Director, Applied Research, Information, and Data (Phoenix Suns)
Phoenix, AZ
About the Position
The Director, Applied Research, Information, and Data will oversee all analytics and data analysis objectives, primarily focusing the department on assisting in general decision making, NBA personnel evaluation, team building, and game strategy initiatives.
Responsibilities
- Manage a staff of analysts and developers, driving work to completion in line with Basketball Operations directives
- Provide overall direction and focus to the development of advanced analytic solutions and strategies to new and existing metrics
- Present high-level data analysis in a concrete, clear, and concise manner to Basketball Operations decision makers, focusing on data visualizations and data access
- Monitor, identify, recommend, and implement new and/or emerging processes, models, and algorithms applicable to internal processes
- Perform advanced statistical analyses on large volumes of basketball-related data
- Oversee departmental budget related to data analysis needs
Knowledge, Skills, and/or Abilities
- Demonstrated expertise with R, Python, or similar software
- Demonstrated expertise with SQL and other database management tools
- Demonstrated expertise with data visualization in R, Python, Power BI, Tableau, SpotFire, etc.
- Requires strong MS Office with an emphasis on PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel and Word.
- Must demonstrate a high level of confidentiality and professionalism
- Must be high energy, very detail-oriented, intuitive, a self-starter, and work with minimal supervision
- Demonstrate ability to problem solve and prioritize based on organizational experience
- Excellent verbal, interpersonal, and written communications skills
- Must be able to appropriately prioritize workload, as well as demonstrate flexibility and poise when responding to unanticipated events
- Ability to create and develop clear, effective reports, presentations and communications for a wide variety of audiences
Experience/Education Requirements
- Previous experience in a data analysis role, preferably with a college or NBA team
- Master’s Degree in statistics, engineering, applied math, physics, quantitative social sciences, or computer science required; PhD preferred
Interested in applying to this career opportunity?
Please email Taylor Frank, [email protected], and include Phoenix Suns – Director, Applied Research, Information, and Data in the subject line.
About the NBA
At the NBA, we’re passionate about growing and celebrating the game of basketball. Through the intensity of the game and the amazing athletic skill of our players, we deliver excitement to hundreds of millions of fans around the world.
As a global sports and media business, the NBA is so much more. While Basketball Operations runs the league’s on-court activities, other departments manage relationships with television and digital media partners, develop marketing partnerships with some of the world’s most recognizable companies, oversee the licensing of NBA merchandise, and handle a wide range of responsibilities that drive the NBA’s success.
Off the court, we’re also deeply committed to social responsibility. NBA Cares leads the league’s involvement in addressing important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.
