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Amazon

Amazon

Global online marketplace and cloud services

Applied Scientist 2 - Search

Full-Time
$142.8k - $193.2k/yr

+ Sign-on payments + Restricted stock units

Mid, Senior
Master's, PhD
Palo Alto, CA, USA+1 more

More locations: Seattle, WA, USA

In Person
Company Historically Provides H1B Sponsorship

About the job

Requirements
  • A PhD, or a Master's degree and 4 or more years of computer science, computer engineering, machine learning, or related field experience, is required.
  • Experience programming in Java, C++, Python, or a related language is required.
  • At least 1 year of experience building machine learning models or developing algorithms for business applications is required.
  • Experience with algorithms and data structures, parsing, numerical optimization, data mining, parallel and distributed computing, or high-performance computing is required.
Responsibilities
  • Build large-scale machine learning systems spanning ranking, reinforcement learning, and large language models for Amazon's shopping experience.
  • Generate relevant content with large language models and assemble a coherent, dynamic, and engaging whole-page experience.
  • Improve ranking and optimization algorithms.
  • Drive features from idea through deployment.
  • Apply machine learning algorithms, including deep learning, reinforcement learning, and large language models, to improve customers' shopping experience.
  • Measure business impact using A/B testing.
  • Collaborate with applied scientists and engineers to develop systems for the shopping experience.
Desired Qualifications
  • At least 1 year of experience building production software.
  • A PhD in computer science, mathematics, statistics, machine learning, or an equivalent quantitative field.
  • Experience presenting complex technical information clearly and concisely to executives and non-technical leaders.
  • At least 2 years of experience with predictive modeling and analysis using supervised learning, unsupervised learning, deep learning, and reinforcement learning.
  • A strong publication record at leading machine learning conferences and journals.

About the company

Amazon operates a global e-commerce platform with a large online marketplace that connects consumers to both direct sales and third-party sellers across many product categories. It earns money from product sales and marketplace fees, Amazon Prime subscriptions, and AWS cloud services, plus a large Amazon Associates affiliate network. The platform combines fast shipping, streaming, cloud computing, and digital services to reach customers across numerous countries. Its goal is to be the world’s most customer-centric company by offering convenient access to a wide range of products and services.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

Seattle, Washington

Founded

1994

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Prime Big Deal Days returns October 6-7, pulling holiday demand forward.
  • North America revenue rose 16% to $116.2 billion in Q2 2026.
  • Amazon raised pay to $20 and added banking benefits to reduce turnover.

What critics are saying

  • AWS Bahrain damage proved regional resilience failed; customers fled to other regions.
  • Amazon's $20 wage floor lifts fulfillment costs immediately across U.S. operations.
  • Anthropic misuse headlines and war-linked infrastructure damage expose AWS to trust and security shocks.

What makes Amazon unique

  • AWS remains the default cloud for regulated workloads, despite Bahrain outage damage.
  • Prime converts retail scale into recurring membership demand across 35-plus categories.
  • Amazon's logistics density still compresses delivery times faster than Walmart nationwide.

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Benefits

Flexible Work Hours

Company Equity

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

2%

1 year growth

2%

2 year growth

1%
Yahoo Finance
Sep 16th, 2026
Amazon raises US hourly minimum wage to $20, adding $2,080 in annual pay per worker

Amazon has raised its minimum wage for qualifying full-time US operations workers to $20 per hour from $19, according to Reuters. The increase represents an extra $2,080 annually for employees working a 40-hour week, raising base pay from $39,520 to $41,600. The company also announced it will provide access to lower-cost banking services. Amazon reported $200.6 billion in second-quarter revenue and $27.5 billion in operating income. Shares fell approximately 0.5% following the announcement. The stock is trading near GuruFocus' estimate of fair value, sitting just 0.55% below its $248.57 GF Value. Whilst the wage increase could pressure fulfilment costs across Amazon's vast logistics network, analysts note that lower employee turnover may offset some expenses through reduced recruiting and training costs.

Yahoo Finance
Sep 16th, 2026
Amazon plans 1,000+ same-day fulfillment centres in $7B push to rival Walmart

Amazon plans to add over 1,000 same-day fulfilment centres across the US over the next five years, according to a Business Insider report. The initiative, codenamed Project Mercury, would represent a tenfold increase from the company's current 85 locations. The expansion aims to position same-day facilities within 10 miles of 80% of Amazon Prime customers by 2031, up from the current 90-minute drive radius. The move targets physical retailers like Walmart, which operates stores within 10 miles of roughly 90% of the US population. Amazon expects to spend approximately $7 billion on the network expansion through 2027. A company spokesperson noted the plans remain preliminary and could change significantly.

TechCrunch
Sep 16th, 2026
Amazon launches Alexa+ in India with Hindi support for $24 per month

Amazon has launched Alexa+ in India with Hindi support, enabling the conversational assistant to hold longer, context-aware conversations. The service is available in Early Access for all customers in both Hindi and English, with users able to switch languages mid-sentence. After testing, Alexa+ will be free for Prime members, whilst non-Prime customers will pay ₹2,000 monthly. The upgraded assistant features a more expressive voice and handles complex tasks including grocery ordering through Amazon Now and smart home device control. Alexa+ integrates with Indian services including Swiggy, Zomato's District, TripAdvisor, MakeMyTrip, EazyDiner, Amazon Music, and JioSaavn. Amazon first introduced Alexa in India in 2017, adding Hindi support in 2019 to reach the country's 600 million Hindi speakers. The company reports 20% year-on-year growth in smart home devices.

Container News
Sep 16th, 2026
Peel Ports appoints Jamie Strain to lead Scottish operations.

Peel Ports appoints Jamie Strain to lead Scottish operations. September 16, 2026 Peel Ports Group has appointed Jamie Strain as Port Director for its Scottish operations. Strain will lead the Peel Ports Clydeport business, overseeing the Port of Greenock, Hunterston PARC, King George V Dock in Glasgow and Inchgreen Marine Park. He replaces Jim McSporran, who is set to retire later this month. Strain joins from Amazon. Strain joins Peel Ports after serving as Site Lead General Manager at one of Amazon's largest distribution centres in the UK. The Dunfermline facility employs more than 3,000 people and is one of Amazon's major logistics operations in the country. Before joining Amazon, Strain spent 13 years with Tesco. He later held several senior operational positions at Amazon before taking responsibility for the Dunfermline site. "I'm proud to be joining Peel Ports and to have the opportunity to lead the Peel Ports Clydeport business at such an exciting time," said Strain. He added that he plans to use his experience managing large teams and complex operations to support the development of the Scottish business. Peel Ports continues Scottish investment. The appointment comes as Peel Ports continues to invest across its Scottish operations. At Hunterston PARC in Ayrshire, the company is progressing with the redevelopment of the site. Peel Ports said the project is expected to attract £3.5 billion in investment and create more than 5,000 jobs. The company has also strengthened container handling capacity at the Port of Greenock. Two ship-to-shore cranes, representing an investment of £25 million, have arrived at the port over the past two years. Meanwhile, Peel Ports invested £3 million at King George V Dock in Glasgow last year to increase its capacity to handle large wind turbine components. David Huck, Chief Operating Officer at Peel Ports Group, said Strain's operational experience and previous perspective as a cargo owner would support the company's plans to grow its Scottish business.

Yahoo Finance
Sep 15th, 2026
Amazon sets Prime Big Deal Days for 6-7 October as North America sales climb 16% to $116B

Amazon is holding Prime Big Deal Days on 6 and 7 October, testing holiday spending ahead of the crucial fourth quarter. Prime members will access exclusive deals across more than 35 categories, with new offers dropping three times daily. The event comes as Amazon's North American business accelerates. Second-quarter revenue climbed 20% to $200.6 billion, whilst North America sales rose 16% to $116.2 billion. Operating income increased 43% to $27.5 billion. Amazon says more than one million products will be offered at their lowest prices of the year so far. The 48-hour event pulls holiday demand into early October, helping Amazon secure consumer spending before Black Friday whilst reinforcing Prime membership value.