Analytics & Optimization Manager

Disney; Celebration (FL); On-site; USD 114,000 - 152,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus potential

Medical benefits

Long-term incentives

Job summary

The Walt Disney Company is seeking an Analytics & Optimization Manager for Disney Experiences Intelligence in Celebration, FL. You will lead advanced modeling projects, build scalable forecasting and causal inference models, and translate complex results into actionable business guidance.

You will collaborate with cross-functional teams, ensure reproducible practices, and stay at the cutting edge of ML methods and AI tools to drive decisions across DXi and Disney Experiences.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Economics, Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, CS, OR or related field with 3+ years of modeling experience.
• Expertise in time-series forecasting and probabilistic modeling; knowledge of ML methods.
• Strong causal inference knowledge for attribution and driver analysis.
• Proficient in Python and SQL; experience with Snowflake.
• Ability to communicate complex methods clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Responsibilities

• Own the methodology for modeling projects and design scalable validation.
• Build scalable forecasting models with hybrid/enensemble approaches.
• Develop causal inference/attribution models and reusable frameworks.
• Conduct conditional forecasts and counterfactual analyses with uncertainty.
• Model guest behavior over time using survival analysis and related methods.
• Adapt methods for sparse data, short histories, or bias.
• Apply rigorous modeling practices: validation, back testing, calibration.
• Promote reproducible practices, experiment tracking, and clean code.
• Evaluate new ML methods and share findings with the team.
• Scope business questions into well-posed problems and recommend approaches.
• Translate results into clear recommendations and communicate limits.

Skills

Time-series forecasting

Probabilistic modeling

Causal inference

Python

SQL

Communication

Education

Master’s degree in quantitative field with 3+ years of data science experience

Tools

Snowflake

CI/CD

Experiment tracking

Job description

Location When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures.

Analytics & Optimization Manager

Job ID 10164824 Location Celebration, Florida, United States Business Disney Experiences Date posted Nov. 11, 2026

Disney Experiences Intelligence (DXi) influences data-driven and consumer-centric decision making with integrated, objective, and actionable insights across Disney Experiences. The Advanced Modeling team within DXi applies innovative methods to some of the most complex and consequential questions facing Disney Experiences, including advanced, scalable forecasting, attribution and causal inference, guest behavior modeling, and experimental design and survey science. These are questions with no off-the-shelf answer. We partner with executives and teams across DXi, turning complex business questions into actionable intelligence.

We are hiring an Analytics & Optimization Manager who is an expert in the science behind statistics and modern AI/ML, and an excellent Python programmer. You will bring the methodological depth to solve complex modeling problems and contribute to the team’s technical growth. You are an ideal candidate if you have a strong scientific and modeling background, stay at the cutting edge of methods and are curious, resourceful, and always learning. You choose the right method for an ambiguous problem, explain why it fits, and show that it holds up.

This is an individual contributor role, reporting to Manager, Advanced Sales Analytics and is based in Celebration, FL.

What You Will Do:

Modeling and methods

• Own the methodology for modeling projects: select the method, define the assumptions, and design how the results will be validated, with a vision of how it will run at scale.
• Build scalable forecasting models that integrate structural and dynamic regression with machine learning through hybrid and ensemble approaches, producing probabilistic forecasts and scenario analyses to support planning and decision-making under uncertainty.
• Develop causal inference and attribution models to quantify the drivers of business outcomes, leveraging methods from difference-in-differences to synthetic control, instrumental variables, and double machine learning. Develop reusable frameworks that can be extended as new data and business questions emerge.
• Conduct conditional forecasts and scenario analyses under alternative assumptions and apply causal methods to estimate counterfactual outcomes and treatment effects associated with changes in specific business levers, explicitly quantifying uncertainty.
• Model guest behavior over time, using survival analysis, customer-based models, and related methods to answer important questions about long-term patterns and their drivers.
• Adapt methods when standard approaches break down, such as sparse data, short histories, or selection bias.

Technical leadership

• Apply rigorous modeling practices: validation, back testing, calibration, and uncertainty reporting. Conduct technical review of assumptions, identification, and leakage, including high-visibility results before they go to senior leadership.
• Follow and help improve team practices for reproducibility, experiment tracking, and code review, and write maintainable, well-documented modeling code.
• Evaluate emerging machine learning and AI methods, including foundation models, benchmark them against established approaches, and share findings with the team.

Business partnership

• Scope ambiguous business questions into well-posed modeling problems and recommend appropriate analytical approaches.
• Translate complex results into clear recommendations, state their limits, and push back constructively when a requested analysis cannot support the conclusion being sought.

Required Qualifications & Skills:

• Master’s degree in Economics, Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Operations Research, Engineering, or a related quantitative field, with 3+ years of professional data science and complex modeling experience.
• Demonstrated expertise in time-series forecasting and probabilistic (including Bayesian) modeling, and knowledge of supervised and unsupervised machine learning, including how to select and apply the right method for a given problem.
• Strong understanding of causal inference and quasi-experimental methods, and how to apply them to attribution and driver analysis, including the distinction between predictive relationships and causal effects.
• Proficient in Python, including writing clean, efficient, production-quality code
• Advanced SQL and experience with large analytical datasets (e.g., Snowflake).
• Ability to communicate complex methodology clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD in a related quantitative field with 1+ year of relevant professional experience, or a Master’s degree with 5+ years of relevant professional experience.
• Experience with scalable and reproducible data science practices, such as distributed or parallel computing, experiment tracking, containerization, CI/CD, or related modern ML engineering tools.
• Experience using AI coding and analysis tools to design, build, and accelerate complex modeling work, with the judgment to validate what they produce.
• Experience with additional advanced modeling methods.
• Experience evaluating and applying LLM and generative AI methods to real-world problems.
• Experience in travel, hospitality, entertainment, or consumer-facing businesses.

Disclaimer

PAY TRANSPARENCY

The hiring range for this position in Orlando is $113,500-$152,200 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.

This position is withDisney Destinations, LLC, which is part of a business we callDisney Experiences.

Disney Destinations, LLC is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. Disney champions a business environment where ideas and decisions from all people help us grow, innovate, create the best stories and be relevant in a constantly evolving world.

DISABILITY ACCOMMODATION FOR EMPLOYMENT APPLICATIONS

The Walt Disney Company and its Affiliated Companies are Equal Employment Opportunity employers and welcome all job seekers including individuals with disabilities and veterans with disabilities. If you have a disability and believe you need a reasonable accommodation in order to search for a job opening or apply for a position, visit the Disney candidate disability accommodations FAQs (opens in new window) . We will only respond to those requests that are related to the accessibility of the online application system due to a disability.

Having technical issues? View the FAQs for help. (opens in new window)

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise that includes three core business segments: Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and Disney Experiences. From humble beginnings as a cartoon studio in the 1920s to its preeminent name in the entertainment industry today, Disney proudly continues its legacy of creating world-class stories and experiences for every member of the family. Disney’s stories, characters and experiences reach consumers and guests from every corner of the globe. With operations in more than 40 countries, our employees and cast members work together to create entertainment experiences that are both universally and locally cherished.

Hiring Process

Explore Disney Careers and the Life at Disney blog to learn about all the amazing opportunities waiting to be discovered at The Walt Disney Company.

Where Does Your Story Begin?

Explore Disney Careers and the Life at Disney blog to learn about all the amazing opportunities waiting to be discovered at The Walt Disney Company.

The Next Chapter

Once you've applied, you will receive an email allowing you to access your candidate dashboard. Create your login and make sure to check your dashboard often to see your application progress.

The picture-perfect community of Celebration, 25 minutes southwest of Orlando, is a place like no other. Founded by The Walt Disney Company in the 1990s and named one of Forbes Magazine’s prettiest neighborhoods in America, Celebration features an idyllic downtown with architecture inspired by traditional Southern towns.

Our senior executives bring tremendous experience, visionary thinking and a shared commitment to excellence, creativity and innovation to the day to day operation of the company.

Explore our commitments and our work to create a better world through our stories, experiences, operations, and philanthropy.

At Disney, we want everyone to belong and thrive. Creating a welcoming and respectful environment for our employees and guests is core to our company culture and our business. We strive to build supportive work environments that drive innovation and reinforce a culture in which all employees feel welcome, respected, and valued.

Heroes Work Here reflects the long history of respect and appreciation Disney has for the U.S. Armed Services. We recognize the commitment and dedication it takes to serve your country, both as military personnel and military spouses, and value the leadership skills and sense of purpose it has instilled in you.

Heroes Work Here

Heroes Work Here reflects the long history of respect and appreciation Disney has for the U.S. Armed Services. We recognize the commitment and dedication it takes to serve your country, both as military personnel and military spouses, and value the leadership skills and sense of purpose it has instilled in you.