(USA) Distinguished, Data Scientist

Walmart • Sunnyvale, CA

1d • $169,000 - $338,000

About The Position

Position Summary... What you'll do... As a Distinguished Data Scientist at Walmart Global Technology, you will set the strategic and technical direction for next-generation search experiences that leverage neural search, Generative AI, and agentic AI systems to deliver highly relevant and personalized customer interactions at scale. As a senior technical leader, you will influence cross-functional strategy across relevant domains, aligning technical investments with customer experience, monetization, and business outcomes. You will mentor senior engineers and data scientists, champion best practices in experimentation, evaluation, and AI governance, and contribute to advancing the state of the art in search relevance and AI-driven decisioning. You will foster a culture of innovation and accountability while staying ahead of emerging trends in neural search, GenAI, and agentic systems, ensuring solutions scale responsibly across the broader ecosystem. As a senior technical leader, you will mentor and guide senior engineers and data scientists, promote engineering and AI best practices, and contribute to extending the state of the art in search relevance and AI-driven decisioning. You will champion rigorous evaluation, experimentation, and governance for both deterministic models and non-deterministic AI components, fostering a culture of innovation and responsibility while staying ahead of emerging trends in search and AI research. What You’ll Bring Deep expertise in search, information retrieval, and ranking systems at scale Strong understanding of neural search architectures, ML/AI, and generative models Experience applying LLMs and agentic AI techniques to production systems Demonstrated ability to translate technical solutions into business impact Excellent cross-team collaboration and communication skills Proven ability to influence technical direction and mentor senior technical contributors

Requirements

• Deep expertise in search, information retrieval, and ranking systems at scale
• Strong understanding of neural search architectures, ML/AI, and generative models
• Experience applying LLMs and agentic AI techniques to production systems
• Demonstrated ability to translate technical solutions into business impact
• Excellent cross-team collaboration and communication skills
• Proven ability to influence technical direction and mentor senior technical contributors
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Data Science, or related field
• 12+ years of relevant experience in search, ML/AI engineering, or data science
• Proven experience building and operating large-scale search or AI systems
• Strong programming proficiency (e.g., Python, SQL) and experience with ML frameworks

Nice To Haves

• Master’s or PhD in a quantitative discipline
• Experience with neural retrieval models, embedding-based search, and learning-to-rank
• Hands-on experience with Generative AI, LLMs, RAG, or agentic AI frameworks
• Background in eCommerce, digital platforms, or consumer-facing search systems
• Familiarity with cloud-native infrastructure and real-time distributed systems
• Data science, machine learning, optimization models
• PhD in Machine Learning, Computer Science, Information Technology, Operations Research, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, Econometrics
• Publications or active peer reviewer in related journals or conference
• Successful completion of one or more assessments in Python, Spark, Scala, or R
• 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

• Set the strategic and technical direction for next-generation search experiences
• Influence cross-functional strategy across relevant domains
• Align technical investments with customer experience, monetization, and business outcomes
• Mentor senior engineers and data scientists
• Champion best practices in experimentation, evaluation, and AI governance
• Contribute to advancing the state of the art in search relevance and AI-driven decisioning
• Foster a culture of innovation and accountability
• Stay ahead of emerging trends in neural search, GenAI, and agentic systems
• Promote engineering and AI best practices
• Champion rigorous evaluation, experimentation, and governance for both deterministic models and non-deterministic AI components

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.
• 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level