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.
Analysing6
Present results to management
+Create a concise slide deck for Monday’s leadership meeting that communicates ethnographic findings, the…
Present results to management
+Create a concise slide deck for Monday’s leadership meeting that communicates ethnographic findings, the business risks of ignoring frontline workflows, and three prioritized recommendations with expected impact and effort estimates.
The tools that do the workGoogle Docsjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Collaborate with organization members
+Organise a one-hour workshop with product, design and support leads to walk through the field clips, surface…
Collaborate with organization members
+Organise a one-hour workshop with product, design and support leads to walk through the field clips, surface conflicts in current policy, and co-create two prototype workflow changes to test in the next sprint.
The tools that do the workGoogle Docsjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Analyze information about alternative actions
+Map out the realistic alternative actions participants might take when faced with this policy change, list…
Analyze information about alternative actions
+Map out the realistic alternative actions participants might take when faced with this policy change, list the assumptions and political constraints behind each action, estimate likely short-term and long-term impacts on tax compliance, and highlight where organisational policy blocks viable options.
The tools that do the workIBM SPSS Statisticsjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Create simulations and predictive models
+Build behavior-driven simulations that model how different stakeholder groups will respond to the new levy,…
Create simulations and predictive models
+Build behavior-driven simulations that model how different stakeholder groups will respond to the new levy, specify input distributions from public finance data and company constraints, run predictive scenarios over twelve months, and report probabilities for the top three outcomes.
The tools that do the workIBM SPSS Statisticsjob descriptionsO*NET
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Break systems into components and analyze
+Decompose the service journey into people, tasks, tools, and policies, create a component map showing failure…
Break systems into components and analyze
+Decompose the service journey into people, tasks, tools, and policies, create a component map showing failure modes and information handoffs, and prioritise three components by risk to user trust and regulatory exposure.
The tools that do the workGoogle Docsjob descriptionsO*NET
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Optimize resource allocation and logistics
+Create an allocation plan that balances field researcher time, stakeholder interviews, and desk analysis…
Optimize resource allocation and logistics
+Create an allocation plan that balances field researcher time, stakeholder interviews, and desk analysis under our six-week timeline, flag where public finance approvals or procurement rules will delay tasks, and recommend resource shifts to keep recruitment on schedule.
The tools that do the workGoogle Docsjob descriptionsWikipedia
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The daily work17
Design models to represent real-world systems and scenarios
+Design a set of causal and agent-based models that map how citizens, tax offices, and municipal services…
Design models to represent real-world systems and scenarios
+Design a set of causal and agent-based models that map how citizens, tax offices, and municipal services interact under current rules, include stakeholder journeys, data sources, failure modes and three scenarios for 6, 12 and 36 months.
The tools that do the workIBM SPSS StatisticsWikipedia
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Integrate techniques from other mathematical sciences into problem-solving
+Integrate game theory, network analysis and probabilistic forecasting into the research plan so each method…
Integrate techniques from other mathematical sciences into problem-solving
+Integrate game theory, network analysis and probabilistic forecasting into the research plan so each method is linked to a concrete question, required dataset, expected output and a simple validation test with policy stakeholders.
The tools that do the workGitHubWikipedia
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Assess the effectiveness of operational strategies
+Assess three current operational strategies by mapping workflows, estimating costs and wait times from…
Assess the effectiveness of operational strategies
+Assess three current operational strategies by mapping workflows, estimating costs and wait times from administrative records, scoring outcomes against equity and efficiency metrics, then recommend one quick win and one structural change.
The tools that do the workGoogle DocsWikipedia
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Research and develop taxation policies and legislation
+Research proposed tax measures by compiling precedent legislation, modelling revenue and distributional…
Research and develop taxation policies and legislation
+Research proposed tax measures by compiling precedent legislation, modelling revenue and distributional impacts on households and businesses, annotate where enforcement or administrative constraints will shift projected outcomes.
The tools that do the workIBM SPSS StatisticsESCO
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Advise official bodies on policy implementation and financial operations
+Prepare an advisory brief for the council and treasury that lays out implementation steps, risk register,…
Advise official bodies on policy implementation and financial operations
+Prepare an advisory brief for the council and treasury that lays out implementation steps, risk register, cashflow implications and three governance options, and include stakeholder communication lines and decision deadlines for the next quarter.
The tools that do the workGoogle DocsESCO
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Conduct cost-benefit analysis
+Run a cost–benefit analysis comparing the pilot community visits versus a remote diary study for the new…
Conduct cost-benefit analysis
+Run a cost–benefit analysis comparing the pilot community visits versus a remote diary study for the new benefits journey, include upfront field costs, ongoing moderation, estimated policy compliance costs, and a two-year ROI for the service owner by next Wednesday.
The tools that do the workIBM SPSS Statisticsjob descriptions
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Develop and supply optimal networks for evaluation
+Design and supply three candidate participant networks for evaluation: a high-engagement veteran cohort, a…
Develop and supply optimal networks for evaluation
+Design and supply three candidate participant networks for evaluation: a high-engagement veteran cohort, a mixed-income household panel, and a front-line staff cluster, each with recruitment quotas, estimated attrition, and a staffing plan for a six-week study.
The tools that do the workGoogle Docsjob descriptions
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Prepare management reports
+Prepare a one-page management report for the head of service summarising last quarter's ethnography findings,…
Prepare management reports
+Prepare a one-page management report for the head of service summarising last quarter's ethnography findings, priorities for risk and compliance, budget variances, and three recommended decisions with deadlines for the executive meeting on Friday.
The tools that do the workGoogle Docsjob descriptions
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Specify computational methods for models
+Specify the computational methods for the behavior model: state-transition probabilities from coded session…
Specify computational methods for models
+Specify the computational methods for the behavior model: state-transition probabilities from coded session transcripts, bootstrapped confidence intervals, and a mixed-effects model to capture site-level policy variance, with required data schema and validation rules.
The tools that do the workIBM SPSS Statisticsjob descriptions
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Identify extreme values of real-world objectives like profit, performance, or yield
+Identify extreme outcome scenarios for the service: best-case uptake, worst-case drop in compliance, and…
Identify extreme values of real-world objectives like profit, performance, or yield
+Identify extreme outcome scenarios for the service: best-case uptake, worst-case drop in compliance, and maximum operating cost, show driver assumptions, breakeven thresholds, and sensitivity to policy and tax changes for the product team by Tuesday.
The tools that do the workIBM SPSS StatisticsWikipedia
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Solve problems related to minimizing loss, risk, or cost
+Solve the minimisation problem for fieldwork costs: propose a schedule and sample allocation that minimise…
Solve problems related to minimizing loss, risk, or cost
+Solve the minimisation problem for fieldwork costs: propose a schedule and sample allocation that minimise total spend subject to minimum statistical power, compliance constraints, and staff availability, and produce a clear cost table and trade-offs for the programme manager.
The tools that do the workIBM SPSS StatisticsWikipedia
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Define data requirements and validate information
+Define exactly which participant attributes, contextual notes, and metadata we must collect from field…
Define data requirements and validate information
+Define exactly which participant attributes, contextual notes, and metadata we must collect from field interviews in the municipal tax office so the dataset supports cross-analysis by policy area, role, and service channel, then validate completeness against the consent forms and recruitment logs.
The tools that do the workGoogle Docsjob descriptionsO*NET
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Analyze data to identify trends and patterns
+Run an exploratory analysis of interview transcripts and survey exports to surface recurring themes,…
Analyze data to identify trends and patterns
+Run an exploratory analysis of interview transcripts and survey exports to surface recurring themes, behavioral patterns, and outlier user journeys across frontline staff, policy teams, and taxpayers, and summarise trends with exemplar quotes and supporting counts.
The tools that do the workIBM SPSS Statisticsjob descriptionsWikipedia
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Develop decision support software or products
+Design the decision-support prototype requirements that translate ethnographic insights about clerk workflows…
Develop decision support software or products
+Design the decision-support prototype requirements that translate ethnographic insights about clerk workflows and policy constraints into prioritized features, decision rules, and data inputs so developers can estimate scope and compliance with tax legislation.
The tools that do the workGitHubGoogle Docsjob descriptionsWikipedia
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Develop and apply time and cost networks to plan, control, and review large projects.
+Build a time and cost network for the outreach programme by mapping activities from recruitment to follow-up,…
Develop and apply time and cost networks to plan, control, and review large projects.
+Build a time and cost network for the outreach programme by mapping activities from recruitment to follow-up, estimating durations and resource rates from past projects, and flagging critical paths and budget risks for the programme board review.
The tools that do the workGoogle DocsO*NET
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Develop business methods and procedures, including accounting systems, file systems, office systems, logistics systems, and production schedules.
+Draft and test new operating procedures that streamline ethnographic field capture, secure storage, and…
Develop business methods and procedures, including accounting systems, file systems, office systems, logistics systems, and production schedules.
+Draft and test new operating procedures that streamline ethnographic field capture, secure storage, and coding workflow, including roles, audit points, and accounting for reimbursable expenses to satisfy organisational policies and audit requirements.
The tools that do the workGoogle DocsO*NET
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Review research literature.
+Conduct a targeted literature review of recent ethnographies and service design reports on tax…
Review research literature.
+Conduct a targeted literature review of recent ethnographies and service design reports on tax administration, extract findings relevant to taxpayer behaviour and frontline workflows, and produce a two-page synthesis with citations and gaps for our study.
The tools that do the workGoogle DocsO*NET
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Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses
Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses