Principal Data Scientist

Major League Soccer’s Strategy and Business Intelligence group is tasked with supporting strategic decision making and resource allocation across the League – with a focus on driving fan growth, revenue capture, and operating efficiencies – by providing impactful data driven insights, analysis, and recommendations. 

The group is seeking a Principal Data Scientist to oversee the Fan & Marketing vertical. This position will use fan and sport data to analyze, model, and drive strategic recommendations that support business on and off the field. The ideal candidate will be responsible for leveraging data-driven insights to enhance fan engagement, optimize marketing strategies, and contribute to the overall growth and success of the League. This hire will report into the Director of Data Science and is highly curious and analytical, able to distill clarity from complexity, and has an entrepreneurial desire to innovate.

Primary Responsibilities

• Leverage commercial data (TV, Ticketing, Consumer Products, etc.) and fan data (First Party, Syndicated, Manufactured, etc.) to help grow the fan base, deepen engagement, and maximize revenue
• Design and implement strategic fan growth initiatives such as LTV Forecasting, Subscriber Churn Propensity Models, Marketing Attribution, Recommendation Engine/Next Best Offer, Schedule Optimization, and Media Mix Models
• Apply advanced analytics models to understand fan interactions across various touchpoints and drive actionable insights for shaping marketing strategies and initiatives that resonate with our diverse fan base
• Lead the creation and refinement of detailed customer personas, using a combination of qualitative and quantitative data, collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure accurate representation of our diverse fan segments
• Develop and employ insights from brand measurement surveys to evaluate and improve the League's and individual Clubs' success and influence in the market
• Effectively use data visualizations to socialize key findings clearly and intuitively throughout the organization
• Measure outcomes and translate analytics insights into recommendations that are clearly linked to the organizations strategy and goals
• Partner with technology team to continually integrate the tools, methods, and processes supporting analysis

Additional Responsibilities

• Support broader League objectives with additional ad-hoc organizational analytics projects
• Additional responsibilities as assigned

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent in STEM field including Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics, Sports Analytics, or similar domain
• 7+ years of experience, with 6+ years of experience in a quantitative analysis role (preferably in marketing analytics or fan engagement) and 5+ years Data Science experience

Required Skills

• Strong proficiency in statistical modeling, machine learning, and data visualization techniques for supervised and unsupervised learning including methods for Classification, Regression, Forecasting, and Clustering (Regression, Neural Networks, Decision Trees, Random Forests, KMeans, etc.)
• Deep hands-on experience in Python, SQL, and a visualization tool (Microsoft Power BI, Tableau, etc.)
• Ability to translate business challenges into quantitative problems and clearly communicate findings and solutions
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to effectively communicate to a wide range of audiences, both written and verbally
• High-level of commitment to a quality work product and organizational ethics, integrity and compliance
• Ability to work effectively in a fast paced, team environment
• Demonstrated decision making and problem-solving skills
• High attention to detail with the ability to multi-task and meet deadlines with minimal supervision
• Proficiency in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook

Desired Skills

• Knowledge of the Spanish Language (business proficiency)
• Knowledge of the sport of soccer
• Experience working in the sports industry
• Familiarity with CRM systems, marketing automation platforms, and fan analytics
• Ability to work non-traditional hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays

Total Rewards

Starting Base Salary: $130,000 – $155,000. MLS/SUM base salaries are contingent upon several factors including individual qualifications, market financials, and operational business needs.

We are committed to providing a Total Rewards package that attracts, supports, engages, and retains talent through the following:

• Benefits – comprehensive and competitive medical, dental, and vision benefits, as well as a suite of programs to promote well-being including a $500 Wellness Reimbursement. A generous PTO offering, and hybrid Office/Remote Work Schedule are also offered to promote Work-Life balance!
• Career & Professional Development – on the job training, feedback, and on-going educational opportunities to continue your personal and professional development.
• Employee Engagement – office perks, discounts and employee events that go “beyond the traditional paycheck” to make you feel a part of our team and inspire you to elevate the Game!

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We are committed to providing equal opportunity and reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities. MLS/SUM complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and all other applicable federal, state, and local laws regarding disability discrimination and accommodation.