Lead Data Scientist, Ad Platforms

Technology is at the heart of Disney’s past, present, and future. Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology is a global organization of engineers, product developers, designers, technologists, data scientists, and more – all working to build and advance the technological backbone for Disney’s media business globally. The team marries technology with creativity to build world‑class products, enhance storytelling, and drive velocity, innovation, and scalability for our businesses.

We are storytellers, innovators, creators, builders, entertainers, and engineers, advancing the foundation and consumer media touch points serving millions worldwide.

• Drive innovation and apply data science and statistical analysis to enhance inventory forecasting, ad experience, ad pacing, pricing, targeting, and ad delivery.
• Translate business questions into a data science framework and develop data analysis and models for complex ad challenges with fast turnaround.
• Define and evaluate key metrics across product areas.
• Deliver data insights and data‑driven recommendations to cross‑team stakeholders.
• Design and analyze A/B tests for machine‑learning algorithm iterations.
• Establish strong partnership with product managers, engineers, and program managers in a collaborative environment.
• Mentor team members and support their technical growth.

• Bachelor’s (MS or PhD preferred) in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field.
• At least 7 years of relevant industry experience in data science at leading internet companies, with preference for advertising domain experience.
• Solid knowledge of data science, statistics, machine learning, and strong communication and business acumen.
• Proficiency in SQL, Python, Java, or R and familiarity with Tableau and other visualization tools.
• Passion for understanding the ad business and applying data science to relevant scenarios, seeking innovation opportunities to enhance business effectiveness.
• Experience building data‑driven services and applications.
• Proven track record of thriving in a fast‑paced, data‑driven, collaborative work environment.

• Experience with machine‑learning models, Airflow, data warehouses, Databricks, or Sage Maker.
• Experience in digital video advertising or digital marketing domain.

The hiring range for this position in the Los Angeles, CA area is $155,700–$208,700 per year. In the Seattle area, the range is $163,100–$218,700 per year. Base pay, bonuses, and long‑term incentive units will be based on internal equity and the candidate’s region, experience, and skills.

The Walt Disney Company and its Affiliated Companies are Equal Employment Opportunity employers and welcome all job seekers, including individuals with disabilities and veterans. If you have a disability and need a reasonable accommodation to search for a job opening or apply for a position, please visit the Disney candidate disability accommodations FAQs. We will only respond to accommodation requests related to the accessibility of the online application system.