Senior Machine Learning Scientist

Senior Machine Learning Scientist

Expedia Technology teams partner with our Product teams to create innovative products, services, and tools that deliver high‑quality experiences for travelers, partners, and employees. A unified technology platform powered by data and machine learning provides secure, differentiated, and personalized experiences that drive loyalty and traveler satisfaction. The Fraud & Risk team safeguards the company’s finances, thwarting billions of dollars in fraudulent attacks annually and protecting against phishing, counterfeit short‑term rentals, improper payment diversions, and unauthorized access to personal information.

• Lead ML solution development: design, develop, and deploy machine learning models to solve complex business problems aligned with strategic goals.
• Drive end‑to‑end ML projects: manage the full ML lifecycle—from data exploration and feature engineering to model evaluation, productionization, and monitoring.
• Collaborate across functions: partner with engineering, product, and business teams to ensure solutions are technically sound and business‑relevant.
• Mentor and grow talent: guide junior scientists and engineers, fostering innovation and technical excellence.
• Advance ML capabilities: evaluate and implement cutting‑edge algorithms and tools to enhance model performance, scalability, and robustness.
• Build and maintain infrastructure: configure and optimize storage, compute, and pipeline environments (cloud, on‑prem, clusters) to support scalable ML workflows.
• Develop internal platforms and best practices: contribute to the evolution of internal ML platforms and standardized methodologies.
• Communicate with impact: present findings and recommendations through data‑driven storytelling and visualizations for diverse audiences.
• Manage stakeholders and projects: lead cross‑functional initiatives, manage expectations, and ensure timely delivery of high‑impact solutions.
• Solve strategically and creatively: frame business problems as data‑science tasks, prioritize high‑leverage work, and persist through technical and organizational challenges.

• Master’s or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Statistics, or related field; or equivalent professional experience.
• 5+ years of experience building and deploying machine learning models in production environments.
• Experience applying sequential models (e.g., RNNs, Transformers) and/or Graph Neural Networks to real‑world problems.
• ML programming expertise: proficiency in at least one major ML language (Python, Scala) with familiarity across others.
• Software engineering skills: apply design principles, data structures, and patterns to write clean, modular, pipeline‑ready code.
• Machine learning knowledge: deep understanding of supervised and unsupervised learning; working knowledge of self‑supervised and reinforcement learning.
• Advanced statistical methods: apply techniques such as Bayesian neural networks, Markov models, and factor analysis with awareness of assumptions.
• Applied research: conduct applied research and integrate academic findings into practical solutions.
• Model evaluation innovation: design and implement custom evaluation techniques for tailored ML solutions.
• Visualization and front‑end familiarity: skilled in data visualization, UX/UI principles, and basic web technologies (HTML/CSS/JavaScript).

• Mentorship and leadership: provide technical mentorship and guide peers in frameworks and methodologies.
• Knowledge sharing: actively contribute to team learning through events, tools, and educational content.
• Domain and business acumen: demonstrate strong domain expertise (e.g., travel, retail) and critical reasoning aligned with business objectives.

Salary range (Seattle): $173,000 – $242,500, with potential to reach $277,000 based on performance.

Expedia is committed to creating an inclusive work environment with a diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. This employer participates in E‑Verify. The employer will provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with information from each new employee's I‑9 to confirm work authorization.