(USA) Staff, Data Scientist

Walmart•Sunnyvale, CA

6d•$143,000 - $286,000•Onsite

About The Position

As a Staff Data Scientist at Walmart, you will use advanced analytical techniques and machine learning to turn complex data into actionable business insights. The role applies expertise in data strategy, model development, and validation to support decision-making across multiple domains. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to design scalable solutions, develop predictive models, build autonomous research capabilities, communicate findings through data visualization, mentor junior team members, and drive end-to-end projects. The work is intended to advance innovation and operational excellence while aligning data-driven strategies with business objectives and delivering measurable value. The team develops foundational models for Walmart’s e-commerce platform using large-scale user interactions to create representations of users, products, and search queries. These models support search, advertising, recommendations, and personalization. The team combines data science, machine learning, and software engineering to optimize model performance, training, and deployment, with an emphasis on data quality, advanced analytics, visualization, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Requirements

Proven expertise in predictive analytics, machine learning algorithms, and statistical hypothesis testing.
Proficiency in Python and data visualization tools such as Matplotlib, Plotly, or Tableau.
Experience assessing and validating models and deploying them in production environments.
Hands-on experience building or operating agentic or autonomous research systems, such as AI agents that tune hyperparameters and modify training code or architecture with minimal human intervention.
Experience running automated experimentation against defined objective metrics, including auto-generated evaluation reports and offline best-model selection.
Ability to translate complex business problems into data-driven solutions using advanced analytical modeling.
Familiarity with MLOps practices and NLP techniques.
Effective communication skills to present insights and mentor junior team members.
One of the following qualification paths: a bachelor's degree in Statistics, Economics, Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field and 4 years of experience in an analytics-related field; a master's degree in one of those fields and 2 years of analytics-related experience; or 6 years of experience in an analytics or related field.

Nice To Haves

Experience in data science, machine learning, or optimization models.
Ph.D. in Machine Learning, Computer Science, Information Technology, Operations Research, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, or Econometrics.
Successful completion of one or more assessments in Python, Spark, Scala, or R.
Experience using open-source frameworks such as scikit-learn, TensorFlow, or Torch.
Background creating inclusive digital experiences, including knowledge of WCAG 2.2 AA standards, assistive technologies, and digital accessibility best practices.

Responsibilities

Identify and source relevant data from multiple business domains, ensuring its quality and suitability for analysis.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate business problems into data-driven solutions.
Design, build, and validate predictive models using advanced statistical and machine learning techniques.
Implement autonomous research loops in which AI agents iteratively tune hyperparameters, modify training code or architecture, and run experiments against defined objective metrics with minimal human intervention.
Automatically identify and select the best-performing models during offline experimentation to reduce manual model-selection cycles.
Deploy and monitor models in production, ensuring scalability and consistent performance.
Mentor team members on analytical methods, coding best practices, and model development.
Communicate findings through effective data visualization and drive end-to-end projects.

Benefits

Medical, vision, and dental coverage.
401(k).
Stock purchase plan.
Company-paid life insurance.
Paid time off, including sick leave, parental leave, family care leave, bereavement leave, jury duty, and voting leave.
Short-term and long-term disability.
Company discounts.
Military Leave Pay.
Adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement.
Live Better U, a Walmart-paid education benefit program for eligible full-time and part-time associates, covering tuition, books, and fees for qualifying programs.
Performance-based bonus awards.
Stock may be additional compensation for certain positions.