(USA) Principal, Data Scientist

Sam's Club; Bentonville (AR); On-site; USD 110,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) and stock purchase

Paid time off & family leave

Job summary

Sam’s Club Applied AI Labs is seeking a Principal Data Scientist to lead advanced analytics initiatives that translate business challenges into data-driven solutions. You will develop and deploy machine learning models, mentor teams, and ensure scalable deployment to enhance Walmart and Sam's Club data capabilities.

You will design, implement, and evaluate agentic AI copilots, tool-calling, retrieval-augmented generation, and robust observability to deliver high-impact insights for assortments,

Qualifications

• Minimum of a quantitative degree with several years in analytics
• Experience building and deploying ML/LLM systems in production environments
• Strong software engineering and data visualization skills required

Responsibilities

• Architect and scale agentic AI copilots for merchants and teams
• Design and ship LLM/agentic systems from prototype to production
• Build evaluation, guardrails, and observability for AI solutions

Skills

Machine learning

Python

SQL

Software engineering

MLOps

Agentic AI

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Statistics, Economics, Analytics, Mathematics, CS

Master's degree in Statistics, Economics, Analytics, Mathematics, CS

7 years analytics experience

Tools

TensorFlow

PyTorch

Spark

R

Job description

Position Summary... What you'll do... Role summary: Walmart is seeking a Principal Data Scientist to lead advanced analytics initiatives that drive strategic business decisions. This role involves developing and deploying machine learning models, performing complex data analysis, and collaborating across functions to translate business challenges into data-driven solutions. The ideal candidate will apply expertise in statistical modeling, software engineering, and data visualization to deliver impactful insights. Additionally, this position requires mentoring team members, ensuring model robustness, and supporting scalable deployment to enhance Walmart’s data capabilities and operational effectiveness.

About the team

Sam’s Club Applied AI Labs develops advanced AI solutions that empower merchants and club teams to make faster, data-driven decisions. The team delivers impactful machine learning and agentic tools across assortment, pricing, and replenishment, transforming data into actionable insights used daily throughout the business. Operating with high ownership, the team manages projects end to end, focusing on real-world adoption and measurable impact. Members collaborate closely to build scalable AI systems that drive business value, continuously innovating and deploying solutions that enhance operational efficiency and decision-making across the organization.

What you’ll do

• Architect and scale agentic AI copilots that help merchants and business teams make faster, sharper decisions.
• Design and ship LLM and agentic systems — tool-calling, retrieval, multi-step reasoning — from prototype to production.
• Build rigorous evaluation, guardrails, and observability so AI solutions stay accurate, safe, and trusted at scale.
• Turn complex business workflows and large datasets into reliable, high-impact AI capabilities.
• Partner with product, engineering, and business stakeholders to translate real problems into technical solutions.
• Set technical direction and mentor data scientists on agentic AI, modeling, and engineering best practices.

What you’ll bring

• Deep experience building and deploying machine learning and LLM/agentic systems in production.
• Strong Python and SQL, with solid software engineering and MLOps/LLMOps skills.
• Hands-on expertise with agentic frameworks, tool-calling, retrieval-augmented generation, and prompt and evaluation design.
• Proven ability to design evaluation, guardrails, and observability for generative AI.
• Skill translating ambiguous business needs into scalable, well-architected AI solutions.
• A track record of technical leadership — setting direction, raising the bar, and mentoring teams.
• A bias for impact: you measure success by real adoption and business outcomes, not demos.

Benefits

• Health benefits include medical, vision and dental coverage
• Financial benefits include 401(k), stock purchase and company-paid life insurance
• Paid time off benefits include PTO, parental leave, family care leave, bereavement, jury duty, and voting. You will also receive PTO and/or PPTO that can be used for vacation, sick leave, holidays, or other purposes. The amount you receive depends on your job classification and length of employment. It will meet or exceed the requirements of paid sick leave laws, where applicable.

Other benefits include short-term and long-term disability, company discounts, Military Leave Pay, adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, and more.

For information about PTO, see https://one.walmart.com/notices.

Live Better U is a company paid education benefit program for full-time and part-time associates in Walmart and Sam's Club facilities. Programs range from high school completion to bachelor's degrees, including English Language Learning and short-form certificates. Tuition, books, and fees are completely paid for by Walmart.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to a specific plan or program terms.

For information about benefits and eligibility, see One.Walmart.

The annual salary range for this position is $110,000.00 - $220,000.00 Additional compensation includes annual or quarterly performance bonuses. Additional compensation for certain positions may also include Regional Pay Zone (RPZ) (based on location).

Minimum Qualifications

Outlined below are the required minimum qualifications for this position. If none are listed, there are no minimum qualifications.

• Option 1: Bachelors degree in Statistics, Economics, Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Information Technology or related field and 5 years' experience in an analytics related field.
• Option 2: Masters degree in Statistics, Economics, Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Information Technology or related field and 3 years' experience in an analytics related field.
• Option 3: 7 years' experience in an analytics or related field

Preferred Qualifications

Outlined below are the optional preferred qualifications for this position. If none are listed, there are no preferred qualifications.

• Data science, machine learning, optimization models, PhD in Machine Learning, Computer Science, Information Technology, Operations Research, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, Econometrics, Publications or active peer reviewer in related journals or conference, Successful completion of one or more assessments in Python, Spark, Scala, or R, Using open source frameworks (for example, scikit learn, tensorflow, torch), We value candidates with a background in creating inclusive digital experiences, demonstrating knowledge in implementing Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standards, assistive technologies, and integrating digital accessibility seamlessly. The ideal candidate would have knowledge of accessibility best practices and join us as we continue to create accessible products and services following Walmart’s accessibility standards and guidelines for supporting an inclusive culture.

Primary Location

2101 Se Simple Savings Dr, Bentonville, AR 72712-4304, United States of America

Walmart and its subsidiaries are committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace and has a no tolerance policy regarding the use of illegal drugs and alcohol on the job. This policy applies to all employees and aims to create a safe and productive work environment.