Applied Scientist II

Microsoft; Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 100,600 - 199,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) plan

Paid time off

Job summary

A leading technology company is seeking an Applied Scientist II to drive algorithmic improvements, develop recommendation algorithms, and optimize ad relevance in Mountain View, CA. The ideal candidate has a strong background in machine learning, statistics, and software development. This full-time position offers competitive compensation in a collaborative environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, or related field AND 2+ years related experience.
• 2+ years experience in machine learning, deep learning, NLP, or statistics.
• 1+ year’s experience in software development.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deploy ML models to optimize ad relevance.
• Design scalable algorithms for online and offline systems.
• Lead A/B testing and refine user behavior predictions.

Skills

Machine learning

Deep learning

NLP

Statistics

Programming

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field

Master's degree in a relevant field

Doctorate in a relevant field

Job description

Applied Scientist II at Microsoft

We are hiring for multiple Applied Scientist II roles on Microsoft Advertising for the following teams in Mountain View, CA and Redmond, WA.

Teams

• Signals Modeling Team: focuses on predicting how users interact with ads on the search results page.
• Demand Intelligence Team: works on demand optimization, recommendation algorithms, forecasting, and platform components.

You Will

• Drive algorithmic improvements to online and offline systems, develop robust solutions, and directly impact users and advertisers to increase revenue.
• Develop recommendation algorithms, platform components, agentic workflows, forecasting solutions, and leverage GenAI to solve large‑scale problems.

Responsibilities

As Applied Scientist II on the Signals Modeling team you will be responsible for:

• Developing and deploying cutting‑edge ML models, including transformers, generative AI, and reinforcement learning, to optimize ad relevance.
• Designing scalable algorithms for online and offline systems, enabling content selection and user engagement modeling.
• Leading A/B testing and offline validation to evaluate model performance and refine user behavior predictions.
• Building robust data pipelines and frameworks for large‑scale, high‑dimensional datasets.
• Staying at the forefront of AI research and incorporating the latest advances across Microsoft platforms.

As Applied Scientist II on the Demand Intelligence team you will be responsible for:

• Developing recommendation algorithms within Bid/Budget/Keyword spaces.
• Designing selection and ranking components for the campaign recommendation platform.
• Building agentic workflows for campaign optimization.
• Creating forecasting solutions and demand analytical tools.
• Managing experimentation infrastructure, dashboards, live marketplace monitoring, and diagnostics.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 2+ years related experience.
• OR Master’s degree AND 1+ year(s) related experience.
• OR Doctorate AND 1+ year(s) related experience.
• OR equivalent experience.
• 2+ years experience in machine learning, deep learning, NLP, or statistics.
• 1+ year’s experience in software development.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree AND 5+ years related experience.
• OR Master’s degree AND 3+ years related experience.
• OR Doctorate AND 1+ year(s) related experience.
• OR equivalent experience.
• Research experience (publications) in statistical ML, deep learning, data mining, causal inference, information retrieval, and Bayesian inference.
• Proven programming and data analysis skills.
• Proven expertise in Generative AI, deep learning, reinforcement learning, or transformers.

Benefits and Compensation

Applied Sciences IC3 – base pay range USD $100,600 – $199,000 per year (different ranges apply for specific locations). Further benefits and compensation details are available at Microsoft Careers.

Company Commitment

Microsoft will accept applications and processes offers for these roles on an ongoing basis.

Microsoft is an equal‑opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.

Seniority level

Not Applicable

Employment type

Full‑time

Job function

Research, Analyst, and Information Technology