Principal Data Scientist - Safety Alignment

Join our dedicated team and play a crucial role in prioritizing health

The Enterprise AI organization at Humana is at the forefront of AI innovation, enhancing care quality and experience for millions of consumers. We are looking for exceptional talent to build robust and reusable AI modules and pipelines that adhere to best practices in accountable AI for effective risk management and measurement. Help us shape the future of healthcare through AI excellence.

We are looking for a Principal Data Scientist to lead the safety, alignment, and ethical development of Agentic AI systems. In this pivotal role, you will spearhead initiatives to ensure our intelligent agents demonstrate reliability, safety, and adherence to human values within complex, multi-agent, and high-stakes environments. This role collaborates across technical safety research, systems engineering, governance, and product implementation.

Key Responsibilities:

Design and implement safety architectures for Agentic AI systems, focusing on guardrails, reward modeling, and self-monitoring capabilities.

Lead and collaborate on alignment techniques including inverse reinforcement learning, preference learning, interpretability tools, and human-in-the-loop evaluations.

Develop monitoring strategies to constantly evaluate agent behavior in both simulated and real-world settings.

Work alongside product, legal, Responsible AI, governance, and deployment teams to ensure responsible scaling and deployment.

Contribute to and publish groundbreaking research on the alignment of LLM-based agents, multi-agent cooperation, or value learning.

Identify and address potential failure modes, such as goal misgeneralization and undesirable behavior.

Establish safety milestones for autonomous capabilities as part of deployment readiness reviews.

Technical Skills Required:

Expertise in SQL, Python, and data analysis/data mining tools.

Experience with machine learning frameworks like PyTorch, JAX, ReAct, LangChain, LangGraph, or AutoGen.

Familiarity with high-performance, large-scale machine learning systems.

Knowledge of deploying or auditing LLM-based agents or multi-agent AI systems.

Experience with large-scale ETL processes.

Required Qualifications:

A Master’s Degree with at least 4 years of experience in research/ML engineering or applied research, ideally focused on production-ready AI solutions.

A minimum of 2 years of experience in leading the development of AI/ML systems.

Advanced knowledge in AI alignment, multi-agent systems, or reinforcement learning.

Proven track record of successfully leading research-to-production initiatives or establishing governance frameworks.

Strong publication or contribution record in domains such as AI safety, interoperability, or algorithm ethics.

Preferred Qualifications:

A Ph.D. in Computer Science, Data Science, Machine Learning, or a related area.

Contributions to open-source AI safety tools or benchmarks.

Understanding value-sensitive design, constitutional AI, or multi-agent alignment considerations.

Experience in regulated sectors such as healthcare, finance, or defense.

Additional Information:

Location/Work Style: Working remotely in the US.

Why Choose Humana?

At Humana, we value your well-being and are dedicated to providing resources that help you maintain happiness, health, and productivity across all aspects of life. Some of the benefits we offer include:

Work-Life Balance

Generous PTO Package

Health Benefits Effective Day 1

Annual Incentive Plan

401K with Excellent Company Match

Well-being Program

Paid Volunteer Time Off

If you share our commitment to helping people, we believe you will find a fulfilling career at Humana.

Home Work Guidelines:

To support remote or hybrid associates, required internet service should meet the criteria of at least 25 Mbps download speed and 10 Mbps upload speed; a wired connection is preferred. Satellite, cellular, or microwave connections may only be utilized with leadership approval.

Remote associates in California, Illinois, Montana, or South Dakota will receive bi-weekly internet expense reimbursements.

Humana will provide necessary phone equipment for job requirements.

Ensure a dedicated workspace free from interruptions to protect member PHI/HIPAA information.

SSN Protection Statement:

Humana is committed to protecting personal identity. Applicants may need to provide their Social Security Number when required, with instructions sent from to ensure secure application processing.

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

Scheduled Weekly Hours: 40

Salary Range: The following pay range reflects a good faith estimate of starting base pay for full-time employment at the time of posting, with adjustments based on individual skills, experience, and qualifications: $142,300 - $195,700 per year. This position is eligible for a bonus incentive plan based on performance.

Benefits Description:

Humana offers competitive benefits that support comprehensive well-being, including medical, dental, and vision coverage, 401(k) retirement plans, time off (including paid and personal holidays, volunteer time off, parental and caregiver leave), short-term and long-term disability, life insurance, and more.

Application Deadline: 03-13-2026

About Us:

Humana Inc. is devoted to putting health first for our teammates, customers, and the broader community. Through our insurance and healthcare services, we strive to enable millions of individuals to achieve their best health.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Humana is an equal opportunity employer, committed to a policy of non-discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. This policy extends to all employment actions, including hiring, promotions, transfers, and compensation.

Humana adheres to all applicable civil rights laws and provides free language interpreter services.