Senior Director Applied Data Science

Job description

Sphere Entertainment Co. is a leader in immersive experiences, technology and media. The Company includes Sphere, an experiential medium powered by advanced technologies. The first Sphere opened in Las Vegas, with a second venue planned for Abu Dhabi. In addition, the Company includes MSG Networks, which operates two regional sports and entertainment networks, MSG Network and MSG Sportsnet, as well as a direct-to-consumer and authenticated streaming product, MSG+, delivering a wide range of live sports content and other programming. More information is available at www.sphereentertainmentco.com.

Who are we hiring?

Sphere Entertainment is seeking a Senior Director, Applied Data Science - Revenue & Optimization to lead the data science capabilities that support revenue growth across Sphere Experience ticketing and hospitality products.

This role will apply advanced statistics, probabilistic thinking, economic theory, forecasting, and optimization to solve complex revenue-management problems and inform strategic decisions across Sphere Experiences.

The Senior Director will own the methodology and strategic direction for demand forecasting, pricing, yield, and revenue optimization, while partnering closely with Revenue Strategy, Data & Analytics, Sales & Marketing, Ticketing/Box Office, Finance, and other stakeholders.

Reporting to the VP of Revenue Strategy, the Senior Director will serve as a senior quantitative thought partner and will be responsible for ensuring that data science models are not only accurate, but also interpretable, actionable, and aligned with business objectives.

A critical expectation of this role is the ability to explain why models are producing their projections, including the underlying demand drivers, assumptions, sensitivities, and sources of uncertainty, and translate those findings into clear recommendations for senior leadership.

The Senior Director will also establish and lead a scalable applied data science capability as Sphere Experiences continue to evolve and expand.

What will you do?

Lead Applied Data Science Strategy

• Own the data science strategy supporting revenue growth and optimization across Sphere Experiences.

• Establish and evolve the methodologies used for demand forecasting, pricing, yield management, inventory optimization, and revenue modeling.

• Define standards for model development, validation, evaluation, monitoring, documentation, and continuous improvement.

• Identify opportunities where advanced analytics and data science can materially improve revenue performance and business decision-making.

• Develop scalable methodologies that can be applied across Sphere Experiences, products, venues, and markets.

• Partner directly with the VP of Revenue Strategy to translate strategic revenue objectives into analytical and modeling priorities.

Own Demand Forecasting

• Own the methodology and framework for Sphere Experience demand forecasting.

• Lead the development, deployment, evaluation, and continuous improvement of occupancy, ticket sales, revenue, and demand forecasting models.

• Incorporate booking pace, historical demand, pricing, inventory, seasonality, customer behavior, marketing activity, day-of-week, segmentation, and other relevant demand drivers.

• Develop forecasting approaches for new experiences and products where historical data may be limited.

• Establish appropriate measures of forecast accuracy and model performance.

• Identify and explain the underlying drivers of changes in forecasts and demand projections.

• Develop scenario-based forecasts to support strategic pricing, inventory, and revenue decisions.

Lead Pricing & Yield Optimization Frameworks

• Own the development and evolution of pricing and yield optimization models.

• Partner with Revenue Strategy to translate forecasts and model outputs into pricing and inventory recommendations.

• Develop models to evaluate price elasticity, willingness to pay, demand curves, and customer response to pricing changes.

• Evaluate optimal inventory allocation and release strategies across price levels, customer segments, channels, and booking windows.

• Perform financial modeling of recommended pricing, discount, and inventory strategies to evaluate expected revenue impact.

• Develop scenario and sensitivity analyses to assess potential outcomes under alternative pricing and inventory strategies.

• Evaluate cross-price relationships between tickets and other revenue-generating outlets, including F&B, merchandise, parking, hospitality, and other products.

Explain Model Performance and Drivers

• Establish a high standard for analytical transparency and model explainability.

• Clearly articulate why forecasts and model projections change over time.

• Identify the underlying factors driving changes in demand, occupancy, revenue, and other key performance indicators.

• Distinguish meaningful changes in underlying demand from statistical variation or model behavior.

Prepare for the interview

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