(USA) Principal, Data Scientist

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Summary As a Principal Data Scientist and Core Solution Architect, you will be the visionary lead responsible for defining the technical backbone of Walmart’s Retail Digital Twin ecosystem. You will move beyond being a "user" of tools to becoming an architect of systems—selecting and integrating best-in-class simulation engines, 3D frameworks, and agentic AI to build a high-fidelity, scalable platform that optimizes the world’s largest retail operation.

...What you’ll do: • Architect End-to-End Systems: Lead the design of a modular, distributed digital twin architecture that balances simulation fidelity with computational efficiency across diverse retail use cases. • Select & Optimize the Tech Stack: Evaluate and deploy the most effective simulation paradigms (Agent-Based, DES, Physics-based) and tools—whether leveraging AnyLogic, NVIDIA Omniverse, or building custom C++/Python-based engines from the ground up. • Drive Software Engineering Excellence: Build production-grade, scalable applications that integrate real-time IoT data streams, ensuring the digital twin platform is performant and maintainable at an enterprise scale. • Lead Agentic AI Strategy: Design the orchestration layer for agentic workflows, enabling intelligent entities within the twin to perform complex reasoning and autonomous optimization. • Standardize Digital Assets: Define the schema and governance for reusable process blocks (XML/JSON) and 3D CAD assets (USD/gLTF) to ensure interoperability across the organization’s pillars. • Cross-Functional Technical Leadership: Serve as the primary technical liaison between software engineering, data science, and retail operations to align the simulation roadmap with global business objectives. What you’ll bring: • System Architecture Mastery: 8+ years of experience designing complex, large-scale software systems or simulation environments with a focus on modularity and high-performance computing. • Tool-Agnostic Expertise: Deep proficiency in a variety of simulation environments and the ability to determine when to use commercial off-the-shelf software (COTS) versus building bespoke solutions. • Advanced Software Engineering: Expert-level coding skills in C++, Java, or Python, with a strong background in data structures, algorithms, and distributed systems. • Agentic AI & Optimization: Proven track record of implementing Reinforcement Learning (RL), Multi-Agent Systems (MAS), or Large Action Models (LAMs) within a simulation context. • Academic Pedigree: PhD or MS in Computer Science, Robotics, Computational Physics, or Industrial Engineering. At Walmart, we offer competitive pay as well as performance-based bonus awards and other great