Director Data Analytics - Sports Analytics

About The Role

The Data Intelligence & Analytics (DnA) team sits at the heart of The Walt Disney Company’s streaming ecosystem—driving business decisions for Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ through analytics, data science, and experimentation. We are seeking a Director of Sports Analytics to lead our efforts in shaping the future of our sports streaming businesses through data. In this role, you will serve as a key partner to ESPN leadership, guiding decisions through actionable insights and robust analysis. You will collaborate closely with programming, research, marketing, product, and data engineering teams to optimize content strategy, enhance measurement capabilities, and fuel product and marketing innovations. You will also lead and inspire a high-performing team, fostering a culture of collaboration, curiosity, and impact. ​​This highly visible position requires the ability to distill complex data into clear, compelling narratives and strategic insights that shape the future of our sports offerings. 

Responsibilities

• Lead, develop, and inspire a high-performing team of ESPN-focused analytics professionals within the DnA organization. 

• Build strong relationships with cross-functional stakeholders and executive leadership to influence decisions through data-driven storytelling. 

• Shape and prioritize the Sports Analytics roadmap, ensuring alignment with business goals and driving innovation through predictive modeling and optimization frameworks. 

• Partner with Data Engineering to enhance data infrastructure and enable comprehensive, scalable measurement solutions across multiple sources. 

• Conduct and oversee deep-dive analyses to evaluate sports performance across platforms, optimize programming and audience strategies, and support growth and retention initiatives. 

• Synthesize complex data into actionable insights and communicate findings clearly and effectively to technical and non-technical audiences. 

• Foster cross-functional collaboration to embed analytics into decision-making across product, content, and marketing teams. 

Basic Qualifications 

• 12+ years of experience in analytics or data science roles, with at least 5 years leading high-performing teams. 

• Bachelor’s degree in Analytics, Computer Science, Statistics, Economics, Mathematics, or related field. 

• Proven expertise in SQL and hands-on experience with data visualization and reporting tools (e.g., Tableau, Looker). 

• Strong business acumen and experience applying analytics to support content strategy, user growth, retention, and product performance—preferably in media or sports. 

• Exceptional communication skills with a demonstrated ability to present complex analyses and influence senior leadership through compelling storytelling. 

• Collaborative, intellectually curious, and results-oriented, with a strong ability to translate business needs into scalable, data-driven solutions. 

• Proven success operating in dynamic, matrixed organizations with multiple stakeholders and priorities. 

Preferred Qualifications

• Proficiency with statistical/ML tools such as Python, R, Weka, or similar platforms. 

Additional Information

#DISNEYTECH