Staff Data Scientist

This is not a remote role. You must be in the local area or open to relocation

Office of Technology Enablement (OTE)

The Office of Technology Enablement (OTE) is Disney's central engine for transforming emerging tech into real world magic. We orchestrate company-wide efforts in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and mixed reality, empowering every segment-from Studios and ESPN to Parks and Experiences-to unlock new value and delight our guests in responsible, innovative ways.

We are seeking an experienced Staff Data Scientist -a trusted technical counterpart to the Manager, AI Enablement and a catalyst for data driven innovation across Disney's businesses. Many of our engagements begin as a simple hunch: a leader senses that smarter data-or the right model-could unlock something special. You'll lead the journey from exploratory discovery through model deployment, guiding partners from discovery to production while nurturing a scalable data flywheel.

If you are a hands-on expert who can go deep on ML and inspire cross functional teams to move fast and responsibly, we'd love to meet you.

Key Responsibilities

• Opportunity Discovery and Diagnostic Investigation - Engage segment partners to surface hypotheses, perform data sleuthing to size value, and craft lean proofs of concept to validate ROI in weeks, not months.

• Experiment Design and Insight Reporting - Structure A/B tests or causal studies, measure impact, and package results into clear, decision ready insights for executives and creative leaders.

• Data Science and ML Delivery - Design, train, and deploy predictive models, statistical analyses, and machine learning systems that drive guest and business impact.

• Data Flywheel and MLOps - Stand up cloud native pipelines, feature engineering workflows, and monitoring that keep models healthy post launch.

• Stakeholder Storytelling - Translate complex findings into compelling narratives and decision frameworks for product, creative, and executive audiences.

• People Leadership - Recruit, mentor, and coach 1-2 data scientists/engineers; codify reusable assets and best practices.

• Responsible AI and Governance - Ensure all work aligns with Disney's Responsible AI guardrails in partnership with Legal, Privacy, and Security.

Required Qualifications

• BS in advanced Mathematics, Statistics, Data Science in comparable field of study + 7 years of experience or PhD in advanced Mathematics, Statistics, Data Science in comparable field of study + 3 years of experience.

• Expert proficiency in Python, SQL, and modern ML/DL libraries (scikit learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch); solid grounding in statistical modeling, experiment design, and causal inference.

• Hands on experience with AWS, GCP, or Azure and big data frameworks such as Snowflake, Spark, or Databricks.

• Proven ability to move from whiteboard idea to production solution and influence cross functional teams through data storytelling.

• Strong software engineering fundamentals (version control, testing, CI/CD); familiarity with data visualization or experimentation platforms (e.g., Looker, Tableau, Optimizely).

Preferred Qualifications

• Domain knowledge in media, streaming, sports, parks, or consumer products.

• Experience with LLMs, vector search, and retrieval augmented generation.

• Background in causal inference or experimentation platforms.

• Prior experience hiring or leading small technical teams.

Reporting & Collaboration

• Reports directly to the Director, ML Architecture & Engineering and partners daily with the Manager, AI?Enablement and Staff Architect to align technical design with product outcomes.

Ready to turn data hunches into headline making magic? Apply today.

#DISNEYTECH

The hiring range for this position in Burbank is $152,200.00 to $204,100.00 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate's geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered

Job ID:

Location: Burbank,California

Job Posting Company: The Walt Disney Studios

The Walt Disney Company and its Affiliated Companies are Equal Employment Opportunity employers and welcome all job seekers including individuals with disabilities and veterans with disabilities. If you have a disability and believe you need a reasonable accommodation in order to search for a job opening or apply for a position, email with your request. This email address is not for general employment inquiries or correspondence. We will only respond to those requests that are related to the accessibility of the online application system due to a disability.