Applied Science Manager, Customer Intent

We are seeking an Applied Science Manager to lead the science vision research strategy and execution for customer intent modeling that powers next-generation recommendations and this role you will build and mentor a high-performing team of applied scientists define the multi-year research roadmap and deliver production-ready models and systems that improve relevance discovery and customer trust at scale. The mandate spans modern recommender-system paradigms such as LLM-enabled personalization intent and journey understanding representation learning generative retrieval/ranking and agentic/conversational experiences grounded in rigorous experimentation and measurable business impact.

Key job responsibilities
Own the scientific vision and roadmap for customer intent modeling across the funnel (browse search detail-page engagement add-to-cart purchase and post-purchase) translating ambiguous customer problems into a prioritized research and delivery plan.
Lead and grow a team of applied scientists including hiring mentoring and building a culture of scientific rigor innovation and operational excellence.
Drive end-to-end model and system delivery partnering closely with engineering to design implement launch and operate solutions in high-throughput low-latency production environments (candidate generation ranking re-ranking and explanation).
Advance state-of-the-art personalization using modern techniques (transformers LLMs representation learning reinforcement learning/bandits where appropriate) and ensure research investments translate into measurable lifts via online experiments.
Establish an evaluation and experimentation strategy for intent and recommendation quality: offline metrics counterfactual/off-policy evaluation where applicable calibrated A/B testing guardrails (trust safety fairness).
Build robust intent representations that capture both short-term intent and longer-horizon preferences with disciplined approaches to privacy data minimization and responsible AI
Influence product strategy and executive communication presenting clear scientific narratives tradeoffs and decisions to senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders (product design engineering privacy/legal).
Raise the scientific bar via external visibility when appropriate: publications patents workshops and internal scientific reviews while balancing novelty with operational impact.

- 3 years of scientists or machine learning engineers management experience
- Knowledge of ML NLP Information Retrieval and Analytics
- Experience directly managing scientists or machine learning engineers
- PhD in engineering technology computer science machine learning robotics operations research statistics mathematics or equivalent quantitative field or Masters degree and 4 years of building machine learning models or developing algorithms for business application experience

- Experience building machine learning models or developing algorithms for business application
- Experience building complex software systems especially involving deep learning machine learning and computer vision that have been successfully delivered to customers

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.

The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience qualifications and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical dental vision prescription Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans EAP Mental Health Support Medical Advice Line Flexible Spending Accounts Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage) 401(k) matching paid time off and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at WA Seattle - 183800.00 - 248700.00 USD annually