Research Scientist, Server Demand

Meta; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 271,000 - 347,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus potential

Equity

Benefits

Job summary

Meta is seeking a Senior Technical Owner for Server Demand Planning in Richmond, VA. You will forecast multi-horizon server capacity by rack/hardware type and region, and develop operations-research models to align demand with supply for landable servers in the right place at the right time.

You will define modeling approaches, decide production-grade vs lightweight models, and partner with capacity engineering, site selection, and finance to optimize data center capacity and power constraints.

Qualifications

• 7+ years applying operations research to real planning problems in demand and capacity planning.
• Experience with demand-supply matching, network optimization, or inventory management.
• Proficiency in mathematical optimization, simulation, queuing theory, and forecasting.
• Ability to build production-grade models and lightweight prototypes under ambiguity.
• Strong experience reconciling forecast with constrained supply and lead times.
• Fluency with optimization solvers (Gurobi/CPLEX/Xpress/OR-Tools) and SQL+Python.

Responsibilities

• Own multi-horizon server/MW demand forecast for 2-5+ years by resource type and DC.
• Aggregate signals into a single long-term demand plan.
• Formulate and solve demand-supply matching with roadmaps, cooling, and power constraints.
• Build production-grade optimization and forecasting systems and prototypes.
• Define operating model, track forecast accuracy, and close forecast-to-actual gaps.
• Collaborate with IDC engineering, site selection, and hardware teams on data center designs.

Skills

Operations research

Forecasting

Optimization

Python

SQL

Production models

Capacity planning

Demand planning

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science/Engineering or related field

MS in Operations Research/Applied Math/Industrial Engineering or related

Tools

Gurobi

CPLEX

Xpress

OR-Tools

SQL + Python tooling

Job description

Summary:

Meta runs one of the largest server fleets on earth, and every product bet (AI training, ranking, inference, storage) turns into a demand for compute that we must forecast, shape, and match to a physical supply of servers, racks, power, and data center space. As the senior technical owner of Server Demand Planning, you own the demand side of that equation and close the loop with supply: you forecast long- and near-term server capacity demand by rack/hardware type and region, and you build the operations-research models that match that demand to supply so we land the right servers, in the right place, at the right time. You set the modeling approach for the function, decide when to ship a production-grade optimization system versus a fast lightweight model to unblock a decision, and act as the connective tissue between product/service capacity owners, capacity engineering, supply chain, data center planning, and finance.

Required Skills:

Research Scientist, Server Demand Responsibilities:

1. Own the multi-horizon server/MW demand forecast long range (2-5+ years), by resource type and DC supply requirements.

2. Aggregate and normalize demand signals from short term demand and product groups, into a single trusted statistical long term demand plan.

3. Formulate and solve the demand-supply matching problem using operations-research models that reconcile forecasted demand with hardware roadmaps, cooling, lead times, and power constraints to inform the Plan of Record.

4. Build across the full modeling spectrum: production-grade optimization and forecasting systems and prototype models and heuristics that answer a leadership question or unblock a decision.

5. Set functional standards: define the operating model, bridge short- and long-term forecasts, track accuracy and supply-matching metrics, and bridge forecast-to-actual gaps.

6. Partner with IDC engineering, site selection, and hardware strategy teams to align next-generation data center designs, rack sizing, and hardware roadmaps with demand, eliminating stranded power, cooling, and space capacity.

Minimum Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

1. Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, relevant technical field, or equivalent practical experience

2. 7+ years applying operations research / management science to real planning problems in demand planning, capacity planning, supply-demand matching, network optimization, or inventory

3. MS in a quantitative field (Operations Research, Industrial Engineering, Applied Math, Statistics, CS, or related), or equivalent experience

4. Deep operations-research toolkit: mathematical optimization (LP, MILP, stochastic/robust optimization), simulation, queuing theory, and probabilistic/statistical forecasting

5. Demonstrated ability to build BOTH production-grade models/systems (deployed, maintained, driving real decisions) AND lightweight/prototype models delivered fast under ambiguity

6. Strong demand-to-supply matching experience: reconciling forecasted demand against constrained supply, lead times, and inventory

7. Fluency with optimization solvers (Gurobi, CPLEX, Xpress, or OR-Tools) and with SQL + Python for modeling, analysis, and pipelines

Preferred Qualifications:

Preferred Qualifications:

1. Direct experience with server/compute or data center capacity planning at hyperscale

2. Statistical/ML forecasting depth (time series, hierarchical/probabilistic forecasting, forecast reconciliation)

3. Publications, patents, or recognized technical leadership in OR / optimization / forecasting

Public Compensation:

$271,000/year to $347,000/year + bonus + equity + benefits

Industry:

Internet

Equal Opportunity:

Meta is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Meta participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations, as required by law. Please note that Meta may leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies in connection with applications for employment.

Meta is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance or accommodations due to a disability, please let us know at [e-mail].