Senior Data Scientist - Global Commercial Forecasting & AI

The Senior Data Scientist will support data-driven decision-making across IHG's global commercial organization by developing advanced analytical and machine learning solutions. This role will work cross-functionally with business stakeholders, data engineers, and subject matter experts to solve complex problems across Revenue Management, Loyalty, Sales, Operations, and Technology.

A key responsibility of this role is to own the development and evolution of IHG's proprietary demand forecasting model, applying statistical, machine learning, and emerging AI techniques to improve forecast accuracy, scalability, and business relevance. The role will also support ad-hoc analysis of key business KPIs to generate insights, identify performance drivers, and inform commercial decision-making.

This position requires a strong production mindset, including experience with version control, reproducible workflows, and ML Ops practices to support scalable and reliable model delivery.

Your day to day

• Own the design, development, validation, and enhancement of IHG's proprietary demand forecasting model
• Translate business problems into statistical, machine learning, and AI-enabled solutions
• Analyze large and complex datasets to identify trends, risks, opportunities, and performance drivers
• Conduct ad-hoc analysis to explain KPI performance and support commercial decision-making
• Evaluate data requirements and assess new data sources for quality and feasibility
• Partner with data engineering and technical teams to support production-ready model implementation
• Apply best practices in coding, version control, testing, documentation, and reproducible development
• Support model lifecycle management, including validation, monitoring, retraining, and continuous improvement
• Communicate analytical findings and recommendations to technical, business, and executive audiences

• Master's degree or Ph.D. in a quantitative field such as Data Science, Statistics, Computer Science, Operations Research, Applied Mathematics, Economics, or related discipline; Equivalent combination of education and relevant experience will also be considered
• 7+ years of progressive experience in data science, machine learning, forecasting, or advanced analytics
• Experience developing predictive or forecasting models in a business environment
• Experience working cross-functionally to deliver analytical solutions with business impact
• Experience supporting both strategic model development and ad-hoc analytical requests
• Strong expertise in machine learning, predictive modeling, forecasting, and applied statistics
• Proficiency in Python and/or R, with strong SQL skills
• Experience with version control tools such as Git and familiarity with ML Ops concepts and practices
• Experience with reproducible analytical workflows, testing, and model validation
• Experience with cloud-based data and analytics environments
• Experience with large datasets; familiarity with Spark or other distributed tools is a plus
• Experience with data visualization tools such as Tableau
• Familiarity with emerging AI methods and tools, and the ability to apply them appropriately to business challenges
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to present findings to senior and executive audiences
• Preferred: The ideal candidate combines strong technical depth with commercial curiosity and business judgment. They are comfortable owning complex analytical problems, balancing long-term model development with ad-hoc insight generation, and applying production-minded practices to deliver scalable, reliable solutions.

Location - Atlanta, GA: Our hybrid work structure is an expectation of three (3) days a week in office. This expectation may be adjusted to evolve with the changing needs of the business.

The salary range for this role is $106,000.00 to $140,000.00. This role is also eligible for bonus pay (as applicable). We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance, 401K, and other benefits to employees.