Director of Game Science

Founded in 2005, 2K Games is a global video game company, publishing titles developed by some of the most influential game development studios in the world. Our studios responsible for developing 2K's portfolio of world-class games across multiple platforms, include Visual Concepts, Firaxis, Hangar 13, CatDaddy, Cloud Chamber, and HB Studios. Our portfolio of titles is expanding due to our global strategic plan, building and acquiring exciting studios whose content continues to inspire all of us 2K publishes titles in today's most popular gaming genres, including sports, shooters, action, role-playing, strategy, casual, and family entertainment.

Our team of engineers, marketers, artists, writers, data scientists, producers, thinkers and doers, are the professional publishing stewards of our growing library of critically-acclaimed franchises such as NBA 2K, Battleborn, BioShock, Borderlands, The Darkness, Mafia, Sid Meier's Civilization, WWE 2K, and XCOM.

At 2K, we pride ourselves on creating an inclusive work environment, which means encouraging our teams to Come as You Are and do your best work We are dedicated to diversity and inclusion, and want our community of candidates to reflect this commitment. We encourage all qualified applicants to explore our global positions. 2K is headquartered in Novato, California and is a wholly owned label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).

What We Need

The Director and Head of Game Science & Insights is a leader of the Sports Business Unit, responsible for shaping analytics efforts that inform product, marketing, and commercial decisions through data driven insights on game design, live service strategy, and data optimization across our Sports AAA franchises, including WWE 2K, PGA 2K and multiple other unannounced 2K Sports franchises.

In this role, you will develop and lead a team of data scientists and analysts in the US and Dublin, Ireland, using sophisticated data sets to understand and influence player engagement, retention, and monetization, which will directly impact product decisions and business outcomes of our titles. The scope of this role is significant and critical to 2K's success, leading all aspects of all recurring analytical operations, ad-hoc insights and experimentation functions across the 2K Sports portfolio.

What You'll Do

Game Science and Insights Strategy, Prioritization, and Execution

Define technical direction, set priorities, and drive successful execution of AI/ML projects within the product suite

Oversee the full AI/ML development lifecycle, from research and prototyping to scalable deployment and monitoring

Promote best practices in machine learning engineering, MLOps, and cloud-native software development

Direct A/B testing initiatives that pinpoint winning strategies, boosting conversions and long-term value with precision.

Understanding bandwidth and bottlenecks/problems at any given time

Establishing clear expectations for the time/effort required to deliver different types of analyses and data requests

Ensuring team members are progressing projects at quality and in a timely manner

Overseeing the development of risk registers & contingency playbooks, particularly surrounding game releases

Informing and guiding the development/licensing of key tools used by GSI and/or impacting GSI work

Optimizing Cross-Functional Partnerships and Execution

Collaborate with product, commercial, and marketing to shape intelligent, player-focused solutions

Establishing strong partner relationships through honest, precise and consistent communications & feedback

Evaluating, accepting and triaging incoming partner requests for work

Prioritizing team bandwidth and leading partner expectations, particularly as needs and vitality levels across various partners/results ebb and flow

Communicate strategy, progress, and impact to stakeholders across the organization

Consistently ensuring all relevant partner needs are known and being met to the best of GSI's abilities

Identifying upstream and/or downstream partner bottlenecks and engaging appropriate cross-functional partners/teams to efficiently and effectively solve

Transform intricate analytics into compelling, actionable guidance that empowers the C-suite to lead with confidence.

Communicating team plans, actions and outcomes to collaborator partners and across all levels of 2K and T2 leadership

Leadership and Team Building

Lead, mentor, and grow a multidisciplinary team of data scientists, analysts, and software developers

Detailing specific guidelines and expectations for how each role/individual can make the best impact for the business

Foster a culture of innovation, ownership, and continuous improvement

Aligning team capacity and business needs in order to develop/adjust FY OKRs

Willingness to jump in and provide direct support when team members get stuck and/or all-hands-on-deck data-related emergencies arise

Who We Think Will Be a Great Fit

The ideal candidate is, first and foremost, passionate about optimizing great user experiences via data-driven insights, conceptualization, and experimentation. They are a highly autonomous leader who is consistently focused on sustainably increasing productivity/efficiency. They always go above and beyond for the business, our partners, and our people. They care deeply about their team and display a strong sense of ownership in the professional development of each team member. Data excellence doesn't happen overnight, you are the driver to ensure our data keeps growing with the needs of the business. Our business is between the spectrums of evidence-driven and evidence-supported, you will be our guide to ensure we use the right approach with the right data.

The right candidate has the team seeking the 'WHY' and 'So What' insights needed to move the needle. They anticipate oncoming issues and help devise resourceful solutions. They are a strong, articulate leader who people are excited to partner with and follow. They are polished and ready to engage with all levels of the organization.

Finally, you should have a proven understanding of live service games today and their evolution across the industry. This doesn't necessarily mean they have worked in the industry directly but does require an understanding of what live services look like across different genres and experiences today, including those listed above.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Statistics or Business or 10+ years of directly relevant industry work experience; Advanced degree a plus

Highly proficient with SQL and Tableau

Highly organized, upbeat, flexible, collaborative, and proactive; a leader who can positively and efficiently impact both strategic and tactical operational initiatives

Strong understanding of user segmentation, targeting and A/B testing

Experience identifying, communicating, managing, and mitigating risks

Ability to manage ambiguity while solving ambitious problems

Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Able to work collaboratively across numerous internal and external teams

Proven track record to contribute as a member of a leadership team in a driven, fast-paced, creative environment

As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to ensuring that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform their essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us if you need reasonable accommodation.

Please note that 2K Games and its studios never uses instant messaging apps or personal email accounts to contact prospective employees or conduct interviews and when emailing, only use 2K.com accounts.