Director, Data Science - Gen AI-based content generation and experience enablement

Walmart•Sunnyvale, CA

3d•$169,000 - $338,000

About The Position

Walmart’s Next Gen Commerce team is reimagining the future of shopping by powering immersive, intelligent customer experiences. As Director of Data Science for Generative Media Intelligence & Experience Innovation, you will lead a high-impact team at the forefront of multimodal AI. You will lead the scientific strategy for how Walmart generates, understands, and personalizes rich media across images, video, 3D, and motion graphics. Your team will build models that operate at scale and deliver clear customer value. These models will enable: AI-generated product visuals, virtual spaces, and thematic content Augmented reality showrooms and real-time try-on experiences Shoppable media, including “shop-the-look” and “shop-the-video” features You will collaborate across product, engineering, design, and platform teams to ensure your models operate in real-world conditions at scale. You’ll assess build vs. buy tradeoffs, define hybrid architectures, and establish standards for performance, content quality, and customer relevance. This is a senior leadership role requiring deep technical expertise, cross-functional influence, and a bias toward fast, focused execution. You’ll shape one of the most strategic areas in retail innovation at the largest company in the world.

Requirements

7+ years of experience in data science or applied AI, with a focus on computer vision, multi-modal modeling, or generative AI.
5+ years leading technical teams delivering production AI systems.
Proven expertise in multi-modal LLMs, diffusion models, 3D representation learning, or spatial/keypoint modeling.
Strong track record of translating models into customer-impacting features in real-time systems.
Experience with model evaluation frameworks, experimentation pipelines, and ML system design.
Excellent communication, decision-making, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
Bachelors degree in Statistics, Economics, Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Information Technology or related field and 6 years' experience in an analytics related field.
Masters degree in Statistics, Economics, Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Information Technology or related field and 4 years' experience in an analytics related field.
8 years' experience in an analytics or related field

Nice To Haves

Ph.D. or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or a related field.
Experience in digital commerce, AR/VR, or rich media personalization.
Familiarity with human-in-the-loop evaluation, perceptual quality metrics, and responsible AI frameworks.
Recognized contributions to the field through publications, patents, OSS, or public talks.
Deep experience with scalable ML infrastructure and content delivery systems.
Data science, machine learning, optimization models, PhD in Machine Learning, Computer Science, Information Technology, Operations Research, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, Econometrics
Successful completion of one or more assessments in Python, Spark, Scala, or R
Supervisory experience
Using open source frameworks (for example, scikit learn, tensorflow, torch)
We value candidates with a background in creating inclusive digital experiences, demonstrating knowledge in implementing Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standards, assistive technologies, and integrating digital accessibility seamlessly.
The ideal candidate would have knowledge of accessibility best practices and join us as we continue to create accessible products and services following Walmart’s accessibility standards and guidelines for supporting an inclusive culture.

Responsibilities

Lead and grow a high-performing data science team of ~12+ scientists, including hiring, mentoring, and setting technical direction.
Develop multi-modal models for content generation (e.g., imagery, video, 3D assets) and content intelligence (e.g., segmentation, object detection, video analysis, spatial awareness, and keypoint detection).
Partner with Product, Engineering, Design, and Business teams to translate model capabilities into scalable user experiences.
Set evaluation and experimentation frameworks to ensure model quality across realism, accuracy, latency, and downstream usability.
Own the scientific strategy and influence the broader product and platform roadmaps through clear technical direction.
Design and implement hybrid model systems combining proprietary development with open-source tools and third-party APIs.
Lead external research engagements and vendor partnerships, with strong accountability for quality, scalability, and alignment with Walmart’s standards.

Benefits

At Walmart, we offer competitive pay as well as performance-based bonus awards and other great benefits for a happier mind, body, and wallet.
Health benefits include medical, vision and dental coverage.
Financial benefits include 401(k), stock purchase and company-paid life insurance.
Paid time off benefits include PTO (including sick leave), parental leave, family care leave, bereavement, jury duty, and voting.
Other benefits include short-term and long-term disability, company discounts, Military Leave Pay, adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, and more.
You will also receive PTO and/or PPTO that can be used for vacation, sick leave, holidays, or other purposes.
The amount you receive depends on your job classification and length of employment.
It will meet or exceed the requirements of paid sick leave laws, where applicable.
For information about PTO, see https://one.walmart.com/notices .Live Better U is a Walmart-paid education benefit program for full-time and part-time associates in Walmart and Sam's Club facilities.
Programs range from high school completion to bachelor's degrees, including English Language Learning and short-form certificates.
Tuition, books, and fees are completely paid for by Walmart.
Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment.
Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to a specific plan or program terms.
For information about benefits and eligibility, see One.Walmart