Principal, Software Engineer

Walmart • Sunnyvale, CA

3d • Onsite

About The Position

Want to build the measurement backbone of a multi-billion-dollar advertising business — at Walmart scale? We're looking for a seasoned technical leader to lead 10+ engineers in designing and delivering a next-generation suite of measurement solutions from 0 to 1, spanning incrementality, attribution, data cleanroom measurement, partner integrations, and GenAI-powered reporting. You'll define technical direction, conduct design reviews, and partner with data scientists, ML engineers, and product managers to solve world-class AdTech problems using ML, statistical methods, and cutting-edge GenAI techniques — all while ensuring the absolute stability and correctness that our business demands. The ideal candidate brings 5+ years of experience in ML and data-intensive platform development, 2+ years as a staff-level technical lead, and deep familiarity with distributed systems (Spark, Flink, Kafka, BigQuery, and beyond). Experience in AdTech measurement, real-time streaming, and emerging GenAI patterns (RAG, agents, MCP, fine-tuning) will set you apart — and if you happen to have a PhD, publications, or patents, even better. If you're energized by high-impact, high-scale problems and want to shape the future of advertising measurement alongside a team of talented engineers with doctoral degrees and top-tier industry experience, we'd love to hear from you.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in ML and data intensive platform development.
• 2+ years of experience as staff+ level technical lead.
• Familiar with distributed data processing tools and databases, e.g., Spark streaming, Flink, Kafka, RAY, BigQuery, Druid, Casandra, etc.
• Skilled at leveraging AI to enhance productivity and drive innovation.
• Familiar with GenAI skills and techniques e.g., MCP, RAG, Re-ranking, Agent Skill, Progressive disclosure, Context engineering, Agent-to-agent protocol, fine-tuning, etc.
• Familiar with prevailing ML libraries e.g., pyspark, pytorch, etc.
• Experience implementing statistical and machine learning methods for data classification, regression, ranking, and/or recommendation.
• Experience working cross-functionally with data scientists, machine learning engineers, and product managers.
• Experience working in AdTech with demonstrated knowledge of the AdTech business.
• Bachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, computer information systems, software engineering, or related area and 5 years’ experience in software engineering or related area.
• OR 7 years’ experience in software engineering or related area.

Nice To Haves

• PhD in data mining, data management, machine learning, operation research, GenAI, or statistics is a plus.
• Publications in top-tier academic conferences or journals is a plus.
• Experience with ad-tech targeting, measurement, identity mapping, bidding, and optimization related domains is a plus.
• Extensive experience with real-time data streaming applications is a plus.
• Patents in data or machine learning related domains is a plus.
• Having foundation knowledge in LLM (e.g., LoRA, transformer) is a plus.
• A good understanding of query optimization and distributed systems is a plus.
• A good understanding of industry trends in AdTech, ML, and GenAI is a plus.
• Master’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, computer information systems, software engineering, or related area and 3 years' experience in software engineering or related area.
• Experience creating inclusive digital experiences, demonstrating knowledge in implementing Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standards, assistive technologies, and integrating digital accessibility seamlessly.
• 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

• Be the technical leader of 10+ engineers.
• Solve world class scale AdTech problems using ML and statistical methods together with a group talented engineers with doctoral degrees and industry experience in top-tier tech companies.
• Lead platform development for a suite of measurement solutions from 0 to 1— including incrementality, attribution, data cleanroom measurement, partner integrations, and GenAI-powered reporting — supporting both real-time optimization and offline reporting with the absolute stability and correctness demanded by Walmart's multi-billion-dollar digital advertising business.
• Define technical direction and conduct design reviews for engineering teams while partnering with engineering leadership and cross-functional stakeholders to align technical strategy with business goals.
• Troubleshoot business and production issues by gathering information (issue, impact, criticality, possible root cause), engage support teams to assist in resolution of issues, formulate an action plan, performing actions as designated in plan, interpret the results to determine further action, and complete online documentation.

Benefits

• Incentive awards for performance
• 401(k) match
• Stock purchase plan
• Paid maternity and parental leave
• PTO
• Multiple health plans
• Performance-based bonus awards
• Company-paid life insurance
• Parental leave
• Family care leave
• Bereavement
• Jury duty
• Voting leave
• Short-term and 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
• Walmart-paid education benefit program (Live Better U) for full-time and part-time associates

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Number of Employees: 1-10 employees