Position Summary...

What you'll do...

Who we are

The International Personalization team powers layout personalization, personalized recommendations, and banner personalization across multiple touchpoints within the Walmart app and website. We are a global team dedicated to helping millions of customers worldwide find better products and build trusted partnerships.

We work with state-of-the-art machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) models to better infer the types of products customers should engage with. Utilizing the latest advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), we incorporate vast world knowledge and combine it with Walmart data to provide a more engaging, one-stop destination for our customers.

What we do

At International P13N, we focus on building state-of-the-art personalized product recommender systems, as well as banner and layout personalization.

To power all of these initiatives, we:

• Developed a state-of-the-art recommender system to capture both up-sell and cross-sell models. We utilize the latest advancements in GenAI and the Agentic Framework to further enhance our recommendations and incorporate world knowledge into our systems.

• Embrace omni-channel strategies, just like our customers. We analyze both their offline and online behavior to better predict their preferences and personalize their site-wide experience.

• Prioritize our customers through continuous research and development efforts. We aim to better represent our customers via Customer Embeddings, Transformers, and near-real-time, in-session customer representations.

We are seeking an exceptional Principal Data Scientist with a strong background in machine learning and a proven track record of cross-functional collaboration with engineering and product management teams to join the International P13N team. The ideal candidate will possess experience in deploying a production-ready ML models, insightful data analysis skills and be adept at balancing both short-term and long-term tactical ML model development. This role will be pivotal in revolutionizing the future of personalization in e-commerce. 

What You'll Do

• Stay up-to-date with the latest machine learning and deep learning algorithms (Transformers, Multi-modal models) that power Personalization and Recommendations on Walmart. These techniques involve a complex mix of statistics, probability, optimization methods which enable machines to make data-driven decisions at scale to personalize site content according to customer preferences.

• Utilize pre-trained embedding models such as T5, CLIP, Bert, and RoBERTa, and how they can be applied on both customer understanding and product recommendations settings.

• Stay proficient with big data technologies such as but not limited to Hive, Spark, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), VertexAI, and Map-Reduce framework, and build algorithms to be able to handle massive amounts of data generated on the web and make data-driven inferences at scale.

• Stay updated with the latest science and software engineering technologies being used within the Personalization team such as but not limited to Java, Hive, Map-Reduce framework, Python, Bash scripting, Machine Learning packages like Scikit-Learn, Numpy, PyTorch, XGBoost, NLTK, and GenSim.

• Leverage Data visualization tools such as Matplotlib, Seaborn, Plotly, and GGplot to showcase exciting results.

• Apply the best practice techniques for model testing and tuning to assess accuracy ; fit for data science models. Be proficient in Model Assessment and Validation such as Chi square, F1, ROC curve, root mean square error, etc.

• Proactively navigate and acquire data sources needed to ensure project is successful by communicating with stakeholders from  background.

• Work with other team members in Personalization data engineering, modeling teams and web service professionals to deliver key projects in FY26.

• Work with agile scrum teams within Personalization group and adhere to the best-practices for software development such as coding styles, code reviews from peers, continuous build with Jenkins and integrated deployment with OneOps.

• Participate in designing different components in Personalization backend systems, from data collection to enabling machines to make data-driven decisions at scale, thus building highly scalable and relevant solutions to drive key business projects. This may require collaboration with peers and other teams.

• In absence of existing methods to attain business objectives, the individual is required to research and innovate. They may be required to develop new machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques to achieve the business goal.

• Work with cross-functional team (engineering, MLOps, Product, Business) and delivering project end-to-end.

• Utilize Large Language Models and productionalizing in an industry level.

• Move-fast and break-fast using AI-assisted code (e.g., Copilot) to try numerous hypotheses.

What You'll Bring

• Have a MS/PhD in relevant technical degree (preferably Computer Science, Machine Learning, Operations Research, Applied Mathematics, Statistics, Engineering etc.) with 6+ years of relevant work experience.

• Have a deep background in NLP, Search Science, Recommendation Systems, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Optimization, Algorithm and Software development.

• Strong preference on candidates with prior knowledge of Search or Recommendation Systems related technology and Generative AI.

• Sound knowledge of Python, SQL, PySpark, Machine Learning Libraries, Big Data processing systems in cloud environment is expected.

• A track record of building ML models or delivering impactful customer-facing products as tech lead and mentoring early-career data scientists.

• Experience of publications in peer-reviewed conferences and journals or patent filings.

• Expertise in Transformers, Multi-modal models, and their applications in Personalization and Recommendations.

• Proficiency with pre-trained embedding models such as such as T5, CLIP, Bert, and RoBERTa

• Experience in data visualization such as Matplotlib, Seaborn, Plotly, and GGplot

• Expertise in model assessment and validation

At Walmart, we offer competitive pay as well as performance-based bonus awards and other great benefits for a happier mind, body, and wallet. 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.

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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.

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For information about PTO, see https://one.walmart.com/notices.

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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.

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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.

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For information about benefits and eligibility, see One.Walmart.

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The annual salary range for this position is $143,000.00-$286,000.00

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Additional compensation includes annual or quarterly performance bonuses.

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Additional compensation for certain positions may also include:

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- Stock

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Minimum Qualifications...

Outlined below are the required minimum qualifications for this position. If none are listed, there are no minimum qualifications.

Option 1: Bachelors degree in Statistics, Economics, Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Information Technology or related field and 4 years' experience in an analytics related field. Option 2: Masters degree in Statistics, Economics, Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Information Technology or related field and 2 years' experience in an analytics related field. Option 3: 6 years' experience in an analytics or related field

Preferred Qualifications...

Outlined below are the optional preferred qualifications for this position. If none are listed, there are no preferred qualifications.

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.

Primary Location...

680 West California Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94086-4834, United States of America