Applied Researcher 1

At eBay, we're more than a global ecommerce leader — we’re changing the way the world shops and sells. Our platform empowers millions of buyers and sellers in more than 190 markets around the world. We’re committed to pushing boundaries and leaving our mark as we reinvent the future of ecommerce for enthusiasts.
Our customers are our compass, authenticity thrives, bold ideas are welcome, and everyone can bring their unique selves to work — every day. We're in this together, sustaining the future of our customers, our company, and our planet.
Join a team of passionate thinkers, innovators, and dreamers — and help us connect people and build communities to create economic opportunity for all.

About the team and the role:

eBay, Inc. seeks Applied Researcher 1 in Austin, TX 

What you will accomplish: 

Job Duties: Develop and fine-tune machine learning models for listing quality improvement. Design, train, and optimize AI models, including BERT-based NER systems and multimodal classification frameworks, to detect attribute mismatches, restricted items, and fraudulent listings on eBay’s marketplace. Build and maintain proprietary data pipelines. Construct end-to-end pipelines for large-scale data ingestion, cleaning, annotation, and feature engineering. Leverage internal compliance datasets and proprietary labeling tools to ensure high-quality training data. Conduct research and experiments on anomaly detection and multimodal understanding. Explore novel approaches for hierarchical listing information mismatch detection and anomaly filtering, conduct A/B testing, and evaluate model performance against business-critical metrics such as false positive reduction. Work with U.S. and China-based engineers, product managers, and compliance experts to align technical solutions with regulatory requirements and business priorities. Create internal technical documentation, share best practices with team members on specialized modeling and data processing techniques. Partial telecommuting permitted from within a commutable distance.

What you will bring:

Minimum Requirements: Master’s degree, or foreign equivalent, in Computer Science, Engineering (any field), or a closely related field plus three years of experience in the job offered or a related occupation. Employer will accept a Bachelor’s degree, or foreign equivalent, in Computer Science, Engineering (any field), or a closely related field plus five years of experience in the job offered or a related occupation.

Special Skill Requirements: 

1. Experience with looking for scientifically valid solutions that deliver real value to customers (3 years) 

2. Experience with building machine learning models and data pipelines to deliver insightful and practical solutions (3 years)

3. Experience with working with multiple teams to help promote standard scientific methodologies and processes (3 years)

4. Experience with resenting key technical and novel research work in public forums and conference (3 years)

5. Experience in applied research OR development of machine learning models and data analysis including search, recommender system and NLP (3 years)

6. Experience with programming skills in Python (3 years)

7. Experience in machine learning frameworks including TensorFlow, PyTorch and experience with big data technologies including Hadoop, Spark (3 years)

8. Experience with analyzing large datasets, and derive actionable insights (3 years)

9. Experience in data mining and segmentation (3 years)

Must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship. 

Additional Details

Base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including location, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a target bonus and restricted stock units (as applicable) in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits (including 401(k) eligibility and various paid time off benefits, such as PTO and parental leave). Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.

If hired, employees will be in an “at-will position” and the Company reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, Company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.

Remote roles are not eligible for U.S. visa sponsorship.

eBay is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, and disability, or other legally protected status. If you have a need that requires accommodation, please contact us at [email protected]. We will make every effort to respond to your request for accommodation as soon as possible. View our accessibility statement to learn more about eBay's commitment to ensuring digital accessibility for people with disabilities.

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