Principal Applied Scientist, Prime Video Personalization & Discovery (Advertising)

Amazon; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 228,700 - 309,400; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance and RSUs

401(k) matching

Paid time off

Parental leave

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

Amazon is seeking a Principal Applied Scientist for Prime Video to lead the design, development, and deployment of advanced AI systems that power personalized experiences for millions of global customers. The role combines deep ML expertise with strategic leadership to guide end-to-end systems from foundational research to production deployment.

You will mentor scientists, influence product and engineering roadmaps, and publish impactful work.

Qualifications

• PhD or Master’s with 10+ years in ML/CS/stats or related field.
• 8+ years designing, building, deploying ML models at scale.
• Proven cross-functional leadership across ML/AI initiatives from ideation to production.
• Proficient in Python, Java, or C++, with TensorFlow or PyTorch experience.
• Deep expertise in recommendation systems, search relevance, or large-scale personalization.

Responsibilities

• Invent, prototype, and productionize large-scale AI solutions across PV’s personalization/discovery ecosystem.
• Provide technical leadership and influence product vision with engineers and PMs.
• Design and lead high-impact A/B tests and data analyses to inform product direction.
• Mentor scientists and engineers; drive cross-team collaboration and reviews.
• Stay ahead of trends; evolve long-term strategy and architecture.
• Publish impactful research internally and externally.

Skills

Leadership

ML model deployment

Python/Java/C++

Recommendation systems

Education

PhD or Master’s with 10+ years

Tools

Hadoop

Spark

Job description

Job ID: 10389713 | Amazon.com Services LLC

Are you interested in shaping the future of entertainment through cutting‑edge AI? Prime Video’s technology teams are redefining the digital video experience at scale.

As a Principal Applied Scientist at Prime Video, you will be a technical and strategic leader responsible for inventing, developing, and deploying groundbreaking AI solutions that power personalized, relevant, and delightful experiences for millions of global customers. You will help shape the vision and direction of key ML systems that support Prime Video’s mission to deliver AI‑powered customer experiences.

This role demands a unique blend of deep technical expertise in machine learning and recommendation systems, industry leadership, and strong collaboration skills. You will guide the development of high‑impact systems end‑to‑end – leading innovation from foundational research through production deployment – while mentoring scientists and influencing product and engineering roadmaps.

We are looking for a thought leader who brings a strong track record of delivering ML innovations at scale, along with the curiosity and drive to push boundaries. This is a rare opportunity to drive meaningful impact at one of the largest streaming services in the world.

Key job responsibilities

• Invent, prototype, and productionize large‑scale AI solutions across Prime Video’s personalization and discovery ecosystem using deep learning, generative AI, reinforcement learning, and optimization techniques;
• Provide technical leadership and influence product vision by collaborating closely with engineers, product managers, and senior stakeholders;
• Design and lead high‑impact A/B tests and data analyses to validate hypotheses and guide product direction;
• Drive technical bar‑raising across science and engineering teams through mentorship, design reviews, and collaboration;
• Stay ahead of industry trends and emerging research; leverage them to evolve long‑term strategy and architecture;
• Publish impactful research internally and externally (e.g., top‑tier conferences and journals).

About the team

Prime Video Personalization and Discovery (PVPD) is dedicated to creating a highly personalized content discovery experience that not only delights our customers but also drives both short‑and long‑term business goals. Our scope includes personalized recommendations, search, marketing, and the advanced machine learning technology and infrastructure that underpins these experiences. Our mission is to automate and enhance customer engagement through personalization, using ML and generative AI.

Basic Qualifications

• PhD (or Master’s with 10+ years of applied experience) in machine learning, computer science, statistics, or a related field
• 8+ years experience designing, building, and deploying ML models for real‑world business applications at scale
• Proven leadership in driving cross‑functional ML/AI initiatives from ideation through production
• Proficiency in Python, Java, or C++, and experience with ML frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch)
• Deep expertise in recommendation systems, search relevance, or large‑scale personalization systems

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong publication record in top‑tier conferences (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, KDD, RecSys, SIGIR)
• Experience with large‑scale distributed systems (e.g., Hadoop, Spark)
• Demonstrated ability to influence technical roadmaps and mentor other scientists and engineers
• Experience defining and delivering strategic AI vision for consumer‑facing products

Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.

The base salary range for this position is 228,700.00–309,400.00 USD annually. Your Amazon package will include sign‑on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and optional supplemental life plans, EAP, mental health support, medical advice line, flexible spending accounts, adoption and surrogacy reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.