Building Game-Ready Models in London

If you ask Katie why she started her journey at DraftKings, she won’t start with a job title. This was the opportunity she was looking for; she wanted to work at a place where she could learn and grow as a data science engineer. Katie began her journey balancing two worlds at once: working on the Sports Data Science team while completing a Master’s degree in AI and Data Science.

“It was great to be able to put my learning and knowledge to practical use almost instantly while studying and working at the same time,” she said. “I was learning so much and found that the learning never stopped.”

Now, as a Senior Data Science Engineer, Katie has spent the last three and a half years turning that early trust into real impact. 

Engineering the Odds Behind Every Game

Katie specifically focuses on basketball. Her team uses data science and machine learning models to create probabilities that power the odds for our basketball offering.  

One of the projects she’s most proud of? Launching pre-live and live player props.

“Being the first sport to achieve this came with challenges, but I’m proud to be part of the team that made it happen,” Katie added. 

The live environment exposes any weaknesses in the models. This is exciting for Katie to work on because there are many different facets to consider when launching these models. 

Where Your Models Go Live

One important differentiator at DraftKings: your models ship. 

“There’s a lot of responsibility when it comes to productionizing our models,” Katie said. “I can’t just focus on accuracy. I need to think about latency, flexibility, and how the model behaves in real scenarios.”

She’s currently focused on improving our Women’s basketball product, helping create a similar experience to the men’s basketball product.  

“It’s exciting to put more focus on women’s sports,” she said. “As part of the Women’s Business Resource Group (BRG), it means a lot to see that investment.”

A Culture of Connection

Outside of her work, Katie has found a strong community through the DraftKings Women’s Business Resource Group, where she now serves as a co-lead for Europe. “It’s helped me connect with people across the company and empowered me to back my own ideas,” she said.

She describes our London office as collaborative and social, with a great buzz about it. People grab coffee, have lunch together, and there’s always someone to start up a conversation with. 

Why DraftKings

Ownership is real here, but so is the support. Teammates see their projects through from end-to-end and are responsible for the results. But at the same time, there’s a strong support system across the team, where people are constantly jumping in to help one another or join a call to collaborate on a bottleneck. 

“I feel like every member of my team is empowered to find solutions and own the outcome,” Katie added.  

How does Katie describe who we are as a company? She says DraftKings is all about focusing on the customer experience, building features in-house, experimenting with new technologies, and working on real, impactful problems. 

It’s a place where learning doesn’t stop, ownership is real, and the challenges are exciting to solve. Learn more about the work we do here at DraftKings. If you think you’re ready for something new, check out our open roles in London.