Principal Applied Scientist, Sponsored Products and Brands

Amazon is hiring a Principal Applied Scientist, Sponsored Products and Brands in Palo Alto, United States. It pays $229k-$309k 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 37% higher than the typical applied scientist posting on Level.
The posting mentions Python, LLMs and GenAI Models among its tools and skills.
Level classes it as a lead role.
Amazon has 20,000+ other open roles on Level.

AI in this role

Lead applied science initiatives and develop state-of-the-art generative AI models for advertising products.

PythonLLMsGenAI Models

machine-learningapplied-sciencegenerative-aiproduct-strategy

The Sponsored Products and Brands team at Amazon Ads is re-imagining the advertising landscape through industry leading generative AI technologies, revolutionizing how millions of customers discover products and engage with brands across Amazon.com and beyond. We are at the forefront of re-inventing advertising experiences, bridging human creativity with artificial intelligence to transform every aspect of the advertising lifecycle from ad creation and optimization to performance analysis and customer insights. We are a passionate group of innovators dedicated to developing responsible and intelligent AI technologies that balance the needs of advertisers, enhance the shopping experience, and strengthen the marketplace. If you're energized by solving complex challenges and pushing the boundaries of what's possible with AI, join us in shaping the future of advertising.

The Sponsored Brands team at Amazon is building the next generation of brand advertising products and platforms for advertisers using Gen AI. This role presents an opportunity to join us at the ground floor of this transformation, which is a core part of Amazon's overall business strategy.

You will be the Gen AI applied science leader that will determine what products and ads show up in the most critical ad placements across Amazon. You'll have opportunities to deliver at the highest technical level, working with science, product, engineering, and UX, all directly connected to a marketplace of supply and demand. In this highly visible role, you'll collaborate across multiple stakeholders within Ads and Retail.

We are seeking a Gen AI Applied Science inventor who has strong product sense, with a proven track record with hands on science vision and execution while building high impact products from the ground up. you will have the opportunity to apply your deep subject matter expertise in the area of ML, LLM and GenAI models. You will invent new product experiences that enable novel advertiser and shopper experiences. This role will work on bringing state-of-the-art GenAI models to production. You will define the long-term science vision for our advertising business, driven by our customer’s needs, and translate it into actionable plans for our team of applied scientists and engineers.

Key job responsibilities
You will play a pivotal role in managing projects at all stages: inception, design, development, deployment and subsequent improvements. You will tackle challenging problems and coordinate high profile projects across multiple teams to ensure customer and business goals are met. You will interface across product, science, and engineering teams within the advertising and retail organizations.

You will drive mechanisms that allow the team to move quickly and deliver strong results. You will operate with a high degree of autonomy and efficiency. You'll be responsible for project management - prioritize, plan projects and features, manage partners, and track external commitments. You will recommend alternative technical approaches and partner with product, science, and engineering teams to meet timelines. You will actively role model the use of GenAI to make the team more efficient.

About the team
We are on a mission to make Amazon the best in class destination for shoppers to discover, engage, and purchase relevant products, from brands that are relevant to them. In this role, you will design and implement Gen AI solutions that help millions of advertisers create more effective ad campaigns with intelligent recommendations, while improving the overall experience at Amazon's global scale.

Our team invents, defines, and delivers advertising products that drive brand discovery and sales. Our solutions generate billions in revenue and drive long-term growth for Amazon Store businesses. We deliver billions of ad impressions, millions of clicks daily, and break fresh ground to create world-class products. We are a highly motivated, fast-paced, and collaborative team with an entrepreneurial spirit.

Basic qualifications

- PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, or a related technical field
- 7+ years of working with Data & AI related technologies, including, but not limited to, AI/ML, GenAI, Analytics, Database, and/or Storage experience
- Experience designing or architecting (design patterns, reliability and scaling) of new and existing systems
- 7+ years of working directly with engineering teams experience
- 7+ years of technical product or program management experience
- Experience owning/driving roadmap strategy and definition

Preferred qualifications

- 8+ years of hands-on work managing complex technology projects experience
- Experience managing projects across cross functional teams, building sustainable processes and coordinating release schedules

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 - 228,700.00 - 309,400.00 USD annually
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 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.

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 $229k-$309k a year.
The role is based in US, CA, Palo Alto.
The job was posted on May 7, 2026.
Seniority: lead.
Applications are handled by Amazon. Apply on Amazon

Prepare for this job

Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.

Skills and AI tools this role asks for

Machine learningApplied ScienceGenerative AIProduct StrategyPythonLLMsGenAI Models

Also common in applied scientist jobs at this level

Python Machine learning C++Java Deep learning NLP

Pay

This job starts at: $229k
Typical applied scientist job: $167k

This posting starts 37% above the typical applied scientist job. See applied scientist jobs

Questions you could be asked

Tell me about a project where machine learning was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where applied science was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where generative ai was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where product strategy was part of your work. What did you do?
Walk me through how you've used Python in your day-to-day work.

Adapt your resume

List these exact terms on your resume: Machine learning, Applied Science, Generative AI, Product Strategy, and Python. 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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