Principal Applied Scientist, Generative AI

Zillow Group Inc.; United States; Remote; USD 196,000 - 312,000; Full time

Job summary

Zillow Group Inc. is seeking a Principal Applied Scientist to set the scientific direction for the large language models behind its AI assistant.

You will lead a team of applied scientists, define research goals, and drive end-to-end projects from concept to production impact, collaborating with product, engineering, and data teams. The role emphasizes translating state-of-the-art AI into practical improvements used by millions of home shoppers and communicating strategy to executives across the

Qualifications

• PhD in Computer Science, ML or related field, or a Master’s with strong research credentials.
• Deep hands-on expertise with large language models and post-training methods (SFT, RLHF, etc.).
• Proven track record leading scientists or engineers while staying hands-on.
• Ability to scope and solve ambiguous problems and set technical direction.
• Proficiency in Python and ML frameworks; read and guide experimental code.

Responsibilities

• Define the research agenda for LLM post-training and evaluation.
• Lead and grow a group of applied scientists with technical direction and mentorship.
• Drive high-impact problems from product vision to experiments, models, and data.
• Translate cutting-edge AI research into practical product improvements.
• Communicate scientific strategy and results to executives and partners.

Skills

Python

PyTorch

LLMs

Reinforcement learning

Leadership

Education

PhD or MS in CS/ML

Tools

PyTorch

Post-training methods

Job description

About the team

The Agentic Foundations team is a focused group of 15-20 applied scientists within Zillow's broader Agentic AI organization, building the foundational AI technologies that power the next generation of home shopping experiences. We work as a flat team where scientists own their areas and set direction, partnering closely with product, engineering, platform, and data teams to translate the latest advances in LLMs, reinforcement learning, and post-training into production impact. This is an exciting time to join as Zillow is building agentic skills across the full home-shopping journey - from search and personalized guidance to offer strategy and financing - at a scale of hundreds of millions of requests per day.

About the role

As a Principal Applied Scientist, you will set the scientific direction for the large language models behind Zillow's AI assistant and lead the scientists who build them. You will get to:

• Define the research agenda for LLM post-training, reward modeling, and evaluation of our agentic systems
• Lead and grow a group of applied scientists, providing technical direction, mentorship, and a high bar for scientific rigor
• Drive ambiguous, high-impact problems end to end, from a product vision to the experiments, models, and data needed to get there
• Translate state-of-the-art research in generative AI into practical improvements in a product used by millions of home shoppers
• Communicate scientific strategy and results to executives and cross-functional partners

Salary and equity

This role has been categorized as a Remote position. “Remote” employees do not have a permanent corporate office workplace and, instead, work from a physical location of their choice, which must be identified to the Company. U.S. employees may live in any of the 50 United States, with limited exceptions.

In California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Washington state, and Washington DC the standard base pay range for this role is $195,600.00 - $312,400.00 annually. This base pay range is specific to these locations and may not be applicable to other locations.

In Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia the standard base pay range for this role is $185,800.00 - $296,800.00 annually. The base pay range is specific to these locations and may not be applicable to other locations.

In addition to a competitive base salary this position is also eligible for equity awards based on factors such as experience, performance and location. Actual amounts will vary depending on experience, performance and location. Employees in this role will not be paid below the salary threshold for exempt employees in the state where they reside.

Must-haves

• PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or a related field, or a master's degree with equivalent research experience
• Deep, hands-on expertise in large language models or foundation models, including post-training (SFT, DPO, RLHF, RFT/GRPO), reward modeling, or LLM evaluation
• A track record of leading others: either managing teams of scientists or engineers while staying technically hands-on, or leading a research group with a strong publication record
• Ability to independently scope and solve ambiguous problems and influence technical direction across teams
• Proficiency in Python and ML frameworks such as PyTorch, with the ability to read, debug, and guide experimental code

Nice-to-haves

• Publications at top venues such as NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, ACL, or EMNLP
• Experience applying LLMs in consumer-facing products at scale
• Experience with agentic AI systems and their evaluation
• Background in reinforcement learning or preference learning

Get to know us

At Zillow, we're reimagining how people move-through the real estate market and through their careers. As the most-visited real estate platform in the U.S., we help people navigate buying, selling, financing and renting with greater ease and confidence. Whether you're working in tech, sales, operations, or design, you'll be part of a company reshaping an industry and helping more people make home a reality. How we work is a key part of that transformation. Through Cloud HQ, our strategic approach to distributed work, most employees have the flexibility to work from wherever they're most productive- enabling us to move fast, stay connected and deliver on our people promise. Zillow is honored to be recognized among the best workplaces in the U.S. Zillow was named one of FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® in 2026, and included on TIME's America's Best Companies 2026 list, reflecting our commitment to creating an innovative, inclusive, and engaging culture where employees are empowered to grow. No matter where you sit in the organization, your work will help drive innovation, support our customers, and move the industry—and your career-forward together. Zillow Group is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an innovative, inclusive, and engaging culture where employees are empowered to grow. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please contact your recruiter directly. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with applicable state and local law.

Los Angeles County applicants

Job duties for this position include: work safely and cooperatively with other employees, supervisors, and staff; adhere to standards of excellence despite stressful conditions; communicate effectively and respectfully with employees, supervisors, and staff to ensure exceptional customer service; and follow all federal, state, and local laws and Company policies. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above, as well as the abilities to adhere to company policies, exercise sound judgment, effectively manage stress and work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness and professionalism, and safeguard business operations and the Company's reputation. Pursuant to the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.