Principal Applied Scientist, Sponsored Products and Brands

Amazon is hiring a Principal Applied Scientist, Sponsored Products and Brands in Seattle, United States. It pays $219k-$296k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Amazon.

Level's read on this job

Builds AI ●●●● is how Level rates this applied scientist role: the job is building AI systems.
Pay on this posting starts 31% higher than the typical applied scientist posting on Level.
Level classes it as a lead role.
Amazon has 20,000+ other open roles on Level.

AI in this role

Amazon's advertising business has grown exponentially over the past years, helping connect sellers and vendors to shoppers who may be interested in their products. Our ad products are strategically important to our Retail and Marketplace businesses driving long term growth. We deliver billions of ad impressions and millions of clicks daily and are breaking fresh ground to create world-class products that leverage state of the art AI technologies.

The Sponsored Products and Brands team is seeking a Principal Applied Scientist to lead the development and implementation of generative AI solutions for ad allocation and ranking on Amazon search pages. This role will be instrumental in revolutionizing how we match ads with customer intent and shopping behavior.

Key job responsibilities
* Design and develop novel generative AI architectures for real-time ad allocation, focusing on both efficiency and effectiveness at massive scale
* Lead research initiatives in applying large language models and multimodal AI to understand deep semantic relationships between ads, queries, and user behavior
* Create innovative approaches to leverage GenAI for dynamic ad placement optimization while maintaining strict latency requirements
* Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate GenAI solutions into existing advertising systems
* Author research papers and technical documentation, contributing to the broader scientific community

Basic qualifications

- PhD in Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, Statistics or a closely related field of study.
- 8+ years of experience applying ML to solve complex problems for large-scale applications.

Preferred qualifications

- Ability to translate informal customer requirements into problem definitions, dealing with ambiguity and competing objectives.
- Demonstrated leadership abilities, especially with cross-disciplinary efforts.
- Hands on experience building machine learning models - from theoretical and application to real-world-problems perspectives.
- Deep knowledge of statistical modeling techniques, scientific thinking, and the ability to apply these skills to real-world applications.
- Deep business and technical vision.
- Prior experience in online advertising or search ranking

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 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, NY, New York - 218,800.00 - 295,900.00 USD annually
USA, WA, SEATTLE - 198,900.00 - 269,000.00 USD annually

How we rate this

Principal Applied Scientist, Sponsored Products and Brands at Amazon rates 89 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.

Classification

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.

Key facts

Principal Applied Scientist, Sponsored Products and Brands is an open job at Amazon.
Level rates this role AI Level 4 of 4: Builds AI.
The listed salary is $219k-$296k a year.
The role is based in US, WA, Seattle.
The job was posted on March 17, 2026.
Seniority: lead.
Applications are handled by Amazon. Apply on Amazon