(USA) Principal, Data Scientist

Reference: R-2597111Posted: 2026-08-12Location: BENTONVILLE, AR, United StatesSalary: $110000 - $220000/yearType: Full time / Regular/PermanentCompany: WalmartBusiness Segment: Home OfficeRole summary: The Principal Data Scientist will lead the development and deployment of advanced AI models to solve complex business challenges. This role requires expertise in machine learning, statistical analysis, and optimizations to translate business needs into scalable data-driven solutions. The position involves mentoring team members, collaborating cross-functionally, and ensuring model accuracy and sustainability. The successful candidate will drive innovation by leveraging cutting-edge technologies and methodologies, contributing to strategic initiatives that enhance operational efficiency and deliver measurable business impact within a dynamic and evolving data ecosystem. About the team: The Retail Intelligence team drives AI discovery, research, and the design of algorithmic solutions to enhance operational efficiency across Walmart stores. The team excels in rapid prototyping of machine learning, agentic AI, and simulation models, transforming prototypes into scalable production systems that deliver measurable business impact. Collaborating closely with engineering, product, UX, and retail operations, the team ensures solutions are practical and widely adoptable. This collaborative environment fosters innovation and the application of advanced techniques such as deep learning, statistical analysis, and MLOps to solve complex retail challenges effectively. What you'll do:Develop, test, and deploy advanced machine learning models using languages such as Python and SQL to address complex business challenges.Analyze business problems to identify root causes and recommend data-driven solutions aligned with strategic objectives.Identify, source, and validate high-quality data from multiple systems to support analytical modeling and insights generation.Lead model assessment, validation, and continuous improvement to ensure accuracy, robustness, and scalability in production environments.Collaborate with stakeholders to translate business requirements into actionable data science initiatives and communicate findings effectively.Mentor team members on advanced analytics techniques, coding best practices, and data visualization methods.What you'll bring:Extensive experience in developing and testing code using languages such as Python, SQL, and Java.Proficiency in machine learning algorithms, deep learning, and advanced statistical analysis.Strong knowledge of MLOps practices and deployment of scalable models in production environments.Expertise in data source identification, data quality assessment, and data strategy application.Ability to translate complex business problems into effective analytical models and solutions.Skilled in data visualization tools and techniques to communicate insights clearly.Proven leadership in mentoring teams and driving cross-functional collaboration. At Walmart, we offer competitive pay as well as performance-based bonus awards and other great benefits for a happier mind, body, and wallet. 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 (including sick leave), parental leave, family care leave, bereavement, jury duty, and voting. Other benefits include short-term and long-term disability, company discounts, Military Leave Pay, adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, and more. 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. For information about PTO, see . Live Better U is a Walmart-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 : - StockMinimum qualifications["Option 1- Bachelor’s degree in Statistics, Economics, Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field and 3 years' experience in an analytics related field. Option 2- Master’s degree in Statistics, Economics, Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field and 1 years' experience in an analytics related field. Option 3 - 5 years' experience in an analytics or related field."]Preferred qualifications["Successful completion of one or more assessments in Python, Spark, Scala, or R", "Data science, machine learning, optimization models", "Master’s degree in Machine Learning, Computer Science, Information Technology, Operations Research, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, Econometrics", "Using open source frameworks (for example, scikit learn, tensorflow, torch)"]