Principal Data Scientist - Games

Disney Experiences is seeking a Principal Data Scientist to lead games data science and analytics for Disney Digital Entertainment in partnership with Epic Games.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary lead for games data science and analytics, serving as a central source of truth for games product performance, player behavior, and business insights
• Partner with leadership and cross-functional teams to deliver actionable insights and strategic recommendations for critical business and product decisions
• Create and present data-driven business and product performance analyses for senior leadership, translating complex data into clear narratives, executive decks, and strategy recommendations
• Build and apply advanced analytical frameworks, statistical analyses, forecasting models, and behavioral segmentation approaches focused on engagement, retention, churn, monetization, lifecycle behavior, and content performance
• Analyze gameplay telemetry, social engagement data, creator content trends, streaming interaction data, and cross-TWDC engagement signals to identify growth opportunities and improve user experiences across games and digital entertainment ecosystems
• Work with cross-functional partners to define KPIs, measurement frameworks, instrumentation requirements, and scalable analytics solutions for product development and strategic planning
• Lead deep-dive analyses on player progression systems, engagement funnels, franchise affinity, personalization opportunities, social behaviors, and monetization trends to inform data-driven product strategy
• Collaborate with data engineering and platform teams to develop scalable analytics infrastructure, event pipelines, trusted datasets, and self-service reporting solutions
• Serve as a subject matter expert in games analytics, measurement strategy, and product performance insights, and drive organizational best practices
• Translate technical findings into clear recommendations for both technical and non-technical audiences, including senior leadership

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, Computer Science, or a related quantitative field; advanced degree preferred
• 10+ years of experience in data science, advanced analytics, or quantitative product analytics within gaming, streaming, or entertainment industries
• Proven experience applying statistical analysis, forecasting, experimentation frameworks, and behavioral analytics techniques to large-scale consumer and telemetry datasets
• Strong proficiency in SQL and Python or R, plus hands-on experience with modern cloud data ecosystems and analytics platforms including Snowflake, Databricks, AWS, Tableau, and Looker
• Experience with large-scale event-stream and gameplay telemetry datasets, including player behavior, audience engagement, content performance, progression systems, retention, and monetization analysis
• Familiarity with audience segmentation, personalization strategies, recommendation systems, or content optimization frameworks supporting player engagement
• Strong understanding of player or consumer lifecycle analytics, engagement measurement, retention analysis, segmentation, monetization optimization, and experimentation methodologies including A/B testing
• Demonstrated ability to influence strategic decisions through data-driven storytelling, executive communication, and cross-functional collaboration in fast-paced, matrixed organizations

Technologies

• SQL
• Python
• R
• Snowflake
• Databricks
• AWS
• Tableau
• Looker
• A/B testing

Location

• Glendale, CA (onsite)

Compensation

• Hiring range in Glendale, CA: $155,700 to $208,700 per year
• Base pay offered may consider internal equity, candidate geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience, among other factors
• Bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided, in addition to medical, financial, and/or other benefits depending on level and position offered