(USA) Principal, Data Scientist

Position Summary... What you'll do... Role summary: As a Principal Data Scientist at Walmart, you will lead the development and deployment of advanced analytical models to solve complex business challenges. This role requires expertise in machine learning, statistical analysis, and data visualization to translate business needs into scalable data-driven solutions. You will collaborate across functions to identify data sources, validate models, and drive impactful insights that support strategic decision-making. The position demands strong technical proficiency, mentorship capabilities, and a commitment to delivering measurable business value through innovative data science practices. About the team: The People Technology team drives the deployment and adoption of innovative people-focused technology across the enterprise, impacting millions globally. Within this group, the People.AI team develops AI and machine learning solutions to enhance associate experience and productivity. This role involves creating intelligent conversational interfaces powered by large language models to automate tasks, deliver personalized support, and improve communication. The team is committed to advancing technology that supports managers and associates, fostering a more efficient and engaging work environment aligned with Walmart's mission to serve customers and members effectively. What you'll do: Develop LLM-powered intelligent experiences that interpret and generate insights from both tabular and unstructured data. Build and optimize personalized Q&A systems using large language models, enabling context-aware responses tailored to user needs. Design and enhance conversational talent recommendation systems, combining autonomous agent architectures with personalized recommendation algorithms. Advance traditional recommendation systems by evolving them from simple ranked lists to multi-topic, interactive experiences that better reflect user intent. Collaborate within a highly cross-functional team, including data scientists, machine learning engineers, product managers, and UX designers. Partner with fellow data scientists to design, prototype, and iterate on AI/ML models and system architectures. What you'll bring: Proven experience deploying high-risk NLP applications in real-world, production environments-such as those involving regulatory compliance, privacy, safety, or fairness. Advanced proficiency in Python and common ML/DS libraries such as NumPy, pandas, scikit-learn, as well as deep learning frameworks like TensorFlow, PyTorch. Hands-on experience with Text-to-SQL or Text-to-Cypher based application, or the design of modern recommender systems. Experience developing or fine-tuning large language models (LLMs), including prompt engineering, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), or open-weight model customization. Publication history in top-tier ML/NLP conferences such as NeurIPS, ICML, ACL, EMNLP, or ICLR 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. 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. For information about PTO, see 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. For information about benefits and eligibility, see One.Walmart. The annual salary range for this position is $110,000.00 - $220,000.00 Additional compensation includes annual or quarterly performance bonuses. Additional compensation for certain positions may also include : - Stock ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ 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 5 years' experience in an analytics related field. Option 2: Masters degree in Statistics, Economics, Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Information Technology or related field and 3 years' experience in an analytics related field. Option 3: 7 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, Publications or active peer reviewer in related journals or conference, 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... 508 Sw 8Th St, Bentonville, AR 72712, United States of America Walmart 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. Apply tot his job