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About This Role
At T\-Mobile, we invest in YOU! Our Total Rewards Package ensures that employees get the same big love we give our customers. All team members receive a competitive base salary and compensation package \- this is Total Rewards. Employees enjoy multiple wealth\-building opportunities through our annual stock grant, employee stock purchase plan, 401(k), and access to free, year\-round money coaches. That’s how we’re UNSTOPPABLE for our employees!
At T\-Mobile Advertising Solutions, we're building privacy\-first advertising products powered by advanced machine learning, large\-scale data processing, and cloud technologies. Our proprietary algorithms enable rich consumer insights, intelligent audience solutions, and measurable performance for advertisers while maintaining a strong commitment to consumer privacy.
We are seeking a creative, and curious Senior Applied Scientist to join our team. In this role, you'll work at the intersection of machine learning, software engineering, and big data, building AI and ML systems that directly impact our customers and business. You'll collaborate with engineers, data scientists, product managers, and other stakeholders to solve complex problems and deliver innovative solutions at scale.
We embrace Lean Development principles, iterative experimentation, continuous learning, and a strong build\-measure\-learn feedback culture. The work you do will directly shape the future of our products and technologies.Job Responsibilities:
- Lead the end\-to\-end development of machine learning and data products aligned to business objectives, from problem framing through deployment and monitoring.
- Build scalable data, training, and inference pipelines using distributed processing and cloud technologies.
- Apply statistical methods, experimentation, and validation frameworks to ensure solution quality and business impact.
- Write production\-quality code and contribute to engineering best practices, including testing, CI/CD, and observability.
- Collaborate across engineering, product, and business teams while leading other engineers and data scientists.
Education and Work Experience:
- Bachelor's Degree plus 5 years of related work experience OR Advanced degree with 3 years of related experience (Required)
- Acceptable areas of study include Quantitative Discipline (math, statistics, economics, computer science, physics, engineering, etc.) (Required)
- 4\-7 years experience building and deploying machine learning and deep learning solutions at scale; familiarity with MLOps and DevOps practices and tools. (Required)
- 4\-7 years Experience working within big data architecture, modern analytical data platforms, and large\-scale data warehousing technologies (e.g. BigQuery, Snowflake, Redshift) (Required)
- 4\-7 years Experience working with large\-scale distributed data systems and cloud platforms (e.g. SQL, Python, Scala, AWS) (Required)
- 4\-7 years Experience solving complex data, machine learning, or algorithmic challenges in production environment using modern engineering practices.(Required)
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Strong background in AI/ML, data structures, statistical modeling, optimization algorithms, big data, and design thinking.
- Advanced knowledge of cloud\-based services (GCP, AWS)
and Python, PySpark and related Python libraries (e.g. pandas, scikit\-learn, scipy, numpy) for advanced data science tasks.
- Hands\-on implementation and architectural familiarity with streaming data, relational and non\-relational databases, and distributed processing technologies.
- Experience operating production machine learning and data systems in cloud and containerized environments.
- Experience in AdTech and GIS or geospatial data processing is a plus.
- At least 18 years of age
- Legally authorized to work in the United States
Travel:
Travel Required (Yes/No): No
DOT Regulated:
DOT Regulated Position (Yes/No): No
Safety Sensitive Position (Yes/No): No
Base Pay Range: $116,500 \- $210,100
Corporate Bonus Target: 15%
The pay range above is the general base pay range for a successful candidate in the role. The successful candidate’s actual pay will be based on various factors, such as work location, qualifications, and experience, so the actual starting pay will vary within this range.
At T\-Mobile, employees in regular, non\-temporary roles are eligible for an annual bonus or periodic sales incentive or bonus, based on their role. Most Corporate employees are eligible for a year\-end bonus based on company and/or individual performance and which is set at a percentage of the employee’s eligible earnings in the prior year. Certain positions in Customer Care are eligible for monthly bonuses based on individual and/or team performance. To find the pay range for this role based on hiring location, click here.
At T\-Mobile, our benefits exemplify the spirit of One Team, Together! A big part of how we care for one another is working to ensure our benefits evolve to meet the needs of our team members. Full and part\-time employees have access to the same benefits when eligible. We cover all of the bases, offering medical, dental and vision insurance, a flexible spending account, 401(k), employee stock grants, employee stock purchase plan, paid time off and up to 12 paid holidays \- which total about 4 weeks for new full\-time employees and about 2\.5 weeks for new part\-time employees annually \- paid parental and family leave, family building benefits, back\-up care, enhanced family support, childcare subsidy, tuition assistance, college coaching, short\- and long\-term disability, voluntary AD\&D coverage, voluntary accident coverage, voluntary life insurance, voluntary disability insurance, and voluntary long\-term care insurance. We don't stop there \- eligible employees can also receive mobile service \& home internet discounts, pet insurance, and access to commuter and transit programs! To learn about T\-Mobile’s amazing benefits, check out *www.t\-mobilebenefits.com**.*
Never stop growing!
As part of the T\-Mobile team, you know the Un\-carrier doesn’t have a corporate ladder–it’s more like a jungle gym of possibilities! We love helping our employees grow in their careers, because it’s that shared drive to aim high that drives our business and our culture forward. By applying for this career opportunity, you’re living our values while investing in your career growth–and we applaud it. You’re unstoppable!
T\-Mobile USA, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All decisions concerning the employment relationship will be made without regard to age, race, ethnicity, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, religious affiliation, marital status, citizenship status, veteran status, the presence of any physical or mental disability, or any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Discrimination, retaliation or harassment based upon any of these factors is wholly inconsistent with how we do business and will not be tolerated.
Talent comes in all forms at the Un\-carrier. If you are an individual with a disability and need reasonable accommodation at any point in the application or interview process, please let us know by emailing ApplicantAccommodation@t\-mobile.com or calling 1\-844\-873\-9500\. Please note, this contact channel is not a means to apply for or inquire about a position and we are unable to respond to non\-accommodation related requests.
Salary Context
This $116K-$210K range is below the median for Research Scientist roles in our dataset (median: $183K across 83 roles with salary data).
Role Details
About This Role
Research Scientists push the boundaries of what AI can do. They design experiments, develop novel architectures, publish papers, and translate research breakthroughs into production capabilities. This is where the fundamental advances happen, from attention mechanisms to diffusion models to reasoning chains.
The work is intellectually demanding and often ambiguous. You might spend months on an approach that doesn't pan out. The best research scientists combine deep mathematical intuition with engineering pragmatism. They know when to go deep on theory and when to run experiments. They read papers voraciously and can spot incremental contributions from genuine breakthroughs.
Across the 3,708 AI roles we're tracking, Research Scientist positions make up 3% of the market. At T-Mobile, this role fits into their broader AI and engineering organization.
Research Scientist roles are concentrated at major AI labs (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind, Meta FAIR) and well-funded AI startups. The competition is intense. PhD is effectively required for most positions, and publication track record matters. Compensation is among the highest in AI, reflecting both the scarcity of talent and the strategic importance of research breakthroughs.
What the Work Looks Like
A typical week includes: reading and discussing recent papers with your team, designing and running experiments on multi-GPU clusters, analyzing results and iterating on hypotheses, writing up findings for internal review or publication, and collaborating with engineering teams to productionize promising results. The ratio of thinking to coding is higher than in engineering roles.
Research Scientist roles are concentrated at major AI labs (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind, Meta FAIR) and well-funded AI startups. The competition is intense. PhD is effectively required for most positions, and publication track record matters. Compensation is among the highest in AI, reflecting both the scarcity of talent and the strategic importance of research breakthroughs.
Skills Required
PhD strongly preferred for most roles. Deep expertise in a specific area (NLP, computer vision, reinforcement learning, multimodal) is expected. PyTorch is the standard. Publication track record matters. Strong mathematical foundations in linear algebra, probability, optimization, and information theory are assumed.
Beyond the fundamentals, companies value experience with large-scale distributed training, novel architecture design, and the ability to bridge theory and practice. Understanding of current frontier topics (reasoning, multimodal, long-context, alignment) is essential. Code quality matters more than many researchers expect. Labs want researchers who can implement their ideas cleanly.
Strong research postings specify the research area, mention the team you'd join, and describe the problems they're working on. They often list recent publications from the team. Vague 'AI research' postings without specifics usually mean the company wants to sound impressive but doesn't have a real research agenda.
Compensation Benchmarks
Research Scientist roles pay a median of $222,200 based on 197 positions with disclosed compensation. Senior-level AI roles across all categories have a median of $230,000. This role's midpoint ($163K) sits 27% below the category median. Disclosed range: $116K to $210K.
Across all AI roles, the market median is $217,500. Top-quartile compensation starts at $272,100. The 90th percentile reaches $325,000. For comparison, the highest-paying categories include AI Safety ($300,000) and Research Engineer ($280,000). By seniority level: Entry: $120,000; Mid: $200,000; Senior: $230,000; Director: $272,150; VP: $250,000.
T-Mobile AI Hiring
T-Mobile has 6 open AI roles right now. They're hiring across AI/ML Engineer, AI Product Manager, Research Scientist. Positions span Atlanta, GA, US, Bellevue, WA, US, New York, NY, US. Compensation range: $120K - $350K.
Location Context
AI roles in New York pay a median of $220,000 across 1,045 tracked positions.
Career Path
Common paths into Research Scientist roles include PhD Student, Research Engineer, Postdoc.
From here, career progression typically leads toward Research Lead, Distinguished Scientist, VP of Research.
The PhD is the entry point for most paths. Choose your advisor and research area carefully since they'll define your first industry position. Publish consistently, contribute to open-source projects in your area, and build relationships at conferences. Industry research offers better compensation and compute resources than academia, but the pressure to show product impact is real.
What to Expect in Interviews
Research interviews are multi-stage: a research talk (present your best paper), technical deep-dives on your methodology, and often a 'research proposal' exercise where you design an experiment to test a hypothesis. Coding rounds test implementation ability alongside theoretical knowledge. Be prepared to implement a paper from scratch and discuss the design choices the authors made. Strong candidates can critique papers constructively and identify gaps in experimental methodology.
When evaluating opportunities: Strong research postings specify the research area, mention the team you'd join, and describe the problems they're working on. They often list recent publications from the team. Vague 'AI research' postings without specifics usually mean the company wants to sound impressive but doesn't have a real research agenda.
AI Hiring Overview
The AI job market has 3,708 open positions tracked in our dataset. By seniority: 102 entry-level, 1,705 mid-level, 1,469 senior, and 432 leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level). Remote roles make up 14% of the market (508 positions). The remaining 3,180 roles require on-site or hybrid attendance.
The market median for AI roles is $217,500. Top-quartile compensation starts at $272,100. The 90th percentile reaches $325,000. Highest-paying categories: AI Safety ($300,000 median, 21 roles); Research Engineer ($280,000 median, 147 roles); AI Architect ($254,798 median, 67 roles).
Research Scientist roles are concentrated at major AI labs (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind, Meta FAIR) and well-funded AI startups. The competition is intense. PhD is effectively required for most positions, and publication track record matters. Compensation is among the highest in AI, reflecting both the scarcity of talent and the strategic importance of research breakthroughs.
The AI Job Market Today
The AI job market spans 3,708 open positions across 16 role categories. The largest categories by volume: AI/ML Engineer (2,605), Data Scientist (310), AI Software Engineer (259). These three account for the majority of open positions, though smaller categories often have higher per-role compensation because of specialized skill requirements.
The seniority mix tells a story about where AI teams are in their maturity. Entry-level roles (102) are outnumbered by mid-level (1,705) and senior (1,469) positions, reflecting that most companies are past the 'build a team from scratch' phase and need experienced engineers who can ship production systems. Leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level) total 432 positions, representing the bottleneck between technical execution and organizational strategy.
Remote work availability sits at 14% of all AI roles (508 positions), with 3,180 requiring on-site or hybrid attendance. The remote share has stabilized after the post-pandemic correction. Senior and specialized roles (Research Scientist, ML Architect) are more likely to be remote-eligible than entry-level positions, partly because experienced hires have more negotiating power and partly because these roles require less hands-on mentorship.
AI compensation is structured in clear tiers. The market median sits at $217,500. Top-quartile roles start at $272,100, and the 90th percentile reaches $325,000. These figures include base salary with disclosed compensation. Total compensation (including equity, bonuses, and sign-on) runs 20-40% higher at companies that offer those components.
Category matters for compensation. AI Safety roles lead at $300,000 median, while Prompt Engineer roles sit at $140,000. The spread between highest and lowest-paying categories reflects the premium on specialized technical skills versus broader analytical roles.
The most in-demand skills across all AI postings: Python (1,890 postings), Aws (1,103 postings), Azure (877 postings), Rag (855 postings), Gcp (631 postings), Prompt Engineering (560 postings), Pytorch (545 postings), Claude (498 postings). Python dominates, appearing in the vast majority of role descriptions regardless of category. Cloud platform experience (AWS, GCP, Azure) is the second most common requirement. The newer entrants to the top skills list (RAG, vector databases, LLM APIs) reflect the shift from traditional ML toward generative AI applications.
Frequently Asked Questions
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