Data Scientist - AI Search & Ranking

Department: Ranking & Search (Bita Shams)

When travelers are searching for a hotel, we want the obvious choice to be trivago! Our leading metasearch engine is super fast and constantly optimized - enabling millions of travelers to compare hotel prices from hundreds of booking sites and find great deals in just a few clicks. We use cutting-edge technology, real-time auction, and machine learning techniques with petabytes of data to create an experience - time and money saved! In the lively city of Düsseldorf, we seize opportunities to learn everyday, innovate, and make an enduring mark on the travel industry. At trivago you will find those who aren't afraid of change but rather embrace it, turning every challenge into a pathway for growth. Join trivago, work with a great team, and grow with us!

Join us in making a difference

As a Data Scientist in our AI Search team, you'll shape how millions of travelers discover and compare hotels on our platform. Our team powers hotel search across 35+ languages and 55 countries, processing millions of queries daily. We're building the next generation of AI-powered search that combines personalized ranking with cutting-edge semantic understanding—and your expertise will take it further.

You'll work at the intersection of search ranking, natural language processing, and AI to enhance query understanding, relevance, and personalization. Working alongside talented data scientists, ML engineers, and product teams, you'll own impactful initiatives that drive user-intent modeling, semantic retrieval, and evaluation frameworks. Your work will directly influence product decisions that increase both user satisfaction and business outcomes. If you're passionate about solving complex search problems using critical thinking and data-driven strategies, apply now and make a global impact!

Get an inside look at data science at trivago:

How you’ll make an impact:

• Analyze large datasets to unearth hidden patterns and share actionable insights that inform strategic decisions about search quality and user behavior
• Build and productionize algorithms using advanced techniques such as predictive modeling, statistical modeling, machine learning, or deep learning to solve complex search and ranking challenges
• Design and implement scalable search architectures integrating semantic retrieval, query understanding, and Learning-to-Rank algorithms with production-ready performance
• Drive the implementation of ML solutions end-to-end, from concept to production deployment, ensuring robustness and reliability at scale
• Perform quality checks for the work of less experienced data scientists, provide constructive feedback, and share knowledge and best practices across the unit
• Collaborate with cross-functional partners including engineers, product managers, and stakeholders to deliver ML systems that impact millions of travelers

What you'll need to thrive:

• 5+ years of experience in search, information retrieval, NLP, machine learning, or deep learning with demonstrated product impact
• Deep expertise in semantic search technologies including query understanding, embedding-based retrieval with vector databases, and Learning-to-Rank methodologies
• Proficiency with LLMs and transformer architectures (BERT, T5, GPT) including fine-tuning, prompt engineering, and application to search use cases
• Strong Python and SQL skills with hands-on experience using ML frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, or HuggingFace
• Solid foundation in statistics with proven ability to design, execute, and analyze large-scale A/B tests and apply causal inference methods
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills with the ability to explain complex ideas to non-technical stakeholders and mentor junior team members
• Master’s or PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Information Retrieval, Natural Language Processing, Recommender Systems, or a closely related field.

Not ticking every box? We still want to hear from you. Apply, tell us what motivates you, and you could be a great match—now or in the future. 

Recruiting process for this role:

• Video Introduction
• Introduction Call
• Case Study
• Technical Interview with the team
• Interview with Stakeholders and Lead

What you can look forward to:

As you grow, so do we.

This is why at trivago, we prioritize your development, offer personalized coaching through Nilo, and provide workshops, educational meetups, conferences, free online learning courses, and access to a fully-equipped campus library.

Moving to join us?

No problem. You can count on the visa support from our talent support team, a relocation package, interest-free newcomer loan, free language classes, regular team and many company-wide events to build experiences together.

Life happens.

We offer self-determined vacation (with a minimum of 25 vacation days), flexible working hours, up to 2 work from home days weekly. Additionally you can work remotely from a different location, within Germany or selected countries abroad for up to 20 days per year. You also get free access to the Heycare platform for personalized nanny assistance, and an on-campus kids room.

Enjoy your office days.

Use your daily canteen budget to share lunch with colleagues in our canteen, help yourself to complimentary snacks and drinks in our kitchens, choose from a variety of fitness options with our on-site gym, sports classes, and Urban Sports Club membership, and enjoy the comfort of ergonomic desks and focused work areas.