The Staff Data Scientist provides technical leadership for large-scale Search and Personalization initiatives, driving the design and deployment of advanced AI solutions across multiple products. This role influences technical strategy, mentors senior scientists, and partners across engineering and product organizations to deliver scalable machine learning systems that improve customer discovery and business outcomes.
About the team:
The Applied AI Search & Personalization team designs scalable AI systems that enhance how millions of customers find products. The team develops advanced retrieval, ranking, recommendation, and personalization models, integrating Generative AI to deliver innovative shopping experiences. Members apply expertise in predictive analytics, machine learning algorithms, data strategy, and data visualization to create impactful solutions. Collaborating across functions, the team focuses on building robust, data-driven models and deploying them at scale to support business goals and improve customer engagement through intelligent, next-generation technologies.
What you'll do:
- Lead architecture and technical direction for Search and Personalization machine learning systems.
- Design scalable retrieval, ranking, recommendation, and personalization algorithms.
- Drive adoption of Generative AI, Large Language Models, embeddings, and semantic search capabilities.
- Lead cross-functional initiatives involving Product, Engineering, Platform, and Data Science teams.
- Establish experimentation frameworks and best practices for model development and evaluation.
- Mentor senior scientists and review technical designs across multiple initiatives.
- Influence long-term AI strategy and technology investments.
- Drive measurable improvements in customer engagement, search relevance, and business metrics.
What you'll bring:
- Extensive experience building production AI/ML systems at scale.
- Deep expertise in Search, Information Retrieval, Recommendation Systems, Personalization, or Ranking.
- Experience with transformer models, embeddings, vector search, LLMs, or Generative AI applications.
- Strong understanding of ML system architecture, MLOps, and distributed model deployment.
- Expertise in experimentation, causal inference, and performance evaluation.
- Excellent technical leadership and stakeholder management skills.
- Proven ability to influence architecture and mentor technical teams across organizations.
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.
The annual salary range for this position is $143,000.00 - $286,000.00 Additional compensation includes annual or quarterly performance bonuses. Additional compensation for certain positions may also include :
- 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 fieldPreferred 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...815 Eleventh Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94089-4731, United States of AmericaWalmart and its subsidiaries are committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace and has a no tolerance policy regarding the use of illegal drugs and alcohol on the job. This policy applies to all employees and aims to create a safe and productive work environment.Skills Required
- Bachelor’s degree in Statistics, Economics, Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field and 4 years of analytics-related experience
- Master’s degree in Statistics, Economics, Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field and 2 years of analytics-related experience
- 6 years of experience in an analytics or related field
- Experience with data science, machine learning, or optimization models
- PhD 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
- Knowledge of WCAG 2.2 AA standards, assistive technologies, and digital accessibility best practices
Walmart Global Tech Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Walmart Global Tech and has not been reviewed or approved by Walmart Global Tech.
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Strong & Reliable Incentives — Compensation packages typically include base pay, performance bonuses, and stock awards, with access to an employee stock purchase plan. Feedback suggests annual bonus structures and stock grants are a consistent part of total compensation in many roles.
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Retirement Support — Retirement offerings include a company 401(k) match and stock purchase options that support long‑term savings. Feedback suggests these programs are a notable strength within the overall package.
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Parental & Family Support — Family benefits feature paid parental leave and adoption assistance, alongside tax‑advantaged accounts for healthcare spending. Feedback suggests these supports contribute meaningfully to perceived total rewards value.
Walmart Global Tech Insights
What We Do
Walmart has a long history of transforming retail and using technology to deliver innovations that improve how the world shops and empower our 2.2 million associates. It began with Sam Walton and continues today with Global Tech associates working together to power Walmart and lead the next retail disruption. We’re a high-performing, primarily virtual workforce that is human-led and tech-empowered. Our world-class software engineers, data scientists and engineers, cybersecurity professionals, product managers and business service professionals work with top talent on cutting-edge technologies that create unique and innovative experiences for our associates, customers and members across Walmart, Sam’s Club and Walmart International. At Walmart Global Tech, one line of code or bold idea can make life easier for hundreds of millions of people – talk about epic impact at a global scale.







