# Sr Applied Data Scientist - Search and Browse

**Company**: Target
**Location**: Sunnyvale, CA
**Work arrangement**: hybrid
**Experience**: senior
**Job type**: full-time
**Salary**: $118,000.00 - $211,000.00
**Category**: Data Science
**Industry**: Retail

**Apply**: https://target.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/targetcareers/job/100-Mathilda-PlaceSte-100-SunnyvaleCA-94086-6017/Sr-Applied-Data-Scientist---Search-and-Browse--applied-ML--LLMs--ML-Ops-_R0000477503?utm_source=yubhub.co&utm_medium=jobs_feed&utm_campaign=apply
**Canonical**: https://yubhub.co/jobs/job_a8502293-bad

## Description

We are seeking a Senior Applied Data Scientist to join our Search and Browse team at Target. As a Senior Applied Data Scientist, you will develop and deploy scalable ML models for search ranking, browse personalization, semantic retrieval, and query understanding systems.

Responsibilities:

- Develop and deploy scalable ML models for search ranking, browse personalization, semantic retrieval, and query understanding systems

- Design and execute offline and online experiments to improve relevance, engagement, conversion, and customer satisfaction

- Build scalable feature pipelines, evaluation frameworks, and ML workflows for production systems

- Apply modern ML techniques including embeddings, retrieval/ranking models, transformers, NLP, vector search, and GenAI/RAG systems

- Improve query understanding, catalog understanding, semantic retrieval, and long-tail search relevance across large retail catalogs

- Partner closely with Product, Engineering, and Infrastructure teams to align technical solutions with business priorities and operational requirements

- Drive data-informed decision making through deep analysis, experimentation, and business impact measurement

- Balance model quality with latency, scalability, reliability, and infrastructure efficiency in large-scale production systems

- Contribute to best practices in experimentation, ML engineering, and operational excellence

- Mentor junior scientists and collaborate across teams to improve Search and Browse experiences

Requirements:

- PhD or MS in Computer Science, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, Physics or related quantitative discipline

- 3+ years of industry experience in Machine Learning, Data Science, Search, NLP, Personalization or related ML systems

- Exceptional experience and understanding with retrieval/ranking systems, semantic search, NLP, vector search, or related ML domains

- Strong demonstrated coding skills in Python and SQL with experience in distributed data processing ecosystems

- Demonstrated experience building and deploying end to end production ML systems

- Strong understanding of production ML system tradeoffs including latency, scalability, reliability, and operational excellence

- Experience with modern ML approaches such as embeddings, transformers, semantic retrieval, RAG systems, or GenAI technologies

- Experience designing experiments and interpreting online/offline metrics

- Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to independently drive projects in moderately ambiguous environments

- Very good communication and cross-functional collaboration skills

- Constant learner mentality who stays current with new and evolving AI technologies via formal training and self-directed education

Benefits:

- Comprehensive health benefits and programs

- 401(k)

- Employee discount

- Short term disability

- Long term disability

- Paid sick leave

- Paid national holidays

- Paid vacation

## Skills

### Required
- Machine Learning
- Data Science
- Python
- SQL
- NLP
- Personalization

### Nice to have
- embeddings
- transformers
- semantic retrieval
- RAG systems
- GenAI technologies

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Source: [Apply at target.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com](https://target.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/targetcareers/job/100-Mathilda-PlaceSte-100-SunnyvaleCA-94086-6017/Sr-Applied-Data-Scientist---Search-and-Browse--applied-ML--LLMs--ML-Ops-_R0000477503?utm_source=yubhub.co&utm_medium=jobs_feed&utm_campaign=apply)