AmazonDirector, Applied Science, Alexa for Shopping (Rufus)
Amazon is hiring a Director, Applied Science, Alexa for Shopping (Rufus) in Seattle, United States. It pays $298k-$350k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Amazon.
Level's read on this job
- Level rates this role Builds AI ●●●●: the job is building AI systems.
- The posting mentions Python, PyTorch and fine tuning among its tools and skills.
- Level classes it as an executive role.
- Amazon has 20,000+ other open roles on Level.
AI in this role
Lead applied science and AI development for Alexa for Shopping's conversational multi-agent platform.
We are seeking a Director, Applied Science to lead the science vision and execution for the next-generation conversational AI platform. This leader will own the end-to-end science roadmap for a multi-agent architecture powered by large language models (LLMs), SLMs, reinforcement learning (RL), and post-training optimization to deliver the most helpful, accurate, and fastest AI shopping assistant in the industry.
This is a transformational leadership role. You will lead the science that makes this possible: distilling Amazon's vast data assets into rich context, building specialized models through fine-tuning and RL that match frontier model quality at a fraction of the latency, and architecting intelligent agent routing across diverse use cases (pre-purchase, post-purchase, cross-Amazon services).
The ideal candidate is deeply steeped in LLM-based architectures, post-training techniques (RLHF, DPO, fine-tuning), and multi-agent systems. They are passionate about applied science, working back from customer experience to define what matters, and building teams that ship production AI at scale. This leader will shape the science philosophy for one of Amazon's highest-visibility AI initiatives.
Key job responsibilities
- Define and execute the science strategy for Alexa for Shopping conversational AI platform
- Lead a large, multidisciplinary organization of Applied Scientists, Research Scientists, and Machine Learning Engineers.
- Architect and scale multi-agent systems
- Partner with Product, Engineering, and senior leadership (including S-team) to align AI investments with long-term business goals and the vision of conversational commerce replacing traditional shopping paradigms.
- Establish scientific best practices across experimentation, evaluation, model iteration, and production deployment for a high-traffic, latency-sensitive customer-facing system.
- Mentor and develop senior technical leaders; foster a culture of innovation, customer obsession, and operational excellence.
Basic qualifications
- MS in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Statistics, Operations Research, or related quantitative field.
- 12+ years in applied machine learning and AI
- 10+ years of people management experience, including experience as a leader of leaders managing multiple science and/or engineering teams.
- Demonstrated track record of building and shipping production AI/ML systems at scale with direct, measurable customer impact.
Preferred qualifications
- Ph.D. in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Statistics, Operations Research, or related quantitative field.
- Deep expertise in large language models, post-training techniques (RLHF, fine-tuning, distillation), and/or multi-agent systems.
- Experience defining and executing science strategy for organizations operating at the intersection of research innovation and product delivery.
- Strong publication record or demonstrated thought leadership in relevant areas (LLMs, NLP, RL, conversational AI, recommendation systems).
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to influence senior executives and translate complex technical concepts for business audiences.
- Deep technical judgment combined with business acumen — ability to make tradeoffs across quality, latency, cost, and customer experience.
Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.
Los Angeles County applicants: Job duties for this position include: work safely and cooperatively with other employees, supervisors, and staff; adhere to standards of excellence despite stressful conditions; communicate effectively and respectfully with employees, supervisors, and staff to ensure exceptional customer service; and follow all federal, state, and local laws and Company policies. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above, as well as the abilities to adhere to company policies, exercise sound judgment, effectively manage stress and work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness and professionalism, and safeguard business operations and the Company’s reputation. Pursuant to the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
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 https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t 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 https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.
USA, CA, Palo Alto - 297,500.00 - 350,000.00 USD annually
USA, WA, Seattle - 262,500.00 - 350,000.00 USD annually
How we rate this
Director, Applied Science, Alexa for Shopping (Rufus) at Amazon rates 95 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Builds AI (AI Level 4 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.
Builds AI. The job is building AI systems.
- ●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
- ●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
- ●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
- ●○○○ Little AI0 to 39
Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.
Prepare for this job
Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.
Skills and AI tools this role asks for
Questions you could be asked
- Walk me through fine-tuning a model: what data did you use, and how did you check the result?
- What NLP problem have you worked on, and how did you measure whether it actually worked?
- Tell me about a project where machine learning was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where llms was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where reinforcement learning was part of your work. What did you do?
Adapt your resume
- List these exact terms on your resume: Fine-tuning, NLP, Machine learning, LLMs, and Reinforcement learning. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
- Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
- Lead with what you built, trained or shipped. This role is judged on the AI system itself, not the tools around it.
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