Lead Applied Data Scientist - Search Ranking (applied ML, LLMs, NLP)

Target; Sunnyvale (CA); Hybrid; USD 132,000 - 286,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k)

Paid time off

Job summary

Target in Sunnyvale, CA is seeking a Lead Data Scientist – Search and Browse to design and deploy scalable ML systems that power Target’s digital experiences. You will lead NLP, LLM, and AI initiatives, build large-scale data pipelines, and mentor engineers while collaborating with product and business teams in a hybrid work model.

PhD or MS in relevant field and 5+ years of production ML experience are expected.

Qualifications

• PhD or MS in Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, Statistics, Physics or equivalent work or industry experience.
• Research or industry experiences in search indexing, information retrieval or ranking.
• Demonstrated experience in NLP, LLMs, agentic systems or recommendation systems at scale.
• 5+ years of experience in deploying machine learning algorithms into production environments with good ML Ops experience.
• Proficient in Python or Java with excellent coding and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deploy scalable deep learning models to improve the search experience of guests.
• Use LLM and agentic technologies to improve ecommerce search experience.
• Architect and implement large-scale AI systems using test-driven development practices.
• Build NLP technology for query and document analysis, processing, and understanding.
• Create data pipelines for feature/label extraction and generation.
• Conduct data analysis to identify opportunities and improve models.
• Conduct research to advance the state-of-the-art ML, LLM, and NLP technologies.
• Contributing to the operations/building of AI pipelines.
• Adopting Target's infrastructural platforms and operationalize tools and systems around them.
• Mentor and partner with other engineers to develop software that meets business needs.
• Collaborate effectively with product and business partners to define and scope solutions
• Follow agile methodology for software development and technical documentation
• Innovate constantly and keep systems up to date with current technologies

Skills

Python

Java

Machine Learning

NLP

ML Ops

SQL

Leadership

Research

Education

PhD or MS in Computer Science / related field

Job description

The pay range is $132,000.00 - $286,000.00.

Pay is based on several factors which vary based on position. These include labor markets and in some instances may include education, work experience and certifications. In addition to your pay, Target cares about and invests in you as a team member, so that you can take care of yourself and your family. Target offers eligible team members and their dependents comprehensive health benefits and programs, which may include medical, vision, dental, life insurance and more, to help you and your family take care of your whole selves. Other benefits for eligible team members include 401(k), employee discount, short term disability, long term disability, paid sick leave, paid national holidays, and paid vacation. Find competitive benefits from financial and education to well-being and beyond at https://corporate.target.com/careers/benefits.

JOIN TARGET AS A LEAD DATA SCIENTIST – SEARCH AND BROWSE

About Us

Working at Target means helping all families discover the joy of everyday life. We bring that vision to life through our values and culture. Learn more about Target here.

A role withTargetData Sciencesmeans the chance to help develop and managestate of the art predictivealgorithmsthatuse data at scale to automateand optimize decisions at scale. Whether you join our Statistics, Optimization or Machine Learning teams, you’ll be challenged to harness Target’s impressive data breadth to build the algorithmsthat power solutions our partners in Marketing, Supply Chain, Forecasting, Search and Personalization rely on.

Every Scientist on Target’s Data Sciences team can expect modeling and data science, software/product development of highly performant code for model performance, and to elevate Target’s culture and apply retail domain knowledge.

The Search and Browse Applied Data Sciences team builds the core relevance engine and Data Science products that power Target’s Digital experience. As a Lead Data Scientist on this product – you’ll work with business partners to provide solutions for business problems in a fast-paced and global environment. You’ll have the opportunity to design quality, flexible and performant Data Science systems and services at scale. You’ll also architect Data Science solutions that capture, process and mine huge datasets in the retail industry. We’ll also promote innovative thinking as well as the opportunity to use cutting‑edge machine learning algorithms and NLP techniques to improve our Mobile and Web Search systems!

As a Lead Applied Data Scientist – Search and Browse you’ll:

• Develop and deploy scalable deep learning models to improve the search experience of guests
• Use LLM and agentic technologies to improve ecommerce search experience
• Architect and implement large-scale AI systems using test-driven development practices
• Build NLP technology for query and document analysis, processing, and understanding
• Create data pipelines for feature/label extraction and generation
• Conduct data analysis to identify opportunities and improve models
• Conduct research to advance the state-of-the-art ML, LLM, and NLP technologies
• Contributing to the operations/building of AI pipelines
• Adopting Target's infrastructural platforms and operationalize tools and systems around them
• Mentor and partner with other engineers to develop software that meets business needs
• Collaborate effectively with product and business partners to define and scope solutions
• Follow agile methodology for software development and technical documentation
• Innovate constantly and keep systems up to date with current technologies

Core responsibilities of this job are described within this job description. Job duties may change at any time due to business needs.

About You

• PhD or MS in Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, Statistics, Physics or equivalent work or industry experience
• Research or industry experiences in search indexing, information retrieval or ranking
• Demonstrated experience in NLP, LLMs, agentic systems or recommendation systems at scale
• 5+ years of experience in deploying machine learning algorithms into production environments with good ML Ops experience
• Proficient in Python or Java with excellent coding and problem-solving skills
• Exceptional hands‑on modeling skills using Python
• Extensive experience implementing and integrating ML models in production in high traffic/scale
• Experience querying large databases with SQL, HQL, or some variation
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills for partnering with global teams
• Self-driven and results-oriented, with strong ownership, sound judgment and the ability to move quickly while maintaining high technical standard
• Collaborative team player with a commitment to continuous learning, knowledge sharing, and building reliable AI systems that create business value

This position will operate as a Hybrid/Flex for Your Day work arrangement based on Target’s needs. A Hybrid/Flex for Your Day work arrangement means the team member’s core role will need to be performed both onsite at the Target HQ Sunnyvale, CA or MN location the role is assigned to and virtually, depending upon what your role, team and tasks require for that day. Work duties cannot be performed outside of the country of the primary work location, unless otherwise prescribed by Target.

Target will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the San Francisco and City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Ordinances.

Benefits Eligibility

Please paste this url into your preferred browser to learn about benefits eligibility for this role: https://tgt.biz/BenefitsForYou_E

Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)

In compliance with state and federal laws, Target will make reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please reach out to [e-mail]. Non-accommodation-related requests, such as application follow‑ups or technical issues, will not be addressed through this channel.

Application deadline is : 09/10/2026