Lead Data Scientist
TargetBengaluru, Karnataka, India
Posted March 17, 2026
Full Time
About the Company
Target is one of the world’s most recognized brands and one of America’s leading retailers. We make Target our guests’ preferred shopping destination by offering outstanding value, inspiration, innovation and an exceptional guest experience that no other retailer can deliver. Target is committed to responsible corporate citizenship, ethical business practices, environmental stewardship and generous community support. Since 1946, we have given 5 percent of our profits back to our communities. Our goal is to work as one team to fulfill our unique brand promise to our guests, wherever and whenever they choose to shop. For more information, visit corporate.target.com. Beware of Hiring Scams: Target will never ask you to submit personal information via a text message for a position. Target will only ask you to apply for positions through corporate.target.com/careers, or Workday, our applicant tracking system.
Job Description
Target is offering an exciting opportunity to solve state-of-the-art problems in e-commerce search as a Lead Data Scientist. The role involves leading the design, development, and productionization of ML systems, owning technical direction, and architecting end-to-end solutions. We're looking for strong domain depth and evidence of impact in search, recommendations, ads, and sponsored search.
Requirements
- 4-year degree in a quantitative discipline (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) or equivalent practical experience
- 7+ years of professional data science / applied ML experience (or equivalent), with a strong track record of delivering production ML systems and measurable business impact
- Deep expertise in modern ML techniques including deep learning, NLP, representation learning, and LLM-based approaches
- Strong hands-on programming skills in Python, SQL, and Spark, plus comfort working closely with engineering stacks for online inference, data pipelines, and model lifecycle tooling
- Experience with LLM adaptation (e.g., fine-tuning, instruction tuning, preference optimization) and/or agentic workflows (tool use, RAG, evaluation harnesses, orchestration, safety/quality guardrails) applied to Search/Rec/Ads use-cases
- Strong analytical thinking and applied research skills: ability to build evaluation frameworks, perform error analysis, and iterate based on data and user outcomes
- Excellent communication skills: able to influence technical and non-technical stakeholders, write clear RFCs/design docs, and drive decisions in reviews
- Self-driven, results-oriented, and able to operate as a multiplier across teams
Benefits
- Generous Paid Time Off
- 401k Matching
- Retirement Plan
- Visa Sponsorship
- Four Day Work Week
- Generous Parental Leave
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Relocation Assistance