Machine Learning Scientist II

At Expedia Group, we help travelers explore the world, one journey at a time. As a global travel company powered by passionate people, trusted partnerships, and leading technology, we connect travelers, partners, and advertisers through our consumer brands, B2B network, and travel advertising business. Here, you'll do meaningful work that helps millions of people discover, book, and experience travel with more ease, confidence, and joy.

About the role

We are looking for a hands-on scientist who is passionate about applying machine learning to complex prediction and optimization problems that drive an ecosystem anticipating traveler needs, personalizing dynamic add-ons and upsells, and improving service experiences. This role focuses on developing state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms to enhance customer experience across post-booking recommendations, customer service, and trip management use cases.

You will tackle substantial technical challenges, from inference problems in long-tail traveler data to multi-objective optimization in dynamic, operationally complex environments. Your work will unlock tangible business growth by leveraging rich data sets and building effective solutions for travelers and partners.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement end-to-end machine learning solutions, from ideation and research to deployment and monitoring.
• Take ownership of the ML lifecycle, including problem formulation, data preparation, algorithm selection, feature engineering, evaluation, and production deployment.
• Design and analyze tests to validate models, quantify business impact, and iterate on future improvements.
• Collaborate with product managers, engineers, and business stakeholders to define problems, understand requirements, and communicate findings effectively.
• Apply machine learning to complex prediction and optimization problems in customer service, recommendations, and trip management.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related technical field; or equivalent professional experience.
• 1+ years of relevant professional experience in machine learning or data science.
• Proven ability to design end-to-end ML solutions, including problem formulation, data preparation, algorithm selection, feature engineering, evaluation, and production deployment.
• Strong programming skills in Python and its data science ecosystem (e.g., pandas, scikit-learn, PySpark) and proficiency in SQL.
• Experience following software engineering best practices and contributing to shared codebases.
• Familiarity with AI-driven systems, tools, or workflows, including the machine learning software development lifecycle from experimentation to operational monitoring.

Skills

• Expertise in applied ML: Deep, practical knowledge of machine learning theory (supervised/unsupervised learning, deep learning) and statistical modeling.
• Experimental design: Strong command of A/B testing and causal inference to measure impact.
• Technical fluency: Strong programming skills in Python (or another major ML language like Scala/Java) and SQL; writes clean, modular, maintainable code.
• Problem-solving: Skilled at dissecting ambiguous problems and communicating complex technical ideas.

Preferred Qualifications

• MS or PhD in a quantitative field such as Computer Science, Economics, Statistics, Physics, or a related discipline.
• 2+ years of hands-on industry experience building, deploying, and iterating on machine learning models in production environments.
• Domain knowledge in customer service, recommendation systems, operational applications of ML, or e-commerce.
• Experience with reinforcement learning or other advanced ML techniques.
• Experience building and deploying models using GenAI/LLM technologies.
• Experience translating research and academic papers into improved model designs and techniques.

Pay

Seattle: The total cash range for this position is $112,000 to $156,500. Employees may increase their pay up to $179,000 based on sustained performance.

San Jose: The total cash range for this position is $122,500 to $171,500. Employees may increase their pay up to $196,000 based on sustained performance.

Starting pay varies based on location, available budget, and an individual’s knowledge, skills, and experience.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Paid time off.
• Employee Assistance Program.
• Wellness and travel reimbursement.
• Travel discounts.
• International Airlines Travel Agent Network (IATAN) membership.