Senior OR Analyst

UPS Supply Chain Solutions, Inc.; Maryland; On-site; USD 114,000 - 213,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical coverage

Dental coverage

Vision coverage

401(k) retirement plan

Job summary

UPS Supply Chain Solutions, Inc. is seeking a Senior Operations Research Analyst to lead the design, development, and deployment of optimization solutions for final-mile delivery. You will apply mathematical programming, heuristics, and ML techniques, collaborating with software and data teams to deliver scalable, production-ready systems that improve operational performance.

The role requires a Ph.D. in a quantitative field, strong programming skills (Python/Java/C++/SQL), and hands-on

Qualifications

• Must have a Ph.D. in a quantitative field (Operations Research, Industrial Engineering, Applied Math, CS, Civil Eng, Data Science, or related).
• Experience designing, developing, and implementing moderately to highly complex optimization models and algorithms.
• Strong knowledge of OR methods: linear/mixed-integer programming, network optimization, heuristics, and vehicle routing.
• Hands-on experience with optimization solvers (Gurobi, CPLEX, OR-Tools, Xpress).
• Strong programming skills in Python, Java, C++, and SQL; ability to write clean, maintainable code.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for technical and business audiences.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and deployment of final-mile routing, dispatch, and resource allocation solutions.
• Translate operational requirements into mathematical models (LP/MIP, network/stochastic optimization).
• Engineer scalable solutions using parallel and distributed computing; profile performance for large instances.
• Validate and monitor models via benchmarking, sensitivity analysis, and production metrics.
• Collaborate with software and data teams to deploy solutions into enterprise systems; apply ML as appropriate.

Skills

Python

Java

C++

SQL

Gurobi/CPLEX/OR-Tools

Optimization methods

Communication skills

Teamwork

Education

Ph.D. required

Tools

Gurobi

CPLEX

OR-Tools

Xpress

Job description

Explore your next opportunity at a Fortune Global 500 organization. Envision innovative possibilities, experience our rewarding culture, and work with talented teams that help you become better every day. We know what it takes to lead UPS into tomorrow—people with a unique combination of skill + passion. If you have the qualities and drive to lead yourself or teams, there are roles ready to cultivate your skills and take you to the next level.

Job Description:

Senior Operations Research Analyst - Final Mile Optimization

The Senior Operations Research (OR) Analyst leads the design, development, and deployment of optimization solutions for UPS’s final-mile delivery operations. This role applies mathematical programming, heuristic and metaheuristic algorithms, machine learning, and high-performance computing to some of the largest and most complex routing and dispatching problems in the logistics industry and turns them into production systems that deliver measurable operational impact.

Working closely with business stakeholders, software engineers, data scientists, and data engineers, you will own the full solution lifecycle: problem formulation, model and algorithm design, validation, deployment, performance tuning, and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, and continuous improvement of final-mile routing, dispatch, and resource allocation solutions, combining exact methods, heuristics, metaheuristics, and decomposition approaches to produce high-quality solutions within operational time limits.
• Translate operational requirements into mathematical models using linear and mixed-integer programming, network optimization, stochastic optimization, and related methods.
• Engineer solutions for scale, using parallel and distributed computing and performance profiling to improve runtime and solution quality for large, real-world problem instances.
• Validate and monitor models through benchmarking, sensitivity and scenario analysis, and production performance tracking to ensure robustness and business alignment.
• Partner with software and data engineering teams to deploy solutions into enterprise systems, applying machine learning and data science techniques where they strengthen optimization outcomes.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. required in Operations Research, Industrial Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Civil Engineering, Data Science, or a closely related quantitative field.
• Experience designing, developing, and implementing moderately to highly complex optimization models and algorithms, including leading initiatives from problem definition through deployment.
• Strong knowledge of Operations Research methods, including linear and mixed-integer programming, network optimization, heuristic and metaheuristic techniques, and vehicle routing or related combinatorial optimization problems.
• Hands-on experience with optimization solvers such as Gurobi, CPLEX, Xpress, or OR-Tools.
• Strong programming skills in Python, Java, C++, or similar languages, and proficiency in SQL, with experience writing clean, maintainable code.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex technical concepts and recommendations to both technical and business audiences.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience solving large-scale transportation and logistics problems such as vehicle routing with time windows (VRPTW), pickup-and-delivery, dynamic routing, territory optimization, and final-mile delivery.
• Experience with advanced optimization methods such as column generation, branch-and-price, Benders decomposition, Lagrangian relaxation, or dynamic programming.
• Experience with high-performance, parallel, distributed, cloud, or GPU computing, and with performance engineering for large-scale optimization systems.
• Experience integrating optimization models with applications, APIs, databases, and cloud platforms in enterprise decision-support systems.
• Experience applying machine learning, predictive analytics, simulation, or geospatial analytics alongside optimization.

Grade: 303

Last day for internals to apply 10/14

Employee Type:

Permanent

UPS is committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.

Other Criteria:

UPS is an equal opportunity employer. UPS does not discriminate on the basis of race/color/religion/sex/national origin/veteran/disability/age/sexual orientation/gender identity or any other characteristic protected by law.

Basic Qualifications:

Must be a U.S. Citizen or National of the U.S., an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence, or an alien authorized to work in the U.S. for this employer.

Pay Range:

Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several US geographic markets. The base pay for this position ranges from $114,024.00/year to $212,844.00/year. Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to, market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and education/training and a candidate’s work experience. Hired applicants are offered annual short-term and/or long-term incentive compensation programs, subject to applicable eligibility requirements. Payments under these annual programs are not guaranteed and are dependent upon a variety of factors including, but not limited to, individual performance, business unit performance, and/or the company’s performance. The company offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements. Medical/prescription drug coverage, Dental coverage, Vision coverage, Flexible Spending Account, Health Savings Account, Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account, Basic and Supplemental Life Insurance & Accidental Death and Dismemberment, Disability Income Protection Plan, Employee Assistance Program, 401(k) retirement program, Vacation, Paid Holidays and Personal time, Paid Sick and Family and Medical Leave time as required by law, and Discounted Employee Stock Purchase Program.