Principal Data Scientist

Walmart

Principal Data Scientist building Walmart’s recommendation, ranking, and personalization AI systems. Applying deep learning, Generative AI, and petabyte-scale behavioral data to improve global shopping experiences.

Posted 8/24/2026full-timeSunnyvale • California • 🇺🇸 United StatesLead💰 $143,000 - $286,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in developing and deploying advanced analytical models and machine learning solutions, with a strong focus on personalization systems and large-scale data processing. Proven ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and mentor teams while driving innovation in AI applications.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Machine Learning SolutionsRecommendation SystemsGenerative AIDeep Learning ModelsSpark-Based Pipelines

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

PythonScalaPyTorchTransformer ArchitecturesBehavioral Feature PipelinesCausal InferenceA/B TestingReal-Time Model ServingDrift MonitoringContinuous Training

Soft Skills

Excellent CommunicationLeadershipCollaboration

Tools & Technologies

Machine Learning FrameworksPersonalization PlatformsUser Modeling Systems

Industry Keywords

AnalyticsStatisticsEconomicsMathematicsInformation Technology

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

PythonPyTorchScalaSpark

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Lead development and deployment of advanced analytical models and machine learning solutions for complex business challenges
Own end-to-end design and delivery of personalization ML systems spanning recommendations, user modeling, real-time ranking, and personalized product discovery
Build and productionize deep learning models for CTR/CVR prediction, sequential recommendation, and user/item representation learning
Apply Generative AI and LLMs, including RAG and fine-tuning, to personalized shopping experiences
Design large-scale behavioral feature pipelines handling petabyte-scale user interaction signals in Spark and Scala
Define experimentation strategies, offline evaluation frameworks, and online/offline metric alignment for personalization systems
Drive personalization architecture decisions and influence the long-term AI roadmap
Mentor senior scientists and establish team standards for model development and production deployment
Collaborate cross-functionally to support data initiatives and deliver measurable business value
Drive innovation through rigorous testing, model validation, and continuous improvement

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor's degree in Statistics, Economics, Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Information Technology or related field and 5 years' experience in an analytics related field; or Master's degree in one of these fields and 3 years' experience; or 7 years' experience in an analytics or related field
Proven track record building Recommendation Systems, Personalization platforms, or user-facing ranking models at production scale
Hands-on experience with PyTorch and Transformer architectures for sequential modeling, user/item embeddings, or multi-task learning
Practical experience applying Generative AI to real products, including RAG, instruction fine-tuning, or RLHF
Strong engineering skills in Python and Scala
Experience building large-scale Spark-based behavioral signal pipelines
Knowledge of causal inference, A/B testing, interleaving, and offline/online metric alignment
Experience operationalizing ML systems at scale, including real-time model serving, drift monitoring, and continuous training
Excellent communication skills and ability to lead multi-quarter technical initiatives across cross-functional teams
Must work in a drug-free workplace and comply with Walmart's no-tolerance policy regarding illegal drugs and alcohol on the job

Benefits

Comp & perks

Performance-based bonus awards
Medical, vision and dental coverage
401(k)
Stock purchase
Company-paid life insurance
PTO, including sick leave
Parental leave
Family care leave
Bereavement leave
Jury duty leave
Voting leave
Short-term and long-term disability
Company discounts
Military Leave Pay
Adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement
PTO and/or PPTO for vacation, sick leave, holidays, or other purposes
Live Better U Walmart-paid education benefit program
High school completion, bachelor's degree, English Language Learning, and short-form certificate programs through Live Better U
Tuition, books, and fees completely paid for by Walmart
Stock may be included as additional compensation for certain positions