Director, Data Science

Summary

Join Underdog Fantasy, a rapidly growing sports gaming company, as their Director of Data Science! Lead a team of data scientists in developing crucial models like customer LTV, churn prediction, and recommender systems. You will build and deploy machine learning models, collaborating with engineering and product teams to integrate them into existing workflows. This role requires 10+ years of data science experience, including 4+ years in leadership, and expertise in various machine learning models. Underdog offers a competitive salary, equity, unlimited PTO, parental leave, and comprehensive benefits.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in data science, with 4+ years in a leadership role
• Proven expertise in building and deploying machine learning models, including at least one or more of LTV, churn prediction, MMM, and recommender systems
• Strong understanding of personalization techniques and strategies
• Proficiency in Python, R, SQL, and modern machine learning frameworks
• Ability to lead and inspire a team, fostering a culture of collaboration and professional growth
• Strong communication skills with the ability to convey complex ideas to technical and non-technical audiences
• A strategic thinker who aligns data science initiatives with business objectives

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of data scientists, fostering a collaborative and high-performing culture
• Develop predictive models, including customer LTV, churn prediction, MMM, and propensity models, ensuring they drive measurable business outcomes
• Build and refine recommender systems to personalize CRM communications, promotions, and in-app user experiences
• Work closely with engineering teams to productionize models and integrate them into existing workflows
• Partner with product, marketing, and CRM teams to design and implement data-driven personalization strategies
• Act as a thought partner to stakeholders across the business, translating complex data science problems into actionable insights
• Stay informed on industry trends and emerging techniques in data science and machine learning
• Promote best practices in model development, validation, and monitoring to ensure accuracy and reliability

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in the sports or real-money-gaming industry
• Background in optimizing CRM and marketing strategies through data science
• Experience deploying machine learning models in production environments

Benefits

• Unlimited PTO (we're extremely flexible with the exception of the first few weeks before & into the NFL season)
• 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave
• A $500 home office allowance
• A connected virtual first culture with a highly engaged distributed workforce
• 5% 401k match, FSA, company paid health, dental, vision plan options for employees and dependents