Director of Machine Learning Science, Expedia Group
Recommendations & Relevance
Online travel shopping company
Be an early applicant
Online travel shopping company
1001+ employees
Be an early applicant
1001+ employees
Company mission
Expedia's mission is to power global travel for everyone, everywhere.
Role
Who you are
- We're looking for a leader who thrives on large-scale challenges, can guide a talented full-stack ML team, coach people managers within their organisation, and is committed to delivering exceptional products
- 10+ years for Master's (7+ years for PhD) experience in applied machine learning with at least 4 years in a leadership/management role
- Ph.D. or master’s degree in computer science, Machine Learning, Information Retrieval, Mathematics/Statistics or another related field of science
- Depth of expertise and experience in developing and deploying to production machine learning models for recommendations, personalisation, or search relevance
- Comprehensive knowledge of machine learning algorithms, particularly in ranking and recommendation systems, coupled with the agility to rapidly grasp and apply emerging techniques
- Proven track record of leading and mentoring high-performing technical teams
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across departments
- Strong project management and organisational skills
- Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, Java, or Scala, and experience with ML frameworks like TensorFlow, PyTorch, or scikit-learn
- Experience with large-scale distributed systems and big data technologies (e.g., Spark, Hadoop, Kafka)
What the job involves
- We are seeking a visionary Director of Machine Learning Science to lead our Recommendations and Relevance team within Private Label Solutions (PLS), Expedia Group's Business-to-business (B2B) division
- As a global leader in B2B travel technology, PLS serves thousands of partners across diverse markets and travel segments
- This role will tackle the unique challenge of recommending optimal travel products for our partners' diverse traveler base
- In this pivotal role, you'll spearhead the creation and evolution of cutting-edge Machine Learning and AI solutions, enhancing our partners' user experiences and optimising their product offerings
- As we refine our existing capabilities and ambitiously expand into new business areas, you'll have a unique opportunity to define the future of ML at PLS
- Your work will be instrumental in driving growth for our partners, PLS, and Expedia Group as a whole
- Lead and inspire a cross functional, full stack team of Machine Learning Scientists and Machine Learning Engineers fostering personal growth and creating accountability
- Develop and execute a comprehensive strategy for applying advanced ML techniques to the recommendations and relevance space that is aligned with business strategy
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify high-impact opportunities for enhancing partner recommendations and relevance using AI & ML technologies
- Work with your peers to identify and develop common capabilities that can improve efficiency across domains
- Oversee the development, maintenance and operation of scalable ML infrastructure and pipelines
- Stay at the forefront of relevant advancements in machine learning and drive innovation by encouraging your team to explore and implementing novel approaches
- Effectively communicate complex technical concepts and project outcomes to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
- Establish best-in-class development practices, guidelines, and processes within your team
Application process
- End Date: July 18, 2025
Salary benchmarks
Our take
Expedia is an online travel agency. They enable users to access a wide range of services including airline tickets, hotel reservations, car rentals, cruises, vacation packages, and various attractions and services via the world wide web and telephone travel agents. Its primary web businesses include Expedia.com, Hotels.com, Hotwire.com, and Egencia.com.
Between 2021 and 2022, Expedia has been selling and merging a list of its sub-brands in a bid to simplify its operations, including Egencia and Classic Vacations. Due to plummeting share prices, mostly in the case of its sub-brands, Expedia has been leveraging its subsidiaries' customer base and merging them into the company’s core brand. Contrasting this move, Expedia has also been partnering with tech start-ups in a bid to make travel more accessible to underserved groups. Becoming Rentable, a travel company for the disabled is one of 12 startups that are part of Expedia Group’s new Open World Accelerator Programme.
What this indicates is Expedia’s shift from buying other travel companies and a move towards enhancing the experience of its preexisting customer base. This move is aiding in a long-term plan for greater long-term traveler loyalty, utilizing Expedia’s vast amounts of data, not just from reviews, but from check-in, cleanliness, communication, cancelations, etc to inform how guests experience a property.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
9% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Company benefits
- Leisure Travel Reimbursement
- Travel Discounts
- Family & Friends Discount
- Employee Assistance Program
- Wellness Reimbursement
- Global Service Awards
- Business Travel Medical Insurance
- Matching Gifts
- Expert Medical Opinion
- New Parent Benefit
- Employee Stock Purchase Plan
- Private Health Insurance
Company HQ
Interbay, Seattle, WA
Leadership
Peter M. Kern
(CEO, not founder)Has been a director of Expedia Group since completion of the IAC/Expedia Group Spin-Off and has served as Vice Chairman of Expedia Group since June 2018. Previously CEO of Tribune Media and Managing Partner of InterMedia Partners VII, LP, a private equity firm.
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