Applied Scientist, Shopping AI

About the team The Shopping AI team is at the heart of Zillow Group’s mission to create a seamless digital real estate marketplace. We build and own the machine learning systems that power Zillow’s core user experiences—like personalized search, recommendations, and display optimization—across our apps and websites. Our close-knit group of engineers and scientists collaborates with product and design to apply the latest AI advancements, tackling large-scale challenges and shaping the future of home shopping at Zillow. About the role As an Applied Scientist, you will help drive the next generation of ranking, recommendation, and generative AI systems for Zillow’s home-shopping experience. Your work will directly impact how millions of users discover and shop for homes, as you research, design, and deploy innovative machine learning models that power key product features. You’ll collaborate across disciplines to deliver solutions that make home shopping more intuitive, personalized, and efficient. You Will Get To Research, design, and prototype new machine learning models for Zillow’s consumer products, including search, ranking, recommendations, and notifications. Lead the full model lifecycle: from ideation and offline experimentation on large datasets to online deployment, A/B testing, and ongoing performance monitoring. Develop and test novel modeling approaches, such as deep learning architectures and large language models (LLMs), to improve the home-shopping experience. Apply cutting-edge AI techniques, including LLM-based retrieval and RAG-style systems, to create more natural and conversational property search experiences. Optimize how and when homes are displayed to users, ensuring relevance and context in every interaction. Collaborate with engineers, product managers, and designers to define, execute, and iterate on impactful projects. Partner with data engineering and infrastructure teams to leverage large-scale distributed data systems for feature engineering and model training. This role has been categorized as a Remote position. “Remote” employees do not have a permanent corporate office workplace and, instead, work from a physical location of their choice, which must be identified to the Company. U.S. employees may live in any of the 50 United States, with limited exceptions. In California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Washington state, and Washington DC the standard base pay range for this role is $136,300.00 - $217,700.00 annually. This base pay range is specific to these locations and may not be applicable to other locations. In Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia the standard base pay range for this role is $129,500.00 - $206,900.00 annually. The base pay range is specific to these locations and may not be applicable to other locations. In addition to a competitive base salary this position is also eligible for equity awards based on factors such as experience, performance and location. Actual amounts will vary depending on experience, performance and location. Employees in this role will not be paid below the salary threshold for exempt employees in the state where they reside. Who you are Experienced in designing, training, and analyzing machine learning models to solve real-world business problems, not just academic benchmarks. Proficient in Python and familiar with common ML libraries (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, CatBoost, scikit-learn, Hugging Face) and distributed data systems (e.g., Spark, Hive, Databricks, Airflow). Skilled in the scientific lifecycle: hypothesis formation, experiment design, result analysis, and clear communication to technical and non-technical partners. Demonstrated experience in at least one of the following: search/information retrieval, personalized ranking/recommender systems, or generative AI/LLM-based systems. Holds a PhD or Master’s degree in a relevant field (Computer Science, AI, Data Science, or related), or equivalent industry experience (typically 3-4+ years with a Master’s, or 1+ year with a PhD). Comfortable working near production systems and collaborating closely with engineers and cross-functional partners. Brings curiosity and excitement for applying generative AI and LLMs to transform the home-shopping experience. Approaches challenges with ownership, scientific rigor, and a growth mindset. Here at Zillow, we value the experience and perspective of candidates with non-traditional backgrounds. We encourage you to apply if you have transferable skills or related experiences. Get to know us At Zillow, we’re reimagining how people move—through the real estate market and through their careers. As the most-visited real estate platform in the U.S., we help customers navigate buying, selling, financing and renting with greater ease and confidence. Whether you're working in tech, sales, operations, or design, you’ll be part of a company that's reshaping an industry and helping more people make home a reality. Zillow is honored to be recognized among the best workplaces in the country. Zillow was named one of FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® in 2025, and included on the PEOPLE Companies That Care® 2025 list, reflecting our commitment to creating an innovative, inclusive, and engaging culture where employees are empowered to grow. No matter where you sit in the organization, your work will help drive innovation, support our customers, and move the industry—and your career—forward, together. Zillow Group is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive, innovative environment with the best employees. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please contact your recruiter directly. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with applicable state and local law. 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. Create job alert email notifications. Log into your existing Workday profile, or create a profile to get started. It’s the easiest way to stay in the loop–no application needed. At Zillow, flexibility isn’t a perk - it’s how we work. Cloud HQ is our distributed work model, built on trust, clear systems, and the belief that you can do great work from wherever you are. It’s not about where you work. It’s about moving forward - together.