Director of Data

Summary

Join Second Dinner, an award-winning remote-first game development studio, as a Data Science and Engineering Lead. You will lead and grow a team, building and operating a scalable data infrastructure for Marvel SNAP and future games. Responsibilities include designing and developing data infrastructure, architecting machine learning frameworks, enabling data product development, and collaborating with cross-functional teams. The ideal candidate possesses extensive experience leading data science and engineering teams, expertise in data engineering and infrastructure, and strong data science and machine learning skills. A competitive salary, equity, comprehensive benefits, and performance bonuses are offered. Second Dinner values diversity and inclusion and is an equal opportunity employer.

Requirements

• Proven experience leading and growing cross-functional data science and engineering teams in fast-paced environments
• Expertise in data engineering and infrastructure, including experience with AWS (Lambda, S3, Kinesis), Databricks, Apache Airflow, and Kafka
• Strong background in data science and applied machine learning, with familiarity with frameworks and tools including Spark, PyTorch/TensorFlow, SageMaker, and MLFlow
• Proficient in Python, with outstanding programming skills and experience following common software development workflows
• Exceptional ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate complex problems into data opportunities
• Excellent communication skills, with ability to articulate technical concepts clearly and concisely to various audiences
• Deep understanding of and enthusiasm for games, with a mindset for serving a diverse, global player base

Responsibilities

• Empower and grow top talent in data science and data engineering
• Foster a high-performing, collaborative, and customer-focused team culture
• Lead the design, development, and operation of scalable, reliable, and efficient data infrastructure to support Marvel SNAP and our future games
• Lead the team to architect and build the machine learning serving and operations framework to enable data scientists to model, iterate and deploy fast
• Enable and empower teams to build data products, tools, and features that deliver game outcomes
• Collaborate with Analytics, Product, Design, and Marketing teams to identify business opportunities and shape the Data team’s priorities to align with them
• Build organizational capabilities to enable data-driven decision-making at all levels, fostering a strong data culture across the company
• Define and raise the bar for technical excellence in the data discipline
• Advocate for best practices in data science, data engineering, and experimentation across the company
• Contribute to and execute Second Dinner’s overarching data strategy

Preferred Qualifications

• An advanced degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, or a related technical field
• Experience with game engineering, preferably using Unity and .NET/C#, or Godot
• Experience with large-scale distributed software systems
• Experience with state-of-the-art recommendation systems
• A passion for mobile games

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance plans with Second Dinner paying 100% of premiums for employees and 75% for dependents for many plans
• 401(k) contribution with no waiting period
• 16 weeks paid parental leave with no waiting period
• Home office improvement bonus
• Paid Vacation & Sick time
• Up to 10 BetterHelp sessions covered each benefits plan year
• Remote-first with core overlap hours between 10AM and 4PM PT
• Company Winter Holiday shutdown (Dec 25-Jan 1)
• Company Summer Holiday shutdown (week of July 4)
• Company Events - In-person Summer all-hands gathering, in-person holiday party, and virtual events throughout the year