Director, Data Science

Director, Data Science

The Sacramento Kings are committed to using data and technology to better understand our fans, strengthen business performance, and improve decision-making across the organization. As part of the Business Intelligence team, the Director of Data Science will lead advanced analytics initiatives that translate complex data into actionable recommendations across ticketing, retail, marketing, and other areas of the business.

This role will serve as a key analytical partner to leaders across the organization, with responsibility for ticket pricing, inventory management, revenue forecasting, and customer analytics. The Director will develop and maintain predictive and analytical solutions, build automated tools and data pipelines, and identify new opportunities to use data science and emerging technologies to improve business outcomes.

The ideal candidate combines strong technical expertise with commercial judgment and the ability to communicate complex analytical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences. This position will also lead and develop members of the Business Intelligence team while remaining hands-on in the analysis, development, and implementation of solutions.

Key Responsibility Areas

• Lead the development and execution of analytical strategies supporting ticketing revenue, including single-game dynamic pricing, season and plan pricing, inventory management, sell-through analysis, and revenue forecasting.
• Develop analytical models and decision-support tools that identify pricing and inventory opportunities and provide actionable recommendations to Ticket Sales, Ticket Operations, Marketing, and organizational leadership.
• Build, maintain, and enhance predictive and statistical models related to customer behavior, including areas such as retention, purchase propensity, demand forecasting, customer segmentation, and revenue optimization.
• Conduct scenario analysis and ad-hoc analytical work to support time-sensitive business decisions and identify emerging revenue opportunities.
• Develop automated solutions that improve the speed, accuracy, and scalability of recurring business processes, including ticket pricing, price code creation, inventory analysis, reporting, and other analytical workflows.
• Design and maintain data pipelines that integrate business data from ticketing, retail, food & beverage, digital, and other third-party platforms into the organization's data environment.
• Partner with internal technology resources and external data partners to ensure data used for analytics is accurate, timely, accessible, and appropriately structured.
• Develop dashboards, reporting tools, and analytical frameworks that enable stakeholders to monitor performance, understand key business drivers, and make informed decisions.
• Evaluate opportunities to apply machine learning, AI, optimization, and other emerging analytical techniques to business challenges where they can create measurable value or improve operational efficiency.
• Lead, mentor, and develop direct reports within the Business Intelligence team, establishing clear priorities while supporting professional growth and technical development.
• Foster collaboration and knowledge sharing across the Business Intelligence team, helping strengthen analytical capabilities and best practices throughout the department.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, Computer Science, Operations Research, Engineering, or another quantitative field; advanced degree preferred.
• 8+ years of professional experience in data science, advanced analytics, business analytics, or a related quantitative field, with demonstrated experience using analytics to influence business decisions.
• 3+ years of experience leading, managing, or mentoring analysts or data science professionals preferred.
• Proficiency in SQL as well as Python and/or R, with demonstrated experience developing production-quality analytical models, automated workflows, and data solutions.
• Strong understanding of statistical modeling, forecasting, optimization, experimentation, and machine learning techniques, with the ability to select methodologies appropriate to the business problem.
• Experience developing analytical solutions that have influenced pricing, revenue management, inventory optimization, customer behavior, marketing, or other commercial decisions.
• Experience working with relational databases, cloud data platforms, data warehouses, and data integration processes.
• Experience with Tableau or similar business intelligence and data visualization platforms.
• Strong understanding of analytical development practices, including model validation, documentation, reproducibility, version control, and code quality.
• Strong business acumen and curiosity, with the ability to understand business problems before determining the appropriate analytical solution.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and balance longer-term analytical development with time-sensitive business needs.
• Experience in sports, entertainment, ticketing, retail, hospitality, or another dynamic consumer business preferred.
• Familiarity with Ticketmaster Archtics/Host or other ticketing platforms preferred.

Compensation

Base Salary Range: $110,000–$140,000, plus eligibility for an annual discretionary bonus.

Total Rewards Package

In addition to a competitive compensation package, we offer a comprehensive suite of benefits designed to support your health, financial well-being, and work-life balance, including:

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and eligible dependents
• 401(k) with company matching contributions
• Self-Directed Time Off, 11 paid holidays, and Summer Fridays
• Paid parental leave
• Company-paid life insurance and long-term disability coverage
• Employee Assistance Program and wellness resources
• Cell phone stipend
• Sacramento Kings season tickets, concert access, team store discounts, parking, and other exclusive team member perks