(USA) Principal, Data Scientist
About The Position
The Principal Data Scientist will lead the design, development, and deployment of AI-powered Search and Personalization solutions that serve millions of customers across global eCommerce platforms. This role combines deep expertise in machine learning, information retrieval, recommendation systems, and generative AI to solve complex customer discovery problems. You will partner closely with Product, Engineering, and Applied AI teams to define technical strategy, influence architecture, mentor senior scientists, and deliver scalable ML systems that improve customer experience and business outcomes. About the team: The Applied AI Search & Personalization team builds intelligent discovery experiences that help customers quickly find the right products while delivering highly personalized shopping journeys. We develop large-scale machine learning systems spanning query understanding, retrieval, ranking, recommendations, personalization, and Generative AI. Our team combines state-of-the-art AI research with production engineering to solve challenging problems at global scale, driving measurable improvements in customer engagement, conversion, and business growth.
Requirements
- Extensive experience in machine learning algorithms, deep learning, and advanced statistical analysis to develop and validate predictive models.
- Proficiency in programming languages including Python and SQL, with strong coding and testing capabilities.
- Expertise in AI/ML inference, MLOps, and solution design to deploy scalable data science solutions.
- Strong understanding of data ecosystems, data quality standards, and data governance principles.
- Ability to translate complex business problems into analytical models and actionable insights.
- Proven leadership in mentoring teams and driving cross-functional collaboration.
- Experience with cloud platforms such as AWS SageMaker for model deployment and monitoring.
- Bachelors degree in Statistics, Economics, Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Information Technology or related field and 5 years' experience in an analytics related field.
- Masters degree in Statistics, Economics, Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Information Technology or related field and 3 years' experience in an analytics related field.
- 7 years' experience in an analytics or related field
Nice To Haves
- 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
- Lead the design and deployment of ML models for Search, Ranking, Recommendations, and Personalization.
- Develop scalable retrieval, ranking, and recommendation algorithms using modern ML and deep learning techniques.
- Apply Generative AI and Large Language Models to improve search relevance, product discovery, and customer experiences.
- Partner with Product and Engineering to translate ambiguous business problems into scalable AI solutions.
- Define experimentation strategies, offline evaluation frameworks, A/B testing, and success metrics.
- Drive technical architecture and influence long-term AI strategy across Search and Personalization.
- Mentor senior scientists and establish best practices for development, experimentation, and production deployment.
- Collaborate across engineering, platform, and data teams to operationalize models at global scale.
Benefits
- Performance-based bonus awards
- Medical coverage
- Vision coverage
- Dental coverage
- 401(k)
- Stock purchase
- Company-paid life insurance
- PTO (including sick leave)
- Parental leave
- Family care leave
- Bereavement
- Jury duty
- Voting
- Short-term disability
- Long-term disability
- Company discounts
- Military Leave Pay
- Adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement
- 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.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Principal
