Staff, Software Engineer

Walmart•Sunnyvale, CA

13d•Onsite

About The Position

What you'll do... About the Team: Spark Driver Platform operates across all 50 U.S. states, empowering millions of drivers to provide local delivery and making it Walmarts largest local delivery service provider. The Spark Driver Applied AI team is dedicated to enhancing efficiency and profitability by pushing the boundaries of machine learning, data science, and economics. We build highly reliable and scalable production systems that drive the growth of the Spark Driver Platform. Our key focus areas include Capacity Planning, Driver Search, Driver Matching, Driver Offer Pricing, Driver Surge Pricing, Incentive Strategy, ETA Prediction, and GenAI Automation for Driver Support. About the Role: As a Staff Software Engineer (Machine Learning Engineering), you will lead the design and development of large-scale, production-grade ML systems for Driver Search and Matching. This role requires deep expertise in both machine learning systems and distributed backend engineering. You will own end-to-end ML system architecture—from model serving and real-time decisioning to system scalability, reliability, and observability. You will partner closely with Applied Scientists, Business, Product, and Engineering teams to translate advanced ML models into robust, high-performance production systems. Your work will directly power real-time driver dispatch and matching decisions, improving delivery speed, marketplace efficiency, and driver experience at Walmart scale. About Team: Our team works closely with our US stores and eCommerce business to better serve customers by empowering team members, stores, and merchants with technological innovation. From groceries and entertainment to sporting goods and crafts, Walmart U.S. offers an extensive selection that our customers value, whether they shop online at Walmart.com, through one of our mobile apps, or in-store. Focus areas include customers, stores and employees, in-store service, merchant tools, merchant data science, and search and personalization.

Requirements

Ph.D. or Master in Computer Science or a related field.
5+ years of experience in software engineering, with strong focus on backend systems and/or ML engineering.
Proven experience building and scaling real-time, distributed systems in production environments.
Strong experience with ML production systems, including model serving, feature stores, and inference pipelines.
Proficiency in programming languages such as Java, Python, or C++.
Experience with large-scale data and streaming systems (e.g., Kafka, Spark, Flink) and cloud platforms (GCP/Azure).
Deep understanding of system design, scalability, and performance optimization.
Strong ownership mindset with the ability to drive ambiguous, cross-functional initiatives end-to-end.
Excellent communication skills and ability to influence technical decisions across teams.
Bachelor'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.
6 years’ experience in software engineering or related area.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with ranking systems, recommendation systems, or marketplace optimization is a plus.
Master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Computer Information Systems, Software Engineering, or related area and 2 years' experience in software engineering or related area
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

Architect and build scalable, low-latency ML systems for millions of real-time driver search and matching per second.
Lead the end-to-end productionization of ML models, including serving, feature pipelines, and online inference systems.
Design and optimize distributed systems for high-throughput, real-time decision-making.
Collaborate with Applied Scientists to translate ML models (e.g., ML, ranking, optimization, RL) into production-ready systems.
Own system reliability, monitoring, and observability, ensuring high availability and performance at scale.
Drive best practices in MLOps, including CI/CD, model versioning, experimentation, and safe deployment.
Lead technical design reviews and mentor engineers across the team.
Influence system architecture and long-term technical strategy for Driver Search and Matching platforms.

Benefits

Beyond our great compensation package, you can receive incentive awards for your performance.
Other great perks include 401(k) match, stock purchase plan, paid maternity and parental leave, PTO, multiple health plans, and much more.
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 (including sick leave), parental leave, family care leave, bereavement, jury duty, and voting.
Other benefits include short-term and long-term disability, company discounts, Military Leave Pay, adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, and more.
You will also receive 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.
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.