Intern, Applied AI & Automation

Sephora; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 36,000 - 47,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Job summary

Sephora invites aspiring technologists to join the Applied AI & Automation Internship in San Francisco. This 10-week program enables hands-on learning by collaborating with AI engineers, data scientists, and business teams to move from problem definition to working proofs of concept.

You will design and build AI solutions, work with tools and frameworks, and contribute to an evolving human-agentic operating model.

Qualifications

• Pursuing a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Ph.D. in a quantitative field such as CS, ML, DS, or Engineering.
• Strong Python and SQL programming skills.
• Experience building and evaluating ML or deep learning models.
• Experience with large language models, retrieval-augmented generation, embeddings, or agentic frameworks.
• Curious, technically deep, and eager to experiment with emerging AI tech.

Responsibilities

• Design, train, evaluate, and iterate on ML models for business use cases.
• Build agentic AI solutions capable of reasoning, tool use, and multi-step workflows.
• Develop proofs of concept using Python, SQL, ML frameworks, and enterprise data.
• Create retrieval-augmented generation pipelines and tool-calling capabilities.
• Explore features, validate models, and analyze errors to improve performance.
• Demonstrate Sephora values: Passion, Innovation, Expertise, Balance, Respect, Teamwork, Initiative.

Skills

Python

SQL

ML/DL models

LLMs & retrieval-augmented generation

Agentic AI

Education

Bachelor’s/Master’s/PhD in CS/ML/DS/Engineering

Tools

TensorFlow/PyTorch

Job description

Job ID: 297536

Location Name: CA-FSC SF Off (0174)

Address: 350 Mission St, 20th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105, United States (US)

Job Type: Full Time

Position Type: Intern/Trainee

Job Function: Internship

Work Location: Hybrid-San Francisco Office

Your safety matters to us

All official Sephora US recruitment emails will come from a @sephora.com email address. We will never interview via text, ask you to download unfamiliar software, or request sensitive personal information such as your SSN or banking details via email, phone, or text. Learn more about Sephora on our official careers site inside-sephora.com, and search for verified US roles at join.sephora.com.

Belong to Something Beautiful

At Sephora, beauty is about feeling seen, valued, and empowered, individually and collectively. It is connecting deeply with others, celebrating diversity and inclusivity, unlocking your potential, and making a difference every day. Together, we belong to something beautiful.

Company overview

At Sephora, we inspire our customers, empower our teams, and help them become the best versions of themselves. We create an environment where people are valued, and differences are celebrated. Every day, our teams across the world bring to life our purpose: to expand the way the world sees beauty by empowering the ExtraOrdinary in each of us. We are united by a common goal - to reimagine the future of beauty.

The opportunity

Sephora Internships provide an inclusive and comprehensive experience that equips young professionals with the tools needed to align their passions with work. The 10-week internship program develops early career professionals by providing interns with hands‑on learning, personal and professional networking opportunities, and the ability to work on projects that directly impact the business.

Program details

• June 14 - August 20, 2027
• Working hours: 36hrs/week. Monday - Friday, PST
• July 6 - July 9, 2027: Intern Optional Summer Shutdown

Position title

Intern, Applied AI & Automation

Your role at Sephora

As the Applied AI & Automation Intern, you will design and build AI solutions for complex business challenges. You will work with AI engineers, data scientists, and business teams to take high‑value use cases from problem definition and data exploration through a working proof of concept. The role will contribute to Sephora’s evolving human‑agentic operating model, where AI supports predictive insights, integrated decision support, exception management, and workflow automation.

What you will accomplish

• Design, train, evaluate, and iterate on machine learning models for real‑world business use cases.
• Build agentic AI solutions capable of reasoning, retrieving information, using tools, and orchestrating multi‑step workflows.
• Rapidly develop data science and AI proofs of concept using Python, SQL, machine learning frameworks, and enterprise data.
• Build retrieval‑augmented generation pipelines, tool‑calling capabilities, multi‑agent workflows, and context‑aware AI applications.
• Perform data exploration, feature engineering, model experimentation, validation, and error analysis.
• Demonstrate our Sephora values: Passion, Innovation, Expertise, Balance, Respect, Teamwork, and Initiative.

Qualifications & experience

• Pursuing a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Ph.D. degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Engineering, Statistics, or a related quantitative field.
• Strong hands‑on programming skills in Python and SQL.
• Demonstrated experience building and evaluating machine learning or deep learning models.
• Experience developing applications with large language models, retrieval‑augmented generation, embeddings, vector databases, tool calling, or agentic frameworks.
• Strong curiosity, technical depth, and willingness to experiment with emerging AI technologies.

Eligibility requirements

• Graduating in 2027 or 2028 (undergraduate or graduate degree)
• Work schedule must align with 9-5PM, Pacific Standard Time
• Must permanently reside and work in the U.S.
• Must be open to relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area upon graduation for consideration for full‑time hybrid positions*
• Available from June 14 - August 20, 2027

What You’ll Get

The target hourly pay for this position is $30.00 - $30.00. The actual hourly pay offered depends on various factors, which may include, as applicable, the individual applicant’s qualifications for the position; years of relevant experience; specific and unique skills; level of education attained; certifications or other professional licenses held; other legitimate, non‑discriminatory business factors specific to the position; and the geographic location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will perform the job.

• Caring Community. You’ll collaborate with teammates who are equally passionate about innovating and driving the industry forward – together, united in beauty.
• Fulfilling Path. Your career transformation starts here, with opportunities that will challenge, stretch and develop your skills.
• Meaningful Work. As you make an impact on beauty, you’ll feel and see the positive change (consumer, industry, and social) that your individual voice is a part of.

Sephora values a diverse and inclusive workplace and considers all applicants without regard to sex, pregnancy, race, color, national origin, gender (including gender identity and gender expression), age, religion, sexual orientation, military/veteran status, disability, or any other protected category. Sephora is committed to providing reasonable accommodation ta applicants with disabilities or other medical conditions.

Sephora will consider all qualified applicants, including those with arrest and conviction records in a manner consistent with the requirements of all applicable laws, including the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the New York City Fair Chance Act.

Join Us and Belong to Something Beautiful