Sr. Director of Data, Analytics & AI

Overview Austin FC joined Major League Soccer (MLS) as the League’s 27th club in January 2019. Austin FC officially began competing in MLS in April 2021, and in the 2025 season qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs while also reaching and hosting the final of the U.S. Open Cup. Austin FC plays its home matches at Q2 Stadium, a 100% privately financed, state-of-the-art stadium which earned certification as a zero-waste venue in 2024. Austin FC sold out all 88 MLS home matches it played at Q2 Stadium during its first five season in the league, including three home MLS Cup Playoff matches. Austin FC is seeking an experienced Sr. Director of Data, Analytics & AI to lead the Club\'s business-side data, analytics, and AI function during a period of significant platform transformation. Reporting to the SVP of Club Strategy & Intelligence, this role will own the Club\'s business data platform, lead a growing team of analysts, and shape the Club\'s applied AI and innovation roadmap. The function operates as an internal consulting group on the business side, partnering with revenue-generating departments across ticketing, sponsorship, marketing, and premium to drive revenue growth and commercial performance. The role will work closely with 601 Analytics, the Club\'s data engineering partner, and operate within a shared data environment that supports both Soccer Operations and Business Strategy. This position is based in Austin, TX and the role will be in-person based out of Austin FC\'s business office. You Are Someone That Is energized by leading a multi-disciplinary data, analytics, and AI function during a period of platform transformation and team growth? Thinks strategically about how data, analytics, and applied AI can drive revenue growth and commercial performance across ticketing, sponsorship, marketing, and premium? Stays close to the technical work, balancing hands-on contribution to data models, code, and prototypes with the work of leading a team and managing vendor partnerships? Translates complex analytical and technical work into clear, actionable recommendations that influence senior decision-makers? Operates as an internal consulting partner to business leaders, building trusted relationships and translating ambiguous questions into structured analysis and decisions? Stays current on the AI and modern data landscape and is excited to identify, prototype, and operationalize high-impact use cases? Asks good questions, validates assumptions, and takes pride in accuracy, definitions, and data quality? Is comfortable in a fast-moving environment where priorities shift and you must make smart tradeoffs? You Will Lead the Club\'s business-side data, analytics, and AI function, defining scope, priorities, and success metrics aligned with Club strategy; and Own the Club\'s business data platform on Databricks and Azure, partnering closely with 601 Analytics to define architecture, governance, standards, and roadmap; and Operate as an internal consulting partner to revenue-generating departments, including ticketing, sponsorship, marketing, driving revenue growth and commercial performance through analysis, insight, and support decision making; and Define and execute the Club\'s applied AI and innovation roadmap, including agentic workflows, automation, and other AI-augmented initiatives that improve fan experience, commercial performance, and operational efficiency; and Operate as a hands-on technical leader, contributing directly to data modeling, SQL development, prototyping, and high-leverage analytical work alongside the team; and Manage and develop a team of analysts, establishing strong workflows, technical standards, and a culture of accountability; and Manage the Club\'s relationship with 601 Analytics and other key data and technology vendors, including scope, deliverables, and integration into internal systems; and Translate complex analysis into clear, decision-ready insights for executives, ownership, and cross-functional partners. You Have Demonstrated experience leading data and analytics initiatives in a high-performance environment, with a track record of building durable systems and influencing senior decision-makers Advanced technical fluency with modern data stacks, including SQL and Python, with experience across data engineering, analytics, and modern data platform tools Hands-on experience with Databricks and Azure, or directly comparable cloud data platforms; experience with Power BI and Salesforce strongly preferred Proven ability to manage external data and technology partners, including defining scope, holding vendors accountable, and integrating their work into internal systems Strong understanding of business analytics in a revenue-driven environment, with exposure to ticketing, CRM, customer data, or comparable commercial data domains Experience hiring, managing, and developing analytics teams, with the ability to set technical standards and grow individual contributors Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and embed data and analytics into business decisions through clear communication and trusted insights Experience operating in ambiguous environments and building structure, processes, and standards where none previously existed Experience designing and maintaining data models, schemas, and documentation to support analytics and long-term planning workflows The ability to collaborate across diverse teams and create buy-in from both technical and non-technical stakeholders Experience designing, prototyping, or deploying applied AI use cases, including agentic workflows, LLM-based automation, or comparable AI-augmented business applications, is a plus, but not required Sports industry experience is a plus, but not required Experience leading a data platform migration, warehouse re-architecture, or major data infrastructure transformation is a plus, but not required Prior people management experience, including hiring, mentoring, and performance management, is preferred Bachelor\'s Degree required; advanced degree in a quantitative or technical field is a plus Other Details It is the policy of Austin FC not to discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, physical or mental disability, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. All selected candidates are subject to passing a background check prior to employment. Hours are variable and can easily include early mornings, evenings, weekends and some holidays in addition to the traditional Monday through Friday hours. #J-18808-Ljbffr Austin FC