance, and numerous additional opportunities. Application Deadline: 01-29-2026 About Us Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) is committed to prioritizing health for our teammates, customers, and our company. Through our Humana insurance and CenterWell healthcare services, we strive to make it easier for millions to achieve optimal health by providing the necessary care and services when they need them. Our initiatives aim at enhancing the quality of life for Medicare, Medicaid recipients, families, individuals, military personnel, and communities. Equal Opportunity Employer Humana adheres to a policy of non-discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Additionally, Humana commits to taking affirmative action to comply with the Rehabilitation Act and VEVRAA, specifically aimed at hiring and promoting individuals with disabilities or protected veterans, basing all employment decisions solely on valid job requirements. This policy encompasses all employment actions, including recruitment, hiring, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, recall, termination, pay rates, or selection for training, including apprenticeship, across all employment levels. Humana complies with all federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religion. We also provide free language interpretation services.