Distinguished Data Scientist (AI)

Location: Sunnyvale, California, United States

Annual salary: $169,000–$338,000, plus performance-based bonuses and possible stock compensation.

Company

hirify.global develops advertising and customer-discovery solutions within Walmart, supporting search, personalization, recommendations, and AI-powered shopping experiences.

What you will do

• Set the multi-year AI research and technical strategy for Search and Personalization.
• Develop novel approaches to retrieval, ranking, personalization, and generative discovery.
• Define positions on emerging AI capabilities and translate them into product and platform investments.
• Influence product roadmaps and engineering architecture at VP and SVP levels.
• Align AI investments with company strategy and business outcomes.
• Represent Walmart's science through publications, patents, and broader research-community leadership.

Requirements

• Recognized expertise in search, recommendations, or personalization at scale, supported by original publications or patents.
• Deep knowledge of deep learning, Transformer architectures, and Generative AI in production search and discovery systems.
• Experience defining technical strategy and delivering company-level impact over multi-year horizons.
• Strong expertise in causal inference, A/B testing, and reliable online and offline evaluation.
• Exceptional communication with senior leadership and ability to connect research vision to business outcomes.
• Bachelor's degree plus 6 years of analytics experience, master's degree plus 4 years, or 8 years of experience in an analytics or related field.

Nice to have

• PhD in machine learning, computer science, information technology, operations research, statistics, applied mathematics, or a related field.
• Experience with Python, Spark, Scala, R, scikit-learn, TensorFlow, or Torch.
• Publication record or active peer-review experience for relevant journals or conferences.
• Experience growing senior scientific talent and shaping team culture.
• Knowledge of WCAG 2.2 AA, assistive technologies, and digital accessibility practices.

Culture & Benefits

• Medical, vision, and dental coverage.
• 401(k), stock purchase plan, company-paid life insurance, and potential stock compensation.
• Paid time off, sick leave, parental leave, family care leave, bereavement leave, jury duty, and voting leave.
• Short- and long-term disability, company discounts, military leave pay, and adoption and surrogacy reimbursement.
• Live Better U provides Walmart-paid education benefits, including tuition, books, and fees for eligible programs.