Welcome back to OR-Path!
Today’s topic comes from a very common question I receive — including after the first Roadmap issue:
“How can someone land a junior role in Operations Research?”
I was recently asked this question during a talk to an undergrad class, and it has appeared many times since.
So let’s get straight to it.
1) Job postings
If you’ve been scanning OR-Path’s Job Digests looking for “Junior OR Analyst” roles, you probably noticed something:
they barely exist.
Companies rarely open explicitly junior OR positions. There are internships and summer jobs out there — I just haven’t focused on curating them. If you think including those helps, I can absolutely add them. Just tell me.
2) What “junior” actually means
After building OR teams and mentoring people across different seniority levels, my view is simple:
Junior ≠ years of experience.
Junior = lack of evidence of applied experience.
Recruiters want to see that you can turn ideas into something concrete. If your CV/LinkedIn doesn’t show any project, code, model, or practical application, then:
Recruiters can’t see anything that proves your ability.
And “N years of experience” becomes a proxy — not the real requirement.
Energy, willingness to learn, and curiosity are extremely valuable at junior level. But you still need to show tangible work.
3) How to find junior opportunities
Instead of searching for “Junior OR Analyst,” do this:
Identify companies you admire. Research their culture, their openness to innovation, and how much autonomy they give analysts.
These roles often have titles like “Data Analyst,” “Data Scientist,” or “Business Analyst.”
In the right environment, you’ll have room to:
Apply OR techniques proactively,
Build internal credibility,
And show the impact that optimization brings to profitability and efficiency.
Your first OR job may not have “Operations Research” in the title — and that’s perfectly fine.
4) What “junior” does not mean
If you have a Master’s or PhD, you’re not automatically considered junior.
Many companies — especially in tech, aviation, logistics, and consulting — hire fresh PhDs as specialists or applied scientists because of their academic expertise.
I’ve personally seen people with zero industry experience go straight into senior specialist or tech-lead roles.
So don’t underestimate your position if you’re coming from academia.
If you still want the “traditional” OR junior path…
Some people want to start formally as Operations Research Junior Engineer / OR Analyst.
If that’s your goal, here are the two most effective paths:
1) Consulting firms 💼
Consultancies are one of the few environments that do hire juniors consistently.
Some of them handle OR-heavy projects for clients in logistics, energy, retail, aviation, and manufacturing.
You may start with data cleaning or analysis, but you’ll be close enough to optimization projects to grow fast.
2) Companies currently hiring OR Managers 📢
If a company is posting for an OR Manager, Lead OR, or Head of Optimization, that usually signals something important: they are expanding their OR team.
A growing team creates natural space for junior or early-career roles — even if not explicitly posted yet.
Companies that recently started investing in OR often hire juniors after they bring in leadership.
This is one of the most underused but effective strategies: find the managers first, then track the team expansion.
So… What now?
Now you need to fill the gap: create visible, practical experience.
Here are three straightforward paths:
1) Side projects
Hiring managers love to see a GitHub or portfolio that shows what you built “outside the job.”
Be intentional:
Pick one problem that interests you.
Build a simple model in a Jupyter Notebook.
Show the results visually: charts, Excel sheets, maps — not only solver outputs.
Keep it readable for non-technical audiences.
Remember: recruiters spend seconds scanning a CV.
Make it easy for them to understand what you built.
2) Internships & university projects
If you’re in undergrad, Master’s, or PhD:
Look for thesis opportunities connected to companies.
Ask professors if they have industry projects.
Knock on doors — literally. Many opportunities only appear when you ask.
Some countries have strong academia–industry partnerships. Take advantage of that.
3) Apply OR where you already are
If you're working in another area and wonder:
“Do I need to restart from zero to work with OR?”
The answer: No. Don’t quit your job.
You already have reputation, context, and trust where you are — use it.
Find a decision problem in your area. Build a prototype. Show the before/after.
Companies care about profitability and efficiency. If you show clear impact, people will listen.
Just remember:
You must be able to prove the gain — AS-IS vs Optimized.
Final thoughts
OR is not trivial to explain.
Most non-technical people understand:
📊 charts
📈 efficiency
💰 profitability
🧾 spreadsheets
Start there.
Build something simple, visual, and practical — and show it.
That’s how you create your first “experience” in OR.
Have a topic you want me to cover next?
If you’re navigating your path in Operations Research and want some guidance, I’m happy to help.
See you next time! 👋