VP, Data Science

SeaWorld is a world-renowned leader in the themed-park and entertainment industry. Our success is built on a passion for caring for animals and a dedication to delivering positive memorable experiences to people from around the world. Were also committed to helping ambitious people achieve their professional best. Were always seeking exceptionally skilled and knowledgeable individuals to join our team.

Onsite: Miami FL

As the VP Data Science you will lead the development and deployment of advanced AI-driven predictive models self-service analytics platforms and agentic AI solutions. Youll play a critical role in optimizing audience segmentation marketing investment and real-time guest engagement to drive revenue growth and enhance the overall guest experience at United Parks & Resorts.

Key Responsibilities:

Predictive & Prescriptive Modeling

Develop test and operationalize predictive and prescriptive models to enable right audience right message right channel marketing execution:

• Ticket & Pass Prediction Identify customers likely to purchase a Pass Fun Card Multi-Day or Single-Day Ticket to optimize targeting and creative execution.
• Guest Interest Classification Predict whether a guest is an Animal Lover Thrill Seeker or Foodie to tailor marketing creative landing pages and post-purchase engagement.
• Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) & Churn Prediction Forecast LTV to inform Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) prospect targeting win-back strategies and lapse/churn risk management.

AI-Powered Learning Platforms & Self-Service Tools

Build AI-driven learning tools to empower corporate and park teams with real-time data-driven decision-making capabilities:

• Causal Analysis Develop self-serve tools to measure the impact of marketing efforts ticket pricing and promotions on pass sales and visitation.
• Geo Lift Market Mix Modeling & Budget Optimization Build models to assess offer impact by channel optimize media mix and forecast visitation based on geo-lift experiments.
• Performance Management & Anomaly Detection Create a real-time performance tracking system in Databricks integrating spend impressions clicks and purchases with:
• Automated anomaly detection triggering alerts when deviations exceed a set threshold from plan last week or year-over-year trends.
• Root cause diagnostics to enable teams to take immediate corrective action.
• Customer Behavior & Sentiment Analysis Build a queryable platform that triangulates business results marketing performance surveys and social listening enabling teams to:
• Use natural language queries for insights.
• Support conversational commerce by analyzing web recordings call center transcripts and social forum discussions.

Agentic AI for Marketing & Revenue Optimization

Drive agentic AI exploration testing and productionalization to automate real-time marketing decisions and revenue strategies:

• AI-Driven Media & Offer Optimization
• Develop AI agents that adjust channel spend in real-time to meet pass/ticket and visit goals within budget constraints.
• Enable certain AI-driven offer optimizations to be auto-deployed while others require human authorization.
• Predictive Demand & Geo-Fenced Offer Automation
• Forecast daily and next-day attendance and trigger geo-fenced time-sensitive offers (e.g. 4 PM-to-close tickets animal encounter day-of offers).
• AI-Powered Content & Creative Optimization
• Use contextual AI to auto-optimize email offers messages and images.
• Deploy generative AI to create dynamic content variations based on guest behavior and engagement.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 8 years of progressive experience in data science and marketing analytics
• Master of Science in Analytics (Computational Data Analytics)
• Experience in both high-growth startups and large-scale consumer businesses with direct ownership of projects
• Expertise in AI machine learning and predictive modeling with a track record of deploying real-time marketing optimization solutions.
• Strong experience with Databricks Python SQL Spark and cloud platforms (AWS/GCP).
• Ability to translate AI-driven insights into tangible business strategies that impact revenue and guest engagement.
• Experience in leading data science teams and collaborating with marketing sales and product teams.
• Excellent communication skills (written and oral) with an ability to adapt communication style to a number of different audiences.
• Ability to manage and prioritize diverse projects.
• Strong understanding of media optimization attribution modeling and real-time decisioning AI.
• Enthusiastic and confident change-agent with the ability to work in a demanding and fast paced environment.

The perks of the position:

• Paid Time Off
• Complimentary Park Tickets and Passes
• Park Discounts on Food and Merchandise
• Medical Dental and Vision Insurance
• 401K Retirement plan
• Voluntary Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Disability Benefits
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Dependent and Health Care Flexible Spending Accounts
• Employee Assistance Program
• Legal Assistance Plan

EEO Employer:

SEAWORLD PARKS & ENTERTAINMENT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER. ALL APPLICANTS WILL BE CONSIDERED WITHOUT REGARD TO AGE RACE COLOR RELIGION SEX NATIONAL ORIGIN SEXUAL ORIENTATION PREGNANCY GENDER IDENTITY OR EXPRESSION DISABILITY OR COVERED VETERAN STATUS.