Senior Operations Research Analyst

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Senior Operations Research Analyst 

Who we are

Wayfair offers Europe’s largest online selection of home furnishings, décor, home improvement and many more. Getting thousands of orders every day to their new owners is at the heart of what we do. 

Wayfair Delivery Network (WDN) is Wayfair’s proprietary large parcel delivery network. Delivery is a core operational function at Wayfair. The selected candidate will get an opportunity to contribute to growth of a carrier network i.e. scaling it in the UK and the EU and integrate with our large US WDN operations. 

As part of the network design team, we shape all decisions around logistics network design and strategic routing in collaboration with cross-functional stakeholders. On a recurring basis, we provide forecasts and steer the capacity planning for our operations. 

The Senior Operations Research Analyst is a key member of the network design team within the Wayfair Delivery Network (WDN), Wayfair’s in-house large parcel carrier. In this role, you’ll support the management team through a skillset involving forecasting, advanced analytics, mathematical modeling, discrete optimization and programming to create innovative solutions for real-world problems.

 

What You'll Do

  • Own short-term forecasting

Our operations rely on two short-term forecasts (“next-day” and “next-week”), which are written in R and largely automated. Your task will be to maintain these forecasts, improve their accuracy and adapt them to the ever-changing needs related to the expansion of WDN, like new last mile depots, new suppliers etc. Besides owning the technical part of forecasting, you’re also going to run the weekly capacity planning meeting to align with other stakeholders on the transportation capacity for the coming weeks.

  • Conduct routing experiments

To gain insights into how to improve our fleet operations, we conduct routing experiments with an existing routing algorithm written in Java. Your task will be to set up experiments in Python or R, calling the algorithm with the right inputs (e.g. new time window regimes, different vehicle mix etc) and derive conclusions from the output leading to recommendations for management as to what to trial. Sometimes improvements of the underlying routing algorithm are necessary, so some exposure to Java and solution methods for Vehicle Routing Problems is a plus.

  • Create analyses and predictions for business stakeholders

Drawing on our internal databases, you will provide answers to business questions, starting from refining the problem statement over data extraction, data validation, descriptive analytics and predictions as well as presentation of results to internal stakeholders.

  • Create, adapt and implement heuristics for real-world problems

For some problems and recurring tasks, we jointly create and implement optimization algorithms and heuristics ourselves. In this space, you would contribute to all stages of the project, starting from refining the problem statement over literature research, mathematical modelling, implementation of solution methods and presentation of methods and results to internal stakeholders. 

 

What You'll Need:

Conceptual skills

  • Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
  • A strong math background, for example from a M.Sc. or Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics, Data Science, Operations Research, Engineering, Computer Science or a comparable quantitative field.
  • Basic understanding of the Vehicle Routing Problem and some associated solution heuristics
  • Basic understanding of logistics operations (transportation, warehousing, cross-docking)
  • Working knowledge of statistics, graph theory and geospatial analysis
  • A deeper understanding of forecasting (regression and classification techniques, error measures, cross validation etc) is a plus
  • Experience with discrete event simulation and experience with packages like simmer (R) or simpy (Python) is a plus

Technical skills

  • Programming experience in R or Python is a must, we currently use more R (incl. ggplot2, data.table, Rmarkdown) and you’ll eventually need to learn it. Knowledge of Java is a plus for routing experiments.
  • Experience in SQL or Google Big Query is required for this role, but can be learned on the job if necessary.
  • Some basic experience with git is a plus
  • Experience with Google Data Studio is a plus
  • Experience with test driven development and object oriented programming is a plus

Soft skills

  • Ability to drive a task to completion with accuracy, transparency, and urgency.
  • Ability to work well collaboratively in cross-functional teams and independently.
  • Ability to communicate with internal stakeholders to clearly define needs, report progress, and explain the solution.
  • Ability to grasp complex issues and look beyond the obvious
  • Self-motivated and proactive with ability to manage multiple, competing priorities simultaneously
  • Fluency in English, ability to read German is a plus

 

 

About Wayfair Inc.

Wayfair is one of the world’s largest online destinations for the home. Whether you work in our global headquarters in Boston or Berlin, or in our warehouses or offices throughout the world, we’re reinventing the way people shop for their homes. Through our commitment to industry-leading technology and creative problem-solving, we are confident that Wayfair will be home to the most rewarding work of your career. If you’re looking for rapid growth, constant learning, and dynamic challenges, then you’ll find that amazing career opportunities are knocking.

No matter who you are, Wayfair is a place you can call home. We’re a community of innovators, risk-takers, and trailblazers who celebrate our differences, and know that our unique perspectives make us stronger, smarter, and well-positioned for success. We value and rely on the collective voices of our employees, customers, community, and suppliers to help guide us as we build a better Wayfair – and world – for all. Every voice, every perspective matters. That’s why we’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, marital status, disability, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, or genetic information.