Across nine years, Data Science Analytics Manager, Sagar Vig, based in Gurgaon, India, has made the most of the development opportunities available. Joining multiple different teams, and taking on short-term role and project assignments have allowed him to develop and grow in his career at Expedia Group, building his skillset, and network, at the same time.

Read on to discover more about Sagar’s experience at Expedia Group, so far.

Sagar Vig
Data Science Analytics Manager

Tell us about your life at Expedia Group so far

I have a background in Computer Science Engineering and a deep passion for data, analytics, product, and process optimization. Over the past nine years at EG, I’ve had the chance to take on various roles across different teams, including Customer Experience, Competitive Analysis, Product Analytics, and Program Management. My most recent role has been as a people manager in the competitive analysis space, where I’ve focused on driving automation and leading data science initiatives. Additionally, I’ve explored multiple secondment opportunities and acquired new skills alongside my primary responsibilities, with my latest role being Data Scientist III, optimizing product space.

What made you decide to apply to your current secondment role? 

Over the past year, managing a data science pod in the competitive analysis space has allowed me to work closely on data-related projects. This experience has been highly motivating, driving me to delve deeper into data science and gain a better understanding of our internal product space. With the support of both my current team manager and new manager, I’ve had the opportunity to refine my data science skills and advance my career in a direction that aligns perfectly with my interests and career goals.

Short-term opportunities likes these offer a highly structured and practical approach to learning and developing new areas of expertise. After working on qualitative projects for several years, I was eager to expand my knowledge in the quantitative and data fields. Although I explored various learning methods such as e-learning courses, books, and journals, nothing compared to the hands-on experience I gained during my recent secondment projects. It provided practical training, a clear vision, a structured plan, and, most importantly, a fantastic group of supportive peers from the hosting team. Their expertise and guidance were instrumental in helping me acquire new skills and gain valuable insights. Additionally, secondments simplify the often challenging task of transitioning into a new domain with limited prior experience. They offer a chance to learn and assess the right fit for both the candidate and the hosting team. Employees benefit from practical learning, skill development, and career advancement, while hosting teams gain motivated individuals who can contribute to their projects and potentially fit well into future roles.

How have these types of experiences helped you to develop your skillset? 

My home role has been in the competitive analysis space for the last 5+ years where I mainly worked on qualitative analysis on competitors for the initial 3 years. I then transitioned to managing the data and automation pod, leading to managing the development of data pipelines and dashboards for competitors’ data metrics

My last two secondments have introduced me to entirely new domains:

Program Manager in Customer Experience: In this role, I designed and managed the anomaly detection process for customer feedback comments. This project allowed me to acquire a range of technical skills and tools, including SQL, Python, JupyterHub, and Airflow, while also enhancing my program management capabilities.

Data Scientist III in Product Analytics: This role followed my experience managing a competitive experimentation program and conducting competitive research on experimentation methodologies. It has been a fascinating opportunity to engage with internal EG experiments, aligning closely with my long-term career goal of working more directly on data science projects and understanding the science behind experimentation, to optimize internal products.

The cross-team relationships I developed during these secondments have been particularly rewarding. Collaborating with leaders and peers from different teams has been an enriching experience, offering me valuable insights and learning opportunities.

How will the skills you’ve developed in the secondment help you to further your career longer term?

My long-term career goal is to manage projects related to data science and product. With my background in people management within the competitive analysis team, I aim to further refine my core data science skills to effectively lead projects and teams. The secondments have been instrumental in enhancing my technical expertise, complementing my people management experience and setting me up for success in achieving my career aspirations.

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