Director, Applied Science, Amazon Search and Conversational Shopping (Rufus)

Join Amazons Search and Conversational Shopping (Rufus) organization as an Applied Science Director to revolutionize the e-commerce customer experience using AI. Were seeking an exceptional leader to reimagine the next-generation search experiences that serve hundreds of millions of customers this role youll combine deep technical expertise with strategic leadership to pioneer advances in natural language processing machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Key job responsibilities
- Define and execute the scientific vision for Search and Conversational Shopping (Rufus) developing breakthrough AI technologies that transform e-commerce customer experience
- Lead a world-class team of applied scientists and software development engineers in developing state-of-the-art search and conversational AI solutions
- Design and implement advanced machine learning models for: Natural language understanding Conversational AI and generative search interfaces
- Personalized recommendations
- Drive research and development of large language models and generative AI capabilities that enhance search relevance accuracy and user interaction
- Establish research priorities technical roadmaps and innovation strategies for next-generation search experience
- Mentor and develop scientific talent fostering a culture of technical excellence and bold innovation
- Collaborate across Amazon to maximize the impact of scientific innovation
- Publish research present at top-tier conferences and contribute to the broader scientific community

About the team
The Search and Conversational Shopping (Rufus) team at Amazon represents the state of the art of AI-driven product discovery. We operate at an unprecedented scale serving billions of search queries daily worldwide. Our team combines deep scientific expertise with a relentless focus on customer experience developing technologies that make finding products more natural intuitive and engaging.

We work across multiple domains from e-commerce and cloud services to entertainment and devices creating search experience that adapt to diverse user needs. Our team collaborates closely with other Amazon AI organizations including AWS AI Services Alexa and Artificial General Intelligence creating a rich ecosystem of technological innovation.

We pride ourselves on a culture of customer obsession continuous learning and technical excellence. Team members have the opportunity to publish innovative research contribute to open-source projects and develop technologies that impact millions of users worldwide.

- PhD in Computer Science Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence or related technical field
- 15 years applied research experience with demonstrated expertise in search e-commerce conversational AI or related consumer technology domains
- 8 years of technical leadership experience managing scientific teams
- Proven track record of developing and deploying large-scale machine learning models in production environments
- Deep expertise in AI and reinforcement learning technologies
- Exceptional communication skills with ability to translate complex technical concepts to diverse audiences
- Demonstrated ability to drive technical strategy and execution

- Experience with multimodal AI systems combining text voice and visual search capabilities
- Strong publication record in top-tier conferences and journals

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

Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process including support for the interview or onboarding process please visit for more information. If the country/region youre applying in isnt listed please contact your Recruiting Partner.

Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several US geographic markets. The base pay for this position ranges from $262500/year in our lowest geographic market up to $350000/year in our highest geographic market. Pay is based on a number of factors including market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge skills and experience. Amazon is a total compensation company. Dependent on the position offered equity sign-on payments and other forms of compensation may be provided as part of a total compensation package in addition to a full range of medical financial and/or other benefits. For more information please visit This position will remain posted until filled. Applicants should apply via our internal or external career site.