Principal, Software Engineer - Gen AI at Walmart in Sunnyvale, California

Job Description:

What you'll do at



Position Summary...


What you'll do...


Walmart Global Tech is at the forefront of AI innovation, leveraging cutting-edge technologies to redefine customer experiences. We are seeking a Principal, Software Engineer with deep expertise in Generative AI, LLMs, and RAG frameworks to lead the design, development, and deployment of advanced AI systems. This role involves architecting scalable solutions, integrating agentic frameworks, and mentoring engineering teams to push the boundaries of AI-driven innovation.


As part of Walmart's Global Sourcing Backend team, you will be building highly scalable and reliable APIs, services and applications which will drive the next generation purchase order management system. You'll independently handle high impact, critical software/systems monitoring issues, troubleshoot business and production issues. As a member of this fast-moving and highly entrepreneurial team, you'll be able to say that you work for the world's largest retailer and contribute to innovation and development to best-in-class methodologies that impacted perception and drastically changed business as we know it.



About Team:

Focusing on customer, associate and business needs, this team works with Walmart International, which includes more than 5,200 retail units, operating in 23 countries such as Canada, Central America, Chile, China, India, Mexico and South Africa to name a few.


"Immigration sponsorship is not available for this role"




What you'll do:




1. AI Model Development & Agentic Frameworks:

• Design, fine-tune, and deploy Generative AI models with a focus on RAG frameworks to enhance information retrieval and generation.


• Develop and optimize LLM-based agents for tasks like knowledge grounding, multi-step reasoning, and decision-making.


• Integrate external data sources (e.g., vector databases) with LLMs to build dynamic, context-aware systems.

2. Architecture & Scalability:

• Architect scalable, distributed AI systems with a focus on performance, fault tolerance, and disaster recovery.


• Develop detailed design specifications, including modular, extensible, and functional components.


• Build MVPs to validate requirements and refine designs iteratively.

3. Collaboration & Product Integration:

• Partner with product teams to integrate AI into customer-facing applications.


• Work cross-functionally to design solutions that address both functional and non-functional requirements.

4. Leadership & Mentorship:

• Drive technical direction for large-scale AI initiatives and mentor junior engineers.


• Establish best practices for building and maintaining AI-driven systems.

What you'll bring:

• Overall 12+ years of experience in machine learning / software engineering, with 2+ years in Generative AI or LLMs.


• Strong experience with RAG frameworks, vector search technologies and knowledge grounding techniques.


• Expertise in Python, ML frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow), and libraries like Hugging Face Transformers.


• Proficiency in distributed computing, cloud platforms (GCP, Azure), and scalable architectures.


• Familiarity with disaster recovery principles and building resilient, fault-tolerant systems.


• Experience with multi-modal models (text, image, video) and advanced optimization techniques (e.g., quantization, distillation).


• Experience with Generative AI models (e.g., GPT, Gemini) and their fine-tuning.


• Contributions to open-source projects or publications in Generative AI, RAG, or agentic frameworks.


• Strong understanding of system design, non-functional requirements, and design patterns.

About Walmart Global Tech

Imagine working in an environment where one line of code can make life easier for hundreds of millions of people. That's what we do at Walmart Global Tech. We're a team of software engineers, data scientists, cybersecurity expert's and service professionals within the world's leading retailer who make an epic impact and are at the forefront of the next retail disruption. People are why we innovate, and people power our innovations. We are people-led and tech-empowered. We train our team in the skillsets of the future and bring in experts like you to help us grow. We have roles for those chasing their first opportunity as well as those looking for the opportunity that will define their career. Here, you can kickstart a great career in tech, gain new skills and experience for virtually every industry, or leverage your expertise to innovate at scale, impact millions and reimagine the future of retail.



Flexible, hybrid work:

We use a hybrid way of working that is primarily in office coupled with virtual when not onsite. Our campuses serve as a hub to enhance collaboration, bring us together for purpose and deliver on business needs. This approach helps us make quicker decisions, remove location barriers across our global team and be more flexible in our personal lives.



Benefits:

Benefits: Beyond our great compensation package, you can receive incentive awards for your performance. Other great perks include 401(k) match, stock purchase plan, paid maternity and parental leave, PTO, multiple health plans, and much more.



Equal Opportunity Employer:

Walmart, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer - By Choice. We believe we are best equipped to help our associates, customers and the communities we serve live better when we really know them. That means understanding, respecting and valuing diversity- unique styles, experiences, identities, ideas and opinions - while being inclusive of all people.


The above information has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed in the role. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job. The full Job Description can be made available as part of the hiring process.


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.
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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.
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For information about PTO, see https://one.walmart.com/notices.


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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.
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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.
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For information about benefits and eligibility, see One.Walmart.


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The annual salary range for this position is $143,000.00-$286,000.00
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Additional compensation includes annual or quarterly performance bonuses.
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Additional compensation for certain positions may also include:
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- Stock
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Minimum Qualifications...



Outlined below are the required minimum qualifications for this position. If none are listed, there are no minimum qualifications.


Option 1: Bachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, computer information systems, software engineering, or related area and5 years' experience in software engineering or related area.
Option 2: 7 years' experience in software engineering or related area.




Preferred Qualifications...



Outlined below are the optional preferred qualifications for this position. If none are listed, there are no preferred qualifications.


Master's degree in computer science, computer engineering, computer information systems, software engineering, or related area and 3 years' experience in software engineering or related area., We value candidates with a background in creating inclusive digital experiences, demonstrating knowledge in implementing Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standards, assistive technologies, and integrating digital accessibility seamlessly. The ideal candidate would have knowledge of accessibility best practices and join us as we continue to create accessible products and services following Walmart's accessibility standards and guidelines for supporting an inclusive culture.




Primary Location...



680 West California Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94086-4834, United States of America



About Walmart



At Walmart, we help people save money so they can live better. This mission serves as the foundation for every decision we make, from responsible sourcing to sustainability-and everything in between. As a Walmart associate, you will play an integral role in shaping the future of retail, tech, merchandising, finance and hundreds of other industries-all while affecting the lives of millions of customers all over the world. Here, your work makes an impact every day. What are you waiting for?


Walmart, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer- By Choice. We believe we are best equipped to help our associates, customers, and the communities we serve live better when we really know them. That means understanding, respecting, and valuing diversity- unique styles, experiences, identities, abilities, ideas and opinions- while being inclusive of all people.



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