Los Angeles Times · 1 week ago
Data Science Director
El Segundo, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
$180K/yr - $200K/yr
10+ years expLos Angeles Times is seeking a Director of Data Science to set the enterprise data science vision and lead the strategic application of advanced analytics, machine learning, and experimentation. This role involves collaborating with executive leaders to align data science initiatives with the company’s business strategy and overseeing the development of data science solutions that drive measurable outcomes.
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Responsibilities
Lead the Data Science function and roadmap by setting enterprise-level strategy, establishing priorities, and guiding project execution to deliver actionable insights, predictive models, and automated decision tools that directly support business growth and risk mitigation
Oversee and ensure the development and operationalization of machine learning and statistical models to improve customer understanding, strengthen acquisition and retention strategies, optimize advertising and subscription performance, and elevate decision-making for product and content teams. Remain hands-on as needed to review approaches, guide complex analyses, and unblock critical work
Advance analytics and measurement frameworks by designing experiments, attribution models, forecasting tools, and media/campaign analytics that enable business units to evaluate performance and achieve revenue and engagement targets
Collaborate with engineering, data platform, and product teams to define expectations, prioritize integration efforts, and ensure models, pipelines, and data products are deployed into production environments using cloud data platforms and modern MLOps practices, ensuring reliability, scalability, and responsible data governance
Define the vision and priorities for innovative data products by integrating newsroom data, user behavioral signals, and business datasets to support content strategy, newsroom operations, audience insights, and new digital revenue opportunities
Establish best-in-class standards for analytical rigor, model validation, experimentation, documentation, and reproducibility to ensure trustworthy, transparent, and ethical data use across the enterprise
Hire, train and guide the Data Science team through technical leadership, professional development, hiring strategy, and a culture of innovation and continuous learning, resulting in strong team performance and retention
Communicate complex analytical findings in accessible language to executives, business partners, and non-technical stakeholders to influence strategic priorities and resource allocation
Other duties as assigned
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's or advanced degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Engineering, or a related field
10+ years of progressive experience in data science, machine learning, or advanced analytics including at least 5 years in a senior leadership role managing or directing data science teams within complex, data-driven organizations
Demonstrated success defining and executing enterprise-level data science strategy, aligning analytics priorities with organizational objectives, and delivering measurable business outcomes
Proven ability to prioritize and make trade-off decisions across multiple concurrent data science initiatives to maximize impact and resource efficiency
Experience leading the development, scaling, and operationalization of predictive models, experimentation frameworks, recommendation systems, or optimization tools that drive strategic business value
Strong background in data science operations and governance, including MLOps, model risk management, feature management, and responsible AI practices
Exceptional ability to influence and partner with senior executives, balancing technical depth with business acumen in strategic discussions and decision-making
Successful track record in building, mentoring, and scaling data science organizations, including managing talent strategy, organizational design, and performance management
Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure), modern ML frameworks, and large-scale data ecosystems with the ability to provide technical oversight rather than day-to-day execution
Experience serving as a strategic advisor or partner to C-suite executives, with demonstrated ability to align data science investments to corporate strategy
Excellent communication, narrative, and storytelling skills, with the ability to translate complex analytical insights into clear, actionable recommendations for executive and non-technical audiences
Preferred
Advanced degree (Master's or Ph.D.) in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, or a related quantitative discipline
Proven experience leading enterprise data transformation, architecting data science strategies that deliver measurable business and financial outcomes. Leadership experience in data-driven product innovation, such as building personalization, recommendation, or automation systems that directly impact customer experience or revenue
Familiarity with responsible AI, model ethics, and data governance frameworks in regulated or compliance-driven industries
Experience standing up enterprise data platforms or ML infrastructure in partnership with technology and data engineering leaders
Demonstrated success driving cultural change toward data fluency and evidence-based decision-making at scale
Track record of building and scaling global or multi-domain data science organizations that integrate analytics across product, marketing, and operations
Experience in media, digital content, advertising technology, marketing analytics, or subscription-based businesses
Familiarity with NLP, generative AI, LLM fine-tuning, reinforcement learning, content classification models
Background in statistical experimentation at scale, A/B Testing, causal inference, and attribution modeling
Company
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is the largest metropolitan daily newspaper in the country, with a daily readership of 1.2 million and 2.1 million on Sunday, more than 32 million unique latimes.com visitors monthly and a combined print and online local weekly audience of 4.4 million.
1001-5000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Los Angeles Times has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (2)
2024 (1)
2023 (1)
2022 (2)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$0.25MKey Investors
Meta Journalism Project
2023-02-27Grant· $0.25M
2000-06-01Acquired
Leadership Team
Lee Fentress
EVP, Business Development
Recent News
2025-11-01
2025-11-01
2025-10-27
Company data provided by crunchbase