Staff, Data Scientist - ML-Driven Audience Targeting & Experimentation

Walmart

2d • $110,000 - $286,000

About The Position

At Sam’s Club, we’re member-obsessed — and data is at the heart of how we deliver value to both our members and our supplier partners. The Measurement, Insights and Data Strategy (MINDS) team powers the Sam’s Club Member Access Platform (MAP) by turning 100% traceable member journey data into actionable insights, scalable media solutions, and measurable business impact. As a Staff Data Scientist on the Media Science & Experimentation team, you will lead the development of ML-driven audience targeting solutions and help define how experimentation drives onsite media performance. Your work will directly influence how top-tier advertisers activate against Sam’s Club members, how campaigns are optimized in-market, and how value is communicated to executive stakeholders. This is a highly visible role combining advanced machine learning, experimentation rigor, and executive storytelling at scale. What you'll do... What you’ll do Deliver ML-powered audience solutions that drive advertiser outcomes Design, build, and deploy high-impact propensity and lifetime value (LTV) models that meaningfully improve targeting effectiveness, ROAS, and campaign performance for top advertisers (e.g., P&G, PepsiCo). Own technical partnerships with strategic advertisers Act as the primary data science partner for large advertisers and measurement partners — shaping campaign objectives, defining success metrics, and translating complex modeling approaches into clear, business-relevant outcomes. Scale models from concept to production Lead the end-to-end lifecycle of ML solutions — moving from POC to production by building parameterized, automated, and scalable pipelines in close collaboration with Engineering and Product. Advance experimentation for onsite display media Design and analyze rigorous A/B tests to evaluate onsite display ad strategies, validate hypotheses, and inform product and media decisions that improve member experience and monetization. Automate insights through GenAI-powered storytelling Architect and deliver AI-driven solutions that automatically generate executive-ready narratives and presentation materials, dramatically reducing manual reporting while elevating insight quality. Influence executive decision-making through storytelling Translate complex analytical findings into compelling narratives for VP-level and above stakeholders — clearly articulating ROI, business impact, and strategic implications.

Requirements

• Proven experience building ML models that drive real business impact
• 3+ years of hands-on, non-academic experience developing and deploying ML models end-to-end — particularly propensity and/or LTV models using tree-based methods (XGBoost, LightGBM).
• Strong experimentation and statistical judgment
• Deep expertise in A/B testing design and analysis, including power analysis, hypothesis testing, and advanced methods (bootstrapping or Bayesian approaches are a plus).
• Experience operationalizing analytics at scale
• Comfort turning analytical ideas into production-ready solutions using Python and SQL, with an emphasis on automation, parameterization, and repeatability.
• GenAI and automation mindset
• Demonstrated ability to leverage LLMs or GenAI tools to automate narrative generation, reporting, or presentation creation from data.
• Ability to bridge data science and executive storytelling
• A track record of communicating complex analytical results to senior business stakeholders in a clear, persuasive, and strategic way.
• Retail media or AdTech exposure (strong plus)
• Familiarity with Retail Media Networks, AdTech platforms, or closed-loop measurement environments is highly valued.
• Modern data & ML tooling experience
• Experience with GCP (BigQuery, Dataproc, Vertex AI preferred), and familiarity with engineering best practices such as CI/CD, Docker, PySpark, or scalable data pipelines.
• Strong quantitative foundation
• A Master’s degree or PhD in Statistics, Economics, Computer Science, Mathematics, or a related field is preferred.

Nice To Haves

• 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
• 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

• Deliver ML-powered audience solutions that drive advertiser outcomes
• Design, build, and deploy high-impact propensity and lifetime value (LTV) models that meaningfully improve targeting effectiveness, ROAS, and campaign performance for top advertisers (e.g., P&G, PepsiCo).
• Own technical partnerships with strategic advertisers
• Act as the primary data science partner for large advertisers and measurement partners — shaping campaign objectives, defining success metrics, and translating complex modeling approaches into clear, business-relevant outcomes.
• Scale models from concept to production
• Lead the end-to-end lifecycle of ML solutions — moving from POC to production by building parameterized, automated, and scalable pipelines in close collaboration with Engineering and Product.
• Advance experimentation for onsite display media
• Design and analyze rigorous A/B tests to evaluate onsite display ad strategies, validate hypotheses, and inform product and media decisions that improve member experience and monetization.
• Automate insights through GenAI-powered storytelling
• Architect and deliver AI-driven solutions that automatically generate executive-ready narratives and presentation materials, dramatically reducing manual reporting while elevating insight quality.
• Influence executive decision-making through storytelling
• Translate complex analytical findings into compelling narratives for VP-level and above stakeholders — clearly articulating ROI, business impact, and strategic implications.

Benefits

• 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, parental leave, family care leave, bereavement, jury duty, and voting.
• You will also receive PTO and/or PPTO that can be used for vacation, sick leave, holidays, or other purposes. The amount you receive depends on your job classification and length of employment. It will meet or exceed the requirements of paid sick leave laws, where applicable.
• For information about PTO, see https://one.walmart.com/notices.
• Other benefits include short-term and long-term disability, company discounts, Military Leave Pay, adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, and more.
• Live Better U is a company 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.
• Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to a specific plan or program terms. For information about benefits and eligibility, see One.Walmart.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees