Senior Director, Data Science

Walmart • Bentonville, AR

2d • Onsite

About The Position

As the Senior Director of Data Science for Commerce Foundational Models, you will lead an elite, high-caliber engineering and data science team dedicated to building Walmart’s next-generation intelligence layer. You will be responsible for the vision, strategy, and execution of large-scale foundational models trained on our massive, multi-modal dataset encompassing billions of customer touch points, transaction histories, search queries etc. Your models will serve as the AI engine powering critical consumer facing and enterprise products across Walmart’s ecosystem, including Search, Personalization, Sponsored Ads, Conversational Commerce, and Supply Chain Forecasting. The AI and Data organization integrates essential capabilities to leverage AI and data as strategic assets across Walmart. It develops and manages shared platforms, intelligence, and decision systems that enhance customer experiences, empower associates, and deliver measurable business outcomes. Within this org, the Retail Intelligence group focuses on creating and deploying scalable AI models and services that bring advanced AI capabilities to Walmart’s products and operations efficiently. The team collaborates closely with stakeholders to drive data strategy, machine learning innovation, and business insights, supporting Walmart’s commitment to operational excellence and continuous improvement.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Statistics, Mathematics, or a highly quantitative field.
• 8+ years of experience directly managing and scaling high-performing data science and ML engineering teams, with at least 3+ years managing managers.
• Proven track record of designing, training, and deploying deep learning models in production at massive scale
• Deep understanding of distributed training frameworks
• Bachelor’s degree in Statistics, Economics, Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Information Technology or related field and 7 years' experience in an analytics related field.
• Master’s degree in Statistics, Economics, Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Information Technology or related field and 5 years' experience in an analytics related field.
• 9 years' experience in an analytics or related field.
• 3 years supervisory experience.

Nice To Haves

• Ph.D. in CS, ML, or a related field with a strong publication record in top-tier AI/ML conferences
• Domain Expertise in Commerce/RecSys and experience building Generative Recommenders, Hierarchical Sequential Transducers(HSTU) or sequence-based models for user behavior representation.
• Deep knowledge of low-latency inference optimization techniques, real-time retrieval.
• 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

• Define the multi-year roadmap for Walmart’s Commerce Foundational Models.
• Drive the paradigm shift from siloed, domain-specific models to unified, multi-task generative architectures
• Lead a world-class team of Applied AI Researchers, Machine Learning Engineers, and Data Scientists.
• Partner closely with product, engineering, and business leaders across Search, Ads, Personalization, and Customer Experience to ensure foundational models are seamlessly integrated, delivering massive business value.
• Serve as the primary champion for foundational models within Walmart Global Tech.

Benefits

• competitive pay
• 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.

What This Job Offers

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