(USA) Principal, Data Scientist

ODAIA; Mississauga; On-site; CAD 200,000 - 401,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading tech company is seeking a Principal Data Scientist. This role requires over 12 years of experience in applied data science and leading ML products. Key responsibilities include building and scaling ML products, mentoring teams, and optimizing LLM performance. The position is based in Mississauga, Canada and offers a competitive salary range of $143,000 - $286,000 annually, along with comprehensive benefits.

Benefits

401(k) match

Stock purchase plan

Paid maternity and parental leave

PTO

Multiple health plans

Qualifications

• 12+ years in applied data science/ML (or 8+ with a PhD).
• Proven success in recommender systems and LLMs.
• Experience with GenAI systems and ML products.

Responsibilities

• Build and scale ML products in production.
• Lead end-to-end ML product development.
• Mentor team members and set technical roadmaps.

Skills

Applied data science/ML experience

Leadership in ML products

Recommender systems expertise

GenAI systems knowledge

Fine-tuning LLMs

ML modeling

Deep learning with PyTorch/TensorFlow

MLOps

Technical leadership

Collaboration with data engineering

Education

12+ years in data science/ML or 8+ with a PhD

Tools

Python

SQL

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Spark

Docker/Kubernetes

Job description

Position Summary...

What you'll do...

About the Role

We are seeking a seasoned Principal Data Scientist with deep expertise in building and scaling ML products in production. This role is ideal for someone with a strong background in recommender systems, GenAI, and LLMs, and who thrives in a fast‑paced, technically rigorous environment.

Key Qualifications

• 12+ years in applied data science/ML (or 8+ with a PhD)
• 5+ years leading end‑to‑end ML products in production
• Proven success in recommender systems, personalization at scale, or search—especially using LLMs and embeddings
• Experience with GenAI systems, including RAG and agentic LLM workflows
• Fine‑tuning LLMs (LoRA, DPO), reducing hallucinations, and implementing safety guardrails
• Designed LLM evaluation pipelines for factuality, consistency, and relevance
• Optimizing LLM inference: prompt caching, quantization, retrieval filtering
• ML modeling for classification tasks (e.g., boosted trees)
• Strong experimentation background: A/B testing, multi‑armed bandits, causal inference
• Deep learning expertise with PyTorch, TensorFlow, or Keras
• Data engineering collaboration: SQL/Spark pipelines, feature stores, batch serving
• MLOps: deployment, monitoring, drift detection, CI/CD
• Domain fluency in retail/food signals, seasonality, substitutions, and consumer engagement
• Technical leadership: mentors team, sets roadmap, elevates code standards
• Tooling: Python, SQL, PyTorch/TensorFlow, Spark, Airflow, GCP/Azure, Docker/Kubernetes, Git

About Walmart Global Tech Imagine working in an environment where one line of code can make life easier for hundreds of millions of people. That’s what we do at Walmart Global Tech. We’re a team of software engineers, data scientists, cybersecurity experts and service professionals within the world’s leading retailer who make an epic impact and are at the forefront of the next retail disruption. People are why we innovate, and people power our innovations. We are people‑led and tech‑empowered. We train our team in the skillsets of the future and bring in experts like you to help us grow. We have roles for those chasing their first opportunity as well as those looking for the opportunity that will define their career. Here, you can kickstart a great career in tech, gain new skills and experience for virtually every industry, or leverage your expertise to innovate at scale, impact millions and reimagine the future of retail. Walmart’s culture is a competitive advantage, and it’s fostered by being together. Working together in person allows us to collaborate, align quickly and innovate with greater speed. We use our campuses to create purposeful connection rooted in deepening understanding and investing in the development of our associates. Our hubs: Walmart is a global company with offices across the United States and around the world. Our global headquarters is in Bentonville, Arkansas, with primary hubs in the San Francisco Bay area and New York/New Jersey.

Benefits: Beyond our great compensation package, you can receive incentive awards for your performance. Other great perks include 401(k) match, stock purchase plan, paid maternity and parental leave, PTO, multiple health plans, and much more.

Equal Opportunity Employer: Walmart, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer – By Choice. We believe we are best equipped to help our associates, customers and the communities we serve live better when we really know them. That means understanding, respecting and valuing diversity – unique styles, experiences, identities, ideas and opinions – while being inclusive of all people.

The above information has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed in the role. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job. The full Job Description can be made available as part of the hiring process.

Sunnyvale, California US-04396: The annual salary range for this position is $143,000.00 - $286,000.00. Bentonville, Arkansas US-10735: 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.

Primary location: 840 W California Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94086-4828, United States of America.