Zillow Group is looking for an Applied Scientist to drive the next generation of ranking, recommendation, and generative AI systems for our home-shopping experience. Your research and models will directly impact how millions of users discover and shop for homes.
What You'll Do
- Research, design, and prototype new machine learning models for consumer products, including search, ranking, recommendations, and notifications.
- Lead the full model lifecycle: from ideation and offline experimentation on large datasets to online deployment, A/B testing, and performance monitoring.
- Develop and test novel modeling approaches, such as deep learning architectures and large language models (LLMs), to improve the home-shopping experience.
- Apply cutting-edge AI techniques, including LLM-based retrieval and RAG-style systems, to create more natural and conversational property search experiences.
- Optimize how and when homes are displayed to users, ensuring relevance and context in every interaction.
- Collaborate with engineers, product managers, and designers to define, execute, and iterate on impactful projects.
- Partner with data engineering and infrastructure teams to leverage large-scale distributed data systems for feature engineering and model training.
What We're Looking For
- Experience designing, training, and analyzing machine learning models to solve real-world business problems.
- Proficiency in Python and familiarity with common ML libraries like PyTorch, TensorFlow, CatBoost, scikit-learn, and Hugging Face, and distributed data systems like Spark, Hive, Databricks, and Airflow.
- Skill in the scientific lifecycle: hypothesis formation, experiment design, result analysis, and clear communication to technical and non-technical partners.
- Demonstrated experience in at least one of: search/information retrieval, personalized ranking/recommender systems, or generative AI/LLM-based systems.
- A PhD or Master's degree in a relevant field (Computer Science, AI, Data Science, or related), or equivalent industry experience (3-4+ years with a Master’s, or 1+ year with a PhD).
- Comfort working near production systems and collaborating closely with engineers and cross-functional partners.
- Curiosity and excitement for applying generative AI and LLMs to transform the home-shopping experience.
- An approach to challenges with ownership, scientific rigor, and a growth mindset.
Technical Stack
- Languages & Libraries: Python, PyTorch, TensorFlow, CatBoost, scikit-learn, Hugging Face
- Data Systems: Spark, Hive, Databricks, Airflow
Team & Environment
You'll join a close-knit group of engineers and scientists collaborating closely with product and design teams.
Benefits & Compensation
- Annual salary range: $136,300 - $217,700 (CA, CT, MD, MA, NJ, NY, WA, DC) or $129,500 - $206,900 (CO, HI, IL, MN, NV, OH, RI, VT).
- Eligibility for equity awards based on factors such as experience, performance, and location.
Work Mode
This is a remote position open to candidates across the United States.
Zillow Group is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive, innovative environment. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.
