Principal Data Scientist – Semantic Search & LLMs (Remote)

Target Corp; Sunnyvale (CA); Hybrid; USD 168,000 - 356,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k)

Paid time off

Job summary

TARGET is seeking a Principal Data Scientist for the Search and Browse team to shape the AI-driven discovery experience at scale. You will define the long-term strategy, lead large-scale retrieval and ranking systems, and influence executive-level decisions across Product and Engineering.

The role requires deep expertise in ML, NLP, and scalable infrastructure, with a hybrid work arrangement in Sunnyvale, CA or MN.

Qualifications

• PhD or MS in Computer Science or related quantitative discipline.
• 8+ years of industry experience building and scaling ML systems for Search/Recommendation.
• Strong experience with semantic retrieval, vector search, and RAG architectures.
• Deep knowledge of retrieval/ranking architectures and ML infrastructure.
• Proven track record influencing executive and cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Define long-term technical vision and roadmap for Search, Browse, and AI-driven discovery.
• Lead architecture strategy for retrieval, ranking, and GenAI systems at scale.
• Drive innovation across transformers, LLMs, and multi-stage ranking architectures.
• Architect search systems for external LLM and agentic search ecosystem integration.
• Mentor scientists and lead technical direction across multiple teams.
• Represent the org in executive reviews and align on major decisions.

Skills

Semantic retrieval

Vector search

RAG architectures

ML problem solving

Python programming

Architecture strategy

Cross-functional leadership

Education

PhD or MS in CS

Tools

VertexAI

Job description

TARGET is seeking a Principal Data Scientist for the Search and Browse team to shape the AI-driven discovery experience at scale. You will define the long-term strategy, lead large-scale retrieval and ranking systems, and influence executive-level decisions across Product and Engineering.

The role requires deep expertise in ML, NLP, and scalable infrastructure, with a hybrid work arrangement in Sunnyvale, CA or MN.