INFORMS Career FAQ: Question 6
Q. Who hires operations researchers?
A. In the United States and around the world, there is a wide variety of job openings in both the public and private sectors.
- In industry, many large manufacturers, retail chains, and service organizations maintain an in-house staff, ranging in size from one or two operations researchers to an entire department. American Airlines, AT&T, Citicorp, Merrill Lynch, American Express and General Motors are just a few examples of firms which employ sizeable numbers.
- Smaller firms and those with intermittent needs are also recognizing the value of operations research. And scores of private consulting firms have sprung up to provide expert assistance. These also present attractive job possibilities - as do federal contract research centers like Rand, MITRE, Center for Naval Analyses, and Institute for Defense Analyses.
- By far the largest single employer of operations researchers is the U.S. government - where opportunities exist in the Departments of Labor, Commerce, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Defense, and Health and Human Services, as well as the Government Accounting Office and Congressional Budget Office. All branches of the armed services also work with both civilian and military operations researchers. And an increasing number of state and local jurisdictions are hiring both staffers and consultants, as are the governments of other countries.
- With more than 130 colleges and universities offering programs or courses in operations research, management science, decision sciences, and related fields, academia is another promising area. And with positions available for teaching assistants and instructors - as well as at more advanced levels - it's one many students can explore even while earning their advanced degrees.