JOB SUMMARY

Applies advanced computational techniques in the development of business solutions to data-intensive problems in the hospitality industry.  This rewarding position provides a career as part of a team that makes a direct revenue impact on Marriott hotels, globally, by providing tools that facilitate data-driven decision making in the disciplines of pricing, revenue management, sales and reservations.  Works as part of a team that supports computationally-intensive data analysis and modeling efforts, provides pricing and statistical modeling and technical expertise; performs undirected research on large volumes of data to reach business conclusions and recommendations; contributes complex programming and analysis in revenue management and sales systems; analyzes data and builds innovative models to deliver business solutions; functions as a subject matter expert in all phases of the project lifecycle – inception, prototyping, design, testing, rollout and support.  The Operations Research team seeks a flexible candidate with a willingness to learn that brings unique perspectives to enable creative data-driven solutions to the challenges at Marriott.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

Education and Experience

Required:

·       Graduate degree in a rigorous quantitative, technical or scientific subject, including Operations Research, Statistics, Mathematics, Data Science, Data Engineering, Computer Science or Engineering

·       2+ years’ industry or research experience; applying analytical and programming skills against data-intensive and complex modeling or systems development

·       2+ years’ experience in software development

·       Knowledge and experience with Python (pandas / Numpy / SciPy), Java or C/C++, SQL at an advanced level with an understanding of complexity theory

·       An inherent curiosity in researching and developing solutions to complex and often open-ended business problems

·       An ability to explain and present mathematical concepts and results to technical and non-technical audiences

·       Strong communications skills and ability to work within a team

·       Knowledge of relational databases

·       Software engineering skills (e.g. distributed computing, object-oriented development, data cleansing, algorithms and data structures)

·       Experience with designing or supporting analytical systems, focusing on model quality and code efficiency

Preferred:

·       Experience performing predictive modeling, forecasting, or statistical analysis on large scale datasets. 

·       Experience with Big Data platforms (i.e. Hadoop) and cloud technologies.

·       Experience with Machine learning tools and techniques (e.g. k-nearest neighbors, random forests, ensemble methods, etc.)

·       Experience in developing analytic driven solutions to business problems

·       Understands complex, discrete data sets with subtle underlying biases

·       Experience with linear, mixed integer, non-linear or dynamic programming models and familiarity with optimization software (CPLEX, Gurobi).

·       SAS programming (including SAS/HPF, SAS/ETS, and macros) or R Programming. 

·       Readiness to debug existing codes to identify source of reported application issues

CORE WORK ACTIVITIES

Technical Leadership

·       Trains and/or mentors other team members, and peers as appropriate

·       Provides leadership on solution structure, tasks, timeline and estimates for revenue management deliverables

·       Partners with planning teams to articulate possible solutions to business problems and to develop requirements for new models

Delivering Technology

·       Formulates methods for measuring the effectiveness of pricing and revenue management activities.

·       Prepares detailed specifications for translation of complex business processes into models and prototypes

·       Develops and implements efficient, scalable algorithms using appropriate technologies/software/architectures

·       Writes software and utility software tools to create and test new models

·       Assists the Application Delivery teams in support of operations

·       Assists the Application Delivery team in the maintenance of existing models

·       Provides work/cost estimates for client requests

·       Prepares documentation for client review.

·       Conducts reviews, discusses findings, risks and challenges and establishes courses of action

IT Governance

·        Follows all defined iT standards and processes and provides input for improvements to the appropriate process owners as needed

·        Maintains a proper balance between business and operational risk

·        Follows the defined project management standards and processes

Service Provider Management

To the extent that this role interacts with service providers:

·        Validates that Service Providers develop and manage respective aspects of a project plan, including schedules, deliverables, and appropriate metrics.

·        Makes short term plans for the team to effectively utilize resources

·        Monitors Service Provider outcomes

·        Reviews estimates of work effort for client project provided by Service Providers for accuracy

·        Facilitates timely resolution of service delivery problems and minimizes the impact to clients

MANAGEMENT COMPETENCIES

Leadership

·       Communication - Conveys information and ideas to others in a convincing and engaging manner through a variety of methods.

·       Leading Through Vision and Values -Keeps the organization's vision and values at the forefront of employee decision making and action.

·       Managing Change -Initiates and/or manages the change process and energizes it on an ongoing basis, taking steps to remove barriers or accelerate its pace; serves as role model for how to handle change by maintaining composure and performance level under pressure