Principal Data Scientist: AI-Driven Search & Browse (Remote)

Target; Sunnyvale (CA, MN); Hybrid; CAD 238,000 - 504,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k)

Employee discount

Paid sick leave

Paid holidays

Paid vacation

Education benefits

Job summary

Target is seeking a Principal Data Scientist for the Search and Browse team. You will define the long-term vision for AI-driven discovery, lead architecture for large-scale retrieval and ranking, and drive innovation across transformers, LLMs, and GenAI.

Mentoring senior scientists and aligning cross-functional stakeholders are key aspects of the role. You will operate in a Hybrid/Flex for Your Day arrangement, with work performed onsite at Target locations or remotely depending on task needs,

Qualifications

• PhD or MS in Computer Science, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, Physics or related quantitative discipline.
• 8+ years of industry experience building and scaling ML systems for Search, RecSys, Personalization, Ads, or AI platforms.
• Strong experience with semantic retrieval, vector search, RAG systems, conversational search or agentic AI.
• Deep expertise in retrieval/ranking architectures, NLP/LLMs, experimentation and ML infrastructure (VertexAI).
• Demonstrated Python programming and technical ML problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Define long-term technical vision and roadmap for Search, Browse, and AI-driven discovery systems.
• Lead architecture strategy for large-scale retrieval, ranking, semantic search, and GenAI systems.
• Drive innovation across transformers, LLMs, RAG, multi-stage ranking, and personalization.
• Architect search systems for external LLM and agentic search ecosystem integration.
• Mentor lead scientists and drive alignment on technical and product decisions.

Skills

Experience building ML systems

Semantic retrieval

Python programming

Architecture strategy

Cross-functional leadership

Lead with product judgment

Education

PhD or MS in CS/Stats/Applied Math/Physics

Tools

VertexAI

Job description

Target is seeking a Principal Data Scientist for the Search and Browse team. You will define the long-term vision for AI-driven discovery, lead architecture for large-scale retrieval and ranking, and drive innovation across transformers, LLMs, and GenAI.

Mentoring senior scientists and aligning cross-functional stakeholders are key aspects of the role. You will operate in a Hybrid/Flex for Your Day arrangement, with work performed onsite at Target locations or remotely depending on task needs,