Basketball Data Science & Scheduling Lead

WORK OPTION: Hybrid

The NBA is committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace. To safeguard our employees and their families, our visitors, and the broader community from COVID-19, and in consideration of recommendations from health authorities and the NBA’s own advisors, any individual working onsite in our New York and New Jersey offices must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The NBA will discuss accommodations for individuals who cannot be vaccinated due to a medical reason or sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance.

Major Responsibilities

• Lead mathematical optimization methods and processes for creation of NBA game schedule, including year-round execution, team engagement, and use of new best-in-class analytical approaches to optimization
• Manage complex data science projects and resources, including identification and preparation of data sources, determination of project plans and milestones, and management of data scientists
• Manage long-term planning and partnerships for NBA scheduling software ecosystem
• Generate ideas and innovate within and around the game of basketball to grow fan interest in the game and the NBA
• Generate insights and prepare reports for senior leadership in League Operations as well as the NBA Senior Leadership Team, and undertake follow-up analysis as directed
• Oversee analysis of new data sources and identify patterns and trends to assess data quality and applicability in League Operations decision making
  
  

Required Education/Professional Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in Math, Computer Science, Statistics, Engineering, or related discipline
• Master’s Degree preferred
• 8+ years of experience in strategy, project management, and/or data analytics, ideally related to basketball or the sports industry
• Experience with modeling (e.g., Excel), scripting languages (e.g. R or Python) and data visualization tools (e.g. Shiny or Tableau)
• Experience in project management as well as people management and development
  
  

Required Skills/Knowledge Attributes

• Self-starter with exceptional problem-solving skills and ability to communicate with a nontechnical audience and deal effectively with senior management
• A passion for sports and a strong interest in the NBA, its teams and affiliated leagues.
• A successful track record of developing, enhancing, and maintaining strong working relationships with both internal and external clients
• Confident individual, able to work in a fast-paced environment and manage short term deliverables along with long-term projects.
• Proven self-management, problem identification and solution capabilities
• Must exercise good judgement and be able to maintain confidentiality with sensitive projects
• Ability to work well in a team environment and independently
• Strong communication skills (verbal & written)
  
  

Salary Range: $180,000 - $240,000

We Consider Applicants For All Positions On The Basis Of Merit, Qualifications And Business Needs, And Without Regard To Race, Color, National Origin, Religion, Sex, Gender Identity, Age, Disability, Alienage Or Citizenship Status, Ancestry, Marital Status, Creed, Genetic Predisposition Or Carrier Status, Sexual Orientation, Veteran Status, Familial Status, Status As A Victim Of Domestic Violence Or Any Other Status Or Characteristic Protected By Applicable Federal, State, Or Local Law.