Applied Scientist II, Search Query Understanding

Description

Amazon is the 4th most popular site in the US. Our product search engine, one of the most heavily used services in the world, indexes billions of products and serves hundreds of millions of customers world-wide. The Search Query Understanding team is at the forefront of revolutionizing the online shopping experience through the Amazon search page. Our ambition is to transform the search engine into a shopping engine.

Leveraging advances in Large Language Models (LLMs), we aim to deeply understanding our users' shopping missions, preferences, and goals. By developing responsive and scalable solutions, we not only accomplish the shopping mission but also foster unparalleled trust among our customers. Through our advanced technology, we generate valuable insights, ensuring a comprehensive and holistic shopping experience. Our dedication to continuous improvement through constant measurement and enhancement of the shopper experience is crucial, as we strategically navigate the balance between immediate results and long-term business growth.

We are seeking an Applied Scientist who is not just adept in the theoretical aspects of Machine Learning (ML), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Large Language Models (LLMs) but also possesses a pragmatic, hands-on approach to navigating the complexities of innovation. The ideal candidate should have a profound expertise in one or more areas including but not limited to Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG), post-training of foundation models and LLM inference optimizations.

You will take the lead in conceptualizing, building, and launching innovative models that significantly improve our understanding of search missions and capabilities in enhancing the search experience. A successful applicant will display a comprehensive skill set across machine learning model development, implementation, and optimization. This includes a strong foundation in data management, software engineering best practices, and awareness of the latest developments in model lifecycle management.

We are looking for individuals who are analytically rigorous, passionate about applied sciences, creative, and possess strong logical reasoning abilities.

Join the Search Query Understanding team, a group of pioneering ML scientists and engineers dedicated to building core ML models and developing the infrastructure for model innovation. As part of Amazon Search, you will experience the dynamic, innovative culture of a startup, backed by the extensive resources of  (AMZN), a global leader in internet services. Our collaborative, customer-centric work environment spans across our offices in Palo Alto, CA, and Seattle, WA, offering a unique blend of opportunities for professional growth and innovation.

Key job responsibilities

Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify requirements for ML model development, focusing on enhancing mission understanding through innovative AI techniques, including retrieval-Augmented Generation or LLM in general.

Design and implement scalable ML models capable of processing and analyzing large datasets to improve search and shopping experiences. Must have a strong background in machine learning, AI, or computational sciences.

Lead the management and experiments of ML models at scale, applying advanced ML techniques to optimize science solution.

Serve as a technical lead and liaison for ML projects, facilitating collaboration across teams and addressing technical challenges. Requires strong leadership and communication skills, with a PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or a related field.

Basic Qualifications

- PhD, or Master's degree and 4+ years of CS, CE, ML or related field experience

- Experience programming in Java, C++, Python or related language

- Experience in any of the following areas: algorithms and data structures, parsing, numerical optimization, data mining, parallel and distributed computing, high-performance computing

Preferred Qualifications

- Experience using Unix/Linux

- Experience in professional software development

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

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…