Senior Data Scientist

About Nexon

Nexon America is a branch of Nexon Co., Ltd., a global video game publisher and leading developer of online virtual worlds for PCs, consoles, and mobile devices. Nexon proudly offers celebrated franchises like MapleStory and Mabinogi that have been enjoyed by millions of players for over two decades. When we founded our Nexon America branch in 2006, we made it our goal to bring those unique games to western players using a player-first approach. We achieve that goal by applying our team’s outstanding free-to-play expertise and live game support to every decision, every day.

But we’re committed to more than our games! Here at Nexon America, we’re all about open communication, diversity, mutual respect, and collaboration, so we can bring out the best in each other. Nexies find support, friendship, and career growth all in one place! And because we know a healthy work-life balance is the key to happiness, Nexies also enjoy flexible hours, a hybrid work model, and extra perks like food trucks, happy hours, and team events. It’s why we’ve earned the Great Place to Work certification for 5 years running!

We’re looking to expand our team with passionate individuals who want to learn, play, and grow with us. Ready for a new challenge?

Summary of Position

Nexon America is looking for a talented Sr. Data Scientist to help Nexon’s game business through data-driven insights and solve critical business problems by developing advanced machine learning algorithms. The Sr. Data Scientist is passionate about games, analytics, and applying advanced data science techniques to improve player experience, retention, and monetization. The Sr. Data Scientist collaborates with our Data teams, Business teams, Security team, and other stakeholders to implement data science models into live production systems. The Sr. Data Scientist brings fresh perspectives to inform decision-making toward better player experience by translating player voice into insights.

We are currently working in the office 2-3x a week in a hybrid work model.

Job Responsibilities

• Apply your expertise in quantitative analysis, data visualization and data mining to tell the story behind numbers and find relevant insights for partners and leadership
• Build and evaluate the ML models and statistical methods to provide Insight & Recommendation and solve the business problems
• Establish scalable, automated processes for large scale data extraction, model development, model validation, model deployment, and its monitoring
• Research and develop state-of-the‑art machine learning, data mining, statistical modeling solutions, and language models to understand game business and key business behaviors, such as player acquisition, retention, and monetization
• Maintain clear and comprehensive documentation of the models and analysis results, and present the results to the stakeholders clearly and effectively
• Work closely with other data scientists, data analysts, data engineers, and other stakeholders to understand project requirements, provide valuable insights, and advanced solutions.
• Mentor other engineers and scientists and contribute to their growth by providing guidance and advice.
• Lead the improvement of the team’s process.
• Other duties as assigned

Work Experience

• 5+ years of proven professional working experience as a Data Scientist or related filed

Education, Professional Training, Technical Training or Certification

• BS (MS/PhD Preferred) in quantitative discipline (e.g. Computer Science, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, or a related field)

Knowledge/Skills

• Expertise in machine learning and statistical analysis approaches such as classification, clustering, regression, statistical inference, collaborative filtering, natural language processing, experimental design, social networking analysis, etc.
• Experience managing advanced analytics projects which solve complex analytical problems using data mining technologies
• Expertise in evaluating, automating, deploying, and monitoring models in production systems
• A true passion for understanding customer behavior on-platform and in-game
• Expert analytical and problem-solving skills, plus the ability to innovate and work with strong initiative
• Strong skills in statistical methods (e.g. hypothesis testing, time series modeling)
• Strong SQL skills and strong Python skills; familiarity with Jupyter Notebook
• Familiar with SQL/NoSQL, modern data platforms, and cloud systems (e.g. Snowflake, AWS)
• Professional large language models and MLOps experience is a plus.
• Online gaming experience is a BIG PLUS!

Management has the right to add or change duties and job requirements at any time.

Nexon’s Benefits and Perks

We offer medical, dental and vision plans for you, your spouse or domestic partner and your children. Employees who enroll in the high deductible health plan receive an annual employer contribution to a health savings account and company paid hospital indemnity benefits. We also provide company paid life, AD&D, short-term and long‑term disability benefits as well as access to voluntary life and AD&D for yourself and your dependents, flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) savings plan with a company match, and pet insurance. Nexies are encouraged to take advantage of our monthly wellness credit, participate in lunchtime yoga, and enroll in language classes. We host bi‑monthly catered lunches, monthly happy hours, and maintain a well‑stocked snack bar. To help you maintain a good work life balance, we offer paid time off, sick days, company holidays, and a year‑end break.

Nexon is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

Compensation Description for Pay Transparency (annually)

The base salary range for this position in El Segundo, CA is $140,000 - $180,000 annually.

Our salary ranges are determined by market data based on position and level. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum salaries for that position. An individual’s pay is determined by factors including, but not limited to, a candidate’s qualifications, skills, experiences, relevant education or training, and location.

Base pay is one part of the Total Rewards package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work. This role may be eligible for additional discretionary bonuses/incentives, however the salary range listed in this job posting reflects the base salary only.

Beware of Recruitment Scams

We have been made aware of fraudulent recruitment activities by individuals falsely claiming to represent Nexon America. Our recruiters will only contact you from official company email addresses ending in @nexon.com and will follow a formal interview process. We will never request for payment or personal financial information such as photos of government‑issued identification during the recruitment process or offer a job without a formal interview process. If you receive suspicious email, we advise you to mark the email as junk or spam, so your email provider will block future messages from the sender.