Director / Senior Manager, Data Science

About AthenaAt Athena, we empower possibility through transformative delegation. True leaders know where they want to go—and we help them get there. By pairing exceptional Executive Assistants with driven client members, and continuously enhancing that partnership through Human+ AI innovation, we help our members achieve 10x more leverage, time, and impact.

We are on a mission to build the world’s most advanced delegation platform—leveraging AI and human collaboration to redefine how complex work gets done.

Role Overview

We are seeking a Director / Senior Manager of Data Science to lead Athena’s data strategy and enable data-driven decision-making across the organization. This leader will define our data vision, align initiatives with business goals, and manage a team of data scientists and analytics engineers to deliver business analysis and innovative AI/ML solutions that drive measurable impact.

You will set the strategic direction for data and AI, oversee project execution from ideation to deployment, and collaborate with senior leadership to embed data-centric thinking across the company. This role requires a blend of strategic foresight, hands-on technical expertise, and exceptional leadership.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute an enterprise-wide data strategy aligned with business objectives.

• Define key performance metrics to measure the impact of data initiatives.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead and mentor a team of data scientists and analytics engineers, fostering innovation, growth, and cross-functional collaboration.

• Build a high-performance, diverse, and agile data organization.

Project Oversight

• Manage the full lifecycle of data science projects—from research and model development to production deployment.

• Ensure consistent quality, scalability, and integration of solutions into business processes.

Technical Expertise

• Provide thought leadership in advanced analytics, statistical modeling, and machine learning.

• Guide the design and implementation of ML models, AI systems, and data-driven applications.

Business Partnership

• Partner with C-level executives and business leaders to identify high-impact opportunities for AI and analytics.

• Translate complex data insights into actionable business recommendations and measurable outcomes.

Innovation & Best Practices

• Stay current with emerging technologies in ML, GenAI, and data engineering.

• Champion best practices in data governance, quality, and ethical AI.

• Cultivate a data-driven culture and promote evidence-based decision-making throughout the organization.

Qualifications

Leadership & Vision

• Proven success leading high-performing data science teams and setting strategic direction in fast-paced environments.

Technical Proficiency

• Expertise in Python and open-source data science tools (e.g., Jupyter, R, SQL, Hadoop, Spark, TensorFlow, Keras, PyTorch, Scikit-learn).

• Ability to evaluate and apply cutting-edge ML/AI techniques to real-world business problems.

Business Acumen

• Strong understanding of business analytics supporting business stakeholders making decisions.

• Proven ability to translate complex analytical insights into tangible business impact.

Communication & Influence

• Exceptional ability to present technical and strategic insights clearly to both technical and executive audiences.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor, Master or Ph.D. in a quantitative discipline (Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, or related field).

• Extensive experience leading data science initiatives, with a track record of delivering measurable business outcomes.