Senior Data Scientist - Safety Alignment Lead

Join us at Humana and be part of a dedicated community focused on prioritizing health. The Enterprise AI organization at Humana is a trailblazer in AI advancements across our Insurance and CenterWell business divisions. We collaborate with leading experts to deploy cutting-edge AI technologies that enhance care quality and experiences for millions. We are looking for exceptional talent to develop robust, reusable AI modules and pipelines, safeguarding adherence to best practices in accountable AI for effective risk management.

We are in search of a Senior Data Scientist to spearhead the safety, alignment, and ethical development of Agentic AI systems. In this pivotal role, you will lead initiatives to guarantee that our intelligent agents operate reliably, safely, and in alignment with human values, even in dynamic, multi-agent, and high-stakes environments. This role bridges the gap between technical safety research, systems engineering, governance, and product implementation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design and implement safety architectures for Agentic AI systems, including guardrails, reward modeling, and self-monitoring capabilities.
• Lead and collaborate on alignment techniques such as inverse reinforcement learning, preference learning, interpretability tools, and human-in-the-loop evaluations.
• Develop continuous monitoring strategies for agent behavior in simulated and real-world settings.
• Partner with product, legal, Responsible AI, governance, and deployment teams to ensure responsible scaling and deployment of AI systems.
• Contribute to and publish innovative research on alignment of LLM-based agents, multi-agent cooperation or conflict, and value learning.
• Proactively identify and mitigate potential failure modes, such as goal misgeneralization and deceptive behavior.
• Establish safety milestones for autonomous capabilities as part of deployment readiness assessments.

Technical Skills:

• Proficiency in SQL, Python, and data analysis/mining tools.
• Experience with machine learning frameworks like PyTorch, JAX, ReAct, LangChain, LangGraph, or AutoGen.
• Experience with large-scale ML systems and deployment/auditing of LLM-based agents or multi-agent AI systems.
• Familiarity with large-scale ETL processes.

Utilize your expertise to make a meaningful impact.

Required Qualifications:

• Master's Degree and 4+ years of experience in research/ML engineering or a related applied research role, ideally with a focus on developing production-ready AI solutions.
• 2+ years of experience leading the development of AI/ML systems.
• Deep expertise in AI alignment, multi-agent systems, or reinforcement learning.
• Proven ability to lead research-to-production initiatives or establish technical governance frameworks.
• Strong publication or contribution record 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.
• Understanding of value-sensitive design, constitutional AI, or multi-agent alignment.
• Experience in regulated domains such as healthcare, finance, or defense.

Location/Work Style: Remote US

Why Humana? At Humana, we prioritize your well-being, ensuring resources are available to help you lead a healthier and more productive life. Benefits include:

• Work-life balance with a generous PTO package.
• Health benefits effective from day one.
• Annual Incentive Plan and 401K with excellent company match.
• Well-being programs and paid volunteer time off.

If you're passionate about improving lives, then Humana might be the perfect place for you.

Work from Home Guidance: To ensure effective remote work capabilities, associates' self-provided internet must meet certain criteria, including a minimum download speed of 25 Mbps and upload speed of 10 Mbps. Satellite, cellular, and microwave connections may require approval. Additional support, including telephone equipment, will be provided as necessary.

SSN Alert Statement: Humana values personal identity protection. Applicants may be required to provide their Social Security Number if not already on file. An email will guide you on how to input this information into Humana's secure application system.

Travel: While this is a remote position, occasional travel to Humana's offices for training or meetings may be necessary.

Scheduled Weekly Hours: 40

Pay Range: The starting base pay for full-time (40 hours per week) employment ranges from $142,300 to $195,700 per year, with potential for a bonus incentive based on performance.

Description of Benefits: Humana offers a competitive benefits package focusing on overall well-being, including medical, dental, and vision benefits, retirement savings plans, various types of paid time off, disability insurance, life insurance, and more.

Application Deadline: 03-13-2026

Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) is committed to prioritizing health—ser