Day in the life
A Day in the Life of an Operations Research Analyst
What operations research analysts actually do from the start of a shift to the end: the tasks, tools, schedule and realities of the job.
What is a typical day like for an operations research analyst?
Meet operations about delays. From there, the day usually includes define business problems, gather data, and build optimization models. Full-time business hours.
Hour by hour: a typical shift
No two days are identical, but this timeline reflects a realistic day for an operations research analyst working full time.
- Meet operations about delays.
- Clean scheduling data.
- Build an optimization model.
- Run scenarios.
- Simulate warehouse flow.
- Prepare recommendations.
- Present to managers.
Where operations research analysts work
Analysts work in offices, often remotely.
Hours and schedule
Full-time business hours.
Tasks you’ll do most often
- Define business problems
- Gather data
- Build optimization models
- Run simulations
- Analyze results
- Recommend decisions
- Present to leaders
Tools you’ll use every day
- Python
- Gurobi or CPLEX
- SQL
- Excel Solver
- Simulation software
- Tableau
The best and hardest parts of the job
What people like
- Much faster-than-average growth
- Solve real problems
- Good pay
- Remote options
What’s hard
- Models depend on data quality
- Explaining math to non-experts
- Desk-heavy
- Deadlines
You’ll likely thrive if…
- I love math puzzles
- I like real-world problems
- I can code
- I like explaining results
- I want fast growth
- I like making things efficient
Not sure? Take the free Operations Research Analyst fit quiz or the Career Match Quiz.
Staying safe on the job
- Protect confidential data
- Document model assumptions
- Test models before use
- Consider fairness in decisions