Senior Manager of Data Science (Recommendation Science)

Company Description

We create world-class content, which we distribute across our portfolio of film, television, and streaming, and bring to life through our theme parks and consumer experiences. We own and operate leading entertainment and news brands, including NBC, NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC, NBC Sports, Telemundo, NBC Local Stations, Bravo, USA Network, and Peacock, our premium ad-supported streaming service. We produce and distribute premier filmed entertainment and programming through Universal Filmed Entertainment Group and Universal Studio Group, and have world-renowned theme parks and attractions through Universal Destinations & Experiences. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.

Here you can be your authentic self. As a company uniquely positioned to educate, entertain and empower through our platforms, Comcast NBCUniversal stands for including everyone. Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, coupled with our Corporate Social Responsibility work, is informed by our employees, audiences, park guests and the communities in which we live. We strive to foster a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture where our employees feel supported, embraced and heard. Together, we’ll continue to create and deliver content that reflects the current and ever-changing face of the world.

Job Description

Our Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) portfolio is a powerhouse collection of consumer-first brands, supported by media industry leaders, Comcast, NBCUniversal, and Sky. When you join our team, you’ll work across our dynamic portfolio including Peacock, NOW, Fandango, SkyShowtime, Showmax, and TV Everywhere, powering streaming across more than 70 countries globally. And the evolution doesn’t stop there. With unequaled scale, our teams make the most out of every opportunity to collaborate and learn from one another. We’re always looking for ways to innovate faster, accelerate our growth, and consistently offer the very best in consumer experience. But most of all, we’re backed by a culture of respect. We embrace authenticity and inspire people to thrive. 

The Senior Manager of Data Science is responsible for leading a team of data scientists in developing and implementing innovative data science solutions to both drive retention and improve the user experience. The ideal candidate will have a track record of success in leading and managing data science teams, as well as a wealth of knowledge on the latest data science techniques and algorithms.

In this role, the primary focus is on recommender systems, so the candidate must be able to leverage machine learning techniques such as collaborative filtering, deep learning, reinforcement learning as well as Natural Language Processing techniques important in dealing with content metadata.

Responsibilities:

• Lead a team of data scientists in developing and implementing data science solutions to improve the user experience and drive user retention.
• Work with product managers and engineers to identify and prioritize data science projects.
• Maintain and enhance upon existing models and data offerings, including:
  • Graph-based content recommenders
  • Embeddings for content metadata and user behavior
  • Reinforcement learning for online models
  • Content cold start solutions
  • Time-series and trend-based rails
• Cultivate an environment that seeks to increase knowledge and empower collaboration across many domains within data science as well as withing our product and engineering teams.
• Work with data engineers to ensure that data is properly prepared and available for use by data scientists.
• Monitor the performance of data science models and make adjustments as needed.
• Stay up-to-date on the latest data science techniques and algorithms.
• Present findings to stakeholders and communicate the value of data science to the business.

Qualifications

• Advanced (Master or PhD) degree with specialization in Statistics, Computer Science, Data Science, Economics, Mathematics, Operations Research or another quantitative field or equivalent.
• 6+ years of combined experience in applied research or industry recommendation/ personalization.
• Experience implementing scalable, distributed, and highly available systems using Google Cloud.
• Experience with data visualization tools and techniques.
• Understanding of algorithmic complexity of model training and testing, particularly for real-time and near real-time models.
• Expertise in python for data extraction model building in Tensorflow/Keras, and deployment
• Strong skills in data extraction, transformation, and loading utilizing SQL.
• Deep experience with best practices in software development and flow, utilizing Python files over notebooks, object-oriented design, and Git for version control.

Desired Characteristics:

• Working experience with deep learning, particularly in the areas relevant to metadata generation, recommendations, natural language processing, and/or computer vision.
• Experience with reinforcement learning based systems. 
• Experience with commercial recommender systems.
• Experience with multi-billion record datasets and leading projects that span the disciplines of data science and data engineering.
• Knowledge of enterprise-level digital analytics platforms (e.g. Adobe Analytics, Google Analytics, etc.)
• Experience building streaming data pipelines.
• Experience with large-scale video assets.
• Team oriented and collaborative approach with a demonstrated aptitude and willingness to learn new methods and tools.
• Pride and ownership in your work and confident representation of your team to other parts of the company.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Opportunity to work on cutting-edge data science projects.
• Chance to make a real impact on the user experience of a major streaming platform.

Hybrid: This position has been designated as hybrid, generally contributing from the office a minimum of three days per week.

This position is eligible for company sponsored benefits, including medical, dental and vision insurance, 401(k), paid leave, tuition reimbursement, and a variety of other discounts and perks. Learn more about the benefits offered by NBCUniversal by visiting the Benefits page of the Careers website. Salary range: $170,000 – $210,000, Bonus and LTI eligible

Additional Information

NBCUniversal’s policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, membership in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law. NBCUniversal will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with relevant legal requirements, including the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative For Hiring Ordinance, where applicable.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you have the right to request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access nbcunicareers.com as a result of your disability. You can request reasonable accommodations by emailing [email protected].