(USA) Distinguished, Software Engineer

Walmart•Sunnyvale, CA

4h•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a Distinguished Software Engineer to provide hands-on, domain-level technical leadership for Walmart’s Search Runtime platform. This role owns the technical vision and architecture, driving the design of scalable, AI-powered search systems that serve billions of queries. You will shape long-term strategy, lead critical architectural decisions, and influence multiple teams to deliver high-impact solutions that improve product discovery and business outcomes. This role requires deep expertise in distributed systems, search technologies, and AI/ML-driven relevance, along with a proven ability to operate across organizational boundaries to deliver impact at scale. The Search team powers product discovery across Walmart’s global platforms, handling massive scale with strict latency and availability requirements. Whether a customer is searching for a specific item or browsing through categories, our platform powers the intelligence behind product discovery. We leverage large-scale structured and unstructured data - combined with advanced information retrieval, machine learning, and ranking algorithms - to deliver highly relevant, personalized, and seamless discovery experiences.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree with 12+ years (or Master’s with 10+ years) in software engineering, building and scaling large distributed systems.
Strong product and engineering mindset, linking system design decisions to customer experience and business outcomes.
Deep expertise in search architectures, including retrieval, indexing, ranking, and system trade-offs.
Experience designing and operating run-time orchestration systems for complex, distributed workflows and services.
Strong experience with low-latency, high-availability services, performance optimization, and reliability at scale.
Proficiency in backend technologies (Java/Spring or similar) and modern cloud-native architectures.
Proven ability to lead large, cross-team engineering initiatives and influence system design across organizations.
Bachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, computer information systems, software engineering, or related area and 6 years’ experience in software engineering or related area.
8 years’ experience in software engineering or related area.

Nice To Haves

Experience in e-commerce or marketplace platforms at scale.
Experience working with global or multi-region systems and teams.
Experience building 0→1 products or launching new product surfaces.
Background in fast-scaling consumer technology companies.
Master’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, computer information systems, software engineering, or related area and 4 years' experience in software engineering or related area.
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

Define and drive the technical strategy and architecture for Search Runtime across retrieval, ranking, indexing, and serving systems.
Lead the design of scalable, low-latency, high-availability distributed systems.
Build and evolve AI-powered search capabilities including semantic search, vector retrieval, and ML-driven ranking.
Integrate ML/AI models into real-time production systems to improve relevance and conversion.
Drive operational excellence including observability, reliability, performance, and cost efficiency.
Lead large cross-org initiatives and align engineering, product, and data science teams.
Mentor and develop engineers across levels and raise the bar for design, code quality, and engineering practices.
Identify and resolve system bottlenecks; drive continuous optimization and innovation.

Benefits

Incentive awards for performance
401(k) match
Stock purchase plan
Paid maternity and parental leave
PTO
Multiple health plans
Competitive pay
Performance-based bonus awards
Medical coverage
Vision coverage
Dental coverage
Stock
Company-paid life insurance
Family care leave
Bereavement leave
Jury duty leave
Voting leave
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
Walmart-paid education benefit program (Live Better U) 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.