Senior Applied Scientist

Are you a real Machine Learning enthusiast? Does the magic of the data world fascinate you? Here at Microsoft Search we have been working on Machine Learning much before it became cool to do so. Here we are solving real world problems to empower millions of people around the globe. 

Microsoft Search powers delightful and relevant experiences for enterprise users to cater to their overall information need. As part of this team, you would get a chance to work on the core search stack powering all Copilot Search scenarios.  

We’re looking for a Senior Applied Scientist with deep expertise in applied AI and a solid track record of delivering products built using ML models at scale. The candidate should have hands on experiences with building machine learning models over large scale data. Experience with latest advancements in embedding models is preferred. This is a unique opportunity to build the next generation search stack in Microsoft.  

You’ll join a fast-paced, collaborative environment that brings together talent from across Microsoft—including Microsoft Research—to push the boundaries of what’s possible with State-of-the-Art Post Trained models, Embedding Models, Cross Encoder Models, Deep Neural Nets as well as classical GradientBoostedTree (GBT) models.  

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

• Advance the science: Design and run experiments, define and validate metrics, and develop ML pipelines and models in areas like post training foundation models, encoder-decoder models, cross-encoder models. 
• You will be working with large scale data and derive insights out of it while championing Privacy and Compliance.
• As a senior member in the team, you are expected to work with different parts of the stack as well as different team members to drive optimum designs and architectures. 
• Drive product innovation: Partner with Engineering, PM, and Design to translate product vision and industry trends into scalable, reliable, and agile architecture.  
• Collaborate across Microsoft: Work closely with Microsoft Research, Azure, AI platform teams, and product groups to bring cutting-edge AI into real-world applications.  
• Champion customer impact: Engage with customers and internal teams to deeply understand pain points and drive improvements that matter.  
• Lead and mentor: Provide technical leadership to team
• , and scale your learnings across the broader product group.  
• Define success: Influence thorough model evaluation processes and generate insights from model experimentation. Establish and evolve success metrics that reflect platform and product growth.  
• Stay ahead: Keep up with the latest research and foster a thriving applied science culture. Publishing is encouraged, though not required.  

Required/Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelors Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 4+ years related experience (e.g., statistics predictive analytics, research).
  • OR Masters Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 3+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research).
  • OR Doctorate in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 1+ year(s) related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research).
  • OR equivalent experience.

Additional or preferred qualifications

Other Requirements: Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings:

• Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter. 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelors Degree in Statistics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 8+ years related experience (e.g., statistics predictive analytics, research).
  • OR Masters Degree in Statistics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 5+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research).
  • OR Doctorate in Statistics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 2+ year(s) related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research).
  • OR equivalent experience.  
• 3+ years of Python coding skill.  
• Experience in post training of foundation models.  

#CAPIDC

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.