What it pays
Government survey numbers — not estimates, not ads.
Half of all Operations Research Analysts in the U.S. earn more than $88,940 a year — the middle 80% land between $57,060 and $159,910. About 108,510 people in the U.S. do this work. Figures are for the U.S. occupation group “Operations Research Analysts”. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, published 2025.) In India, Professionals earn about ₹38,298 a month on average — around ₹4.6 lakh a year (government PLFS survey via ILOSTAT, occupation-family figure).
$88,940typical pay / year
108,510people in this work
$159,910+top 10% earn
₹4.6 lakha year in India (family avg)
Think you get this job?Six quick questions on how it really works — with a hint and the reason behind every answer.
Test yourself →The work, task by task
These are the real jobs-to-be-done, not a wish list. Each task shows where we found it, and the prompt underneath is written for that exact task.
Keeping the record1
Present results to management
+Present the model results and five-slide executive summary to the finance director and deputy COO on Thursday…
Present results to management
+Present the model results and five-slide executive summary to the finance director and deputy COO on Thursday afternoon, emphasising decision tradeoffs, budget impacts under current tax rules, and one recommended action with risks and next steps.
The tools that do the workGoogle Docsjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Learning1
Collaborate with organization members
+Run a two-hour workshop with the procurement lead, tax counsel, and city program manager next Tuesday to walk…
Collaborate with organization members
+Run a two-hour workshop with the procurement lead, tax counsel, and city program manager next Tuesday to walk through assumptions, collect missing constraints, and assign who will validate demand and budget numbers before final analysis.
The tools that do the workGoogle Docsjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Analysing4
Analyze information about alternative actions
+Produce a comparative table of three policy options showing cost, service level, legal constraints, and…
Analyze information about alternative actions
+Produce a comparative table of three policy options showing cost, service level, legal constraints, and distributional effects, flagging assumptions tied to current tax legislation and which numbers are sensitive to political changes.
The tools that do the workIBM SPSS Statisticsjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Create simulations and predictive models
+Build and document a stochastic simulation that projects demand and cost under seasonal variation and policy…
Create simulations and predictive models
+Build and document a stochastic simulation that projects demand and cost under seasonal variation and policy shocks, include parameter sources, confidence intervals, and a short section on model limitations for the audit file.
The tools that do the workC++job descriptionsO*NET
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Break systems into components and analyze
+Decompose the service delivery system into modules—intake, processing, dispatch, and billing—map flows,…
Break systems into components and analyze
+Decompose the service delivery system into modules—intake, processing, dispatch, and billing—map flows, quantify processing times and bottlenecks, and recommend two redesigns that cut average lead time by at least 20 percent.
The tools that do the workIBM SPSS Statisticsjob descriptionsO*NET
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Optimize resource allocation and logistics
+Run an optimization that reallocates vehicles and staff across districts to meet demand at minimum operating…
Optimize resource allocation and logistics
+Run an optimization that reallocates vehicles and staff across districts to meet demand at minimum operating cost while respecting union shift rules and the council funding cap, and prepare a one-page deployment plan for Monday's ops meeting.
The tools that do the workApache Hadoopjob descriptionsWikipedia
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The daily work17
Define data requirements and validate information
+Define the exact data fields, sources, retention windows and access controls I need for the municipal revenue…
Define data requirements and validate information
+Define the exact data fields, sources, retention windows and access controls I need for the municipal revenue model, then validate availability and quality against the finance data warehouse and the tax office extracts before Friday so procurement can buy storage if gaps exist.
The tools that do the workAmazon Redshiftjob descriptionsO*NET
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Analyze data to identify trends and patterns
+Produce a trend analysis of five years of tax receipts and grant funding to highlight seasonal, policy…
Analyze data to identify trends and patterns
+Produce a trend analysis of five years of tax receipts and grant funding to highlight seasonal, policy change, and outlier patterns, flagging which shifts likely reflect legislation, then prepare charts and a one-page brief for the director next Wednesday.
The tools that do the workIBM SPSS Statisticsjob descriptionsWikipedia
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Develop decision support software or products
+Design the decision-support prototype that scores budget options by cost, legal risk and political…
Develop decision support software or products
+Design the decision-support prototype that scores budget options by cost, legal risk and political feasibility, produce a user flow and API spec, and commit the initial code and README to the team repo so product and policy can review it on Monday.
The tools that do the workGitHubjob descriptionsWikipedia
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Develop and apply time and cost networks to plan, control, and review large projects.
+Build time and cost network diagrams for the downtown infrastructure programme, estimate float and critical…
Develop and apply time and cost networks to plan, control, and review large projects.
+Build time and cost network diagrams for the downtown infrastructure programme, estimate float and critical path, reconcile with the contractor schedules, and deliver a governance-ready review note for the project board meeting next Thursday.
The tools that do the workC++O*NET
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Develop business methods and procedures, including accounting systems, file systems, office systems, logistics systems, and production schedules.
+Draft improved business methods for invoicing, file handling and the logistics routing rule set, map current…
Develop business methods and procedures, including accounting systems, file systems, office systems, logistics systems, and production schedules.
+Draft improved business methods for invoicing, file handling and the logistics routing rule set, map current pain points from operations, estimate savings and compliance risk under current tax rules, and produce a change plan for the COO by end of month.
The tools that do the workGoogle DocsO*NET
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Review research literature.
+Review the recent literature on municipal finance and operational research, extract methodologies, data needs…
Review research literature.
+Review the recent literature on municipal finance and operational research, extract methodologies, data needs and gaps relevant to our tax modelling, and produce a two-page annotated summary with citations for the research team by Friday.
The tools that do the workLinuxO*NET
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Design models to represent real-world systems and scenarios
+Build a system model of the city's waste-collection network for next fiscal year that includes route…
Design models to represent real-world systems and scenarios
+Build a system model of the city's waste-collection network for next fiscal year that includes route capacities, truck availability, hourly demand peaks, and current union work rules, then deliver a scenario-ready model and a one-page assumptions sheet to Maya in Fleet by Wednesday.
The tools that do the workC++Wikipedia
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Integrate techniques from other mathematical sciences into problem-solving
+Combine network flow, queuing theory, and regression-based demand forecasts into a single hybrid toolkit that…
Integrate techniques from other mathematical sciences into problem-solving
+Combine network flow, queuing theory, and regression-based demand forecasts into a single hybrid toolkit that uses historical collection data, recent policy changes, and union constraints, then hand over documented examples and a short how-to to Tom in Analytics by Friday.
The tools that do the workIBM SPSS StatisticsC++Wikipedia
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Assess the effectiveness of operational strategies
+Evaluate last year's downtown transit-pricing strategy by running counterfactual scenarios with cost,…
Assess the effectiveness of operational strategies
+Evaluate last year's downtown transit-pricing strategy by running counterfactual scenarios with cost, ridership, and revenue streams, report the projected fiscal impact under three political-sensitivity assumptions, and send the findings and recommendations to Clare in Finance by Monday noon.
The tools that do the workIBM SPSS StatisticsWikipedia
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Research and develop taxation policies and legislation
+Draft revenue-neutral tax options that close the projected shortfall: model taxable bases, behavioural…
Research and develop taxation policies and legislation
+Draft revenue-neutral tax options that close the projected shortfall: model taxable bases, behavioural responses, and distributional effects under current legislation, produce a policy brief and spreadsheet of parameterized scenarios for the tax director by Thursday.
The tools that do the workIBM SPSS StatisticsESCO
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Advise official bodies on policy implementation and financial operations
+Prepare an advice packet for the council on implementing the new grant program covering cashflow timing,…
Advise official bodies on policy implementation and financial operations
+Prepare an advice packet for the council on implementing the new grant program covering cashflow timing, audit controls, and staffing impacts, include a risk matrix tied to organisational rules and recommendations for a phased rollout, and deliver it to Deputy CFO Ellen by Friday afternoon.
The tools that do the workGoogle DocsESCO
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Conduct cost-benefit analysis
+Run a cost–benefit study on the proposed vehicle fleet replacement, using the procurement case, projected…
Conduct cost-benefit analysis
+Run a cost–benefit study on the proposed vehicle fleet replacement, using the procurement case, projected fuel and maintenance schedules, and tax depreciation rules, and deliver a one‑page decision memo and spreadsheet with NPV and sensitivity to discount rate.
The tools that do the workIBM SPSS Statisticsjob descriptions
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Develop and supply optimal networks for evaluation
+Design and supply optimal route and depot networks for the pilot distribution area so peak load, labour…
Develop and supply optimal networks for evaluation
+Design and supply optimal route and depot networks for the pilot distribution area so peak load, labour constraints and municipal access policies are respected; produce maps, route tables and a short justification for the evaluation team.
The tools that do the workESRI ArcGISjob descriptions
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Prepare management reports
+Pull the month‑end operational metrics, reconcile against the finance ledger, draft a two‑page management…
Prepare management reports
+Pull the month‑end operational metrics, reconcile against the finance ledger, draft a two‑page management report highlighting variance to budget, headcount impacts and recommended corrective actions for the director by Wednesday close of business.
The tools that do the workGoogle Docsjob descriptions
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Specify computational methods for models
+Specify the computational approach for the new simulation model: state variables, stochastic processes,…
Specify computational methods for models
+Specify the computational approach for the new simulation model: state variables, stochastic processes, solver tolerance, and parallelisation plan so developers can implement and reproduce results in the codebase and report expected run times.
The tools that do the workC++job descriptions
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Identify extreme values of real-world objectives like profit, performance, or yield
+Find the maximum achievable profit and the minimum feasible cost for the pilot product line given historical…
Identify extreme values of real-world objectives like profit, performance, or yield
+Find the maximum achievable profit and the minimum feasible cost for the pilot product line given historical sales, capacity limits and tax constraints, and produce a short write‑up with the identified extreme scenarios and recommended guardrails.
The tools that do the workApache HiveWikipedia
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Solve problems related to minimizing loss, risk, or cost
+Formulate and solve the loss‑minimisation problem for the warranty pool, including objective, constraints,…
Solve problems related to minimizing loss, risk, or cost
+Formulate and solve the loss‑minimisation problem for the warranty pool, including objective, constraints, risk weights and a recommended hedging action, then attach the solved model, results and one‑page summary for risk management.
The tools that do the workLinuxWikipedia
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