Senior Operations Research Scientist

Position:  Senior Operations Research/Data Scientist

Department: Technology 

Location: Berlin

Ready for a challenge?

Then Just Eat Takeaway.com might be the place for you. We’re a leading global online delivery platform, and our vision is to empower everyday convenience. 

Whether it’s a Friday-night feast, a post-gym poke bowl, or grabbing some groceries, our tech platform connects tens of millions of customers with hundreds of thousands of restaurant, grocery and convenience partners across the globe.

About this role 

As a Senior Operations Research & Data Scientist on the Assignments team, you will design, build, and deploy the algorithms and models that power our global delivery network.

This role bridges mathematical optimization and applied data science. You will combine exact optimization and heuristics with statistical learning and predictive models to improve real-time courier dispatching. Beyond theoretical modeling, you will own the full engineering lifecycle: writing clean, production-grade software, taking complex models to production, ensuring sub-second scalability, and monitoring model reliability in live environments. You will collaborate closely with fellow Scientists, Software Developers, and Product Managers to continuously optimize the speed, efficiency, and reliability of our logistics systems.

These are some of the key components to the position: 

• Comfortable working independently under general direction, while learning from more experienced team members on technique selection and production trade-offs.
• Expertise in formulation and resolution of combinatorial optimization problems, notably Mixed-Integer Programming (MIP), Vehicle Routing Problems (VRP), dynamic dispatching, and decomposition methods.
• Proficiency in designing and applying metaheuristics (e.g., ALNS, Genetic Algorithms, Local Search) to find high-quality solutions when exact methods face operational scaling and latency limits.
• Solid foundations in statistical modeling and machine learning (e.g., supervised learning, unsupervised learning, probabilistic modeling) to predict operational states, estimate dynamic parameters, and enhance solver decision-making.
• Hands-on experience modeling in Python using algebraic modeling languages or solver APIs (such as OR-Tools) alongside commercial and open-source solvers (e.g., Gurobi, SCIP), paired with modern data science libraries (e.g., NumPy, Pandas, Scikit-learn).
• Exceptional proficiency in Python with a solid grasp of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP), design patterns, type hinting, and writing clean, maintainable, and modular production code. Knowledge and experience with Java is a plus.
• Proven track record of deploying algorithms/models to live, high-throughput production environments; building robust telemetry for real-time monitoring of runtime, solution quality, model drift, and fallback reliability.
• Hands-on experience working with relational databases and writing SQL to query, inspect, and extract operational datasets for model development, benchmarking, and analysis.
• Experience in the logistics and last-mile delivery domain is highly beneficial.

What will you bring to the team?

• You intuitively understand complex operational constraints, contracts, and geographic intricacies over discrete time intervals.
• Ability to guide and develop junior scientists and foster team collaboration.
• From running historical benchmarks to managing the full lifecycle of models in live production.
• Ability to generate new ideas, test hypotheses rigorously using trace data, and pitch business improvements.
• Challenging current approaches, assumptions, and business impact to refine strategies for optimal operational results.
• Preference for simple, scalable, and effective solutions, particularly in complex projects.
• Expertise in agile environments with strong collaborative skills, bridging the gap between Data Science, Engineering, and Business.
• Excellent communication skills, translating complex concepts to technical and non-technical stakeholders alike.

At JET, this is how we play 

Our teams forge connections internally and work with some of the best-known brands on the planet, giving us truly international impact in a dynamic environment. 

Being the best at what we do isn’t just about delivering on our strategy. It's a competition for something incredibly valuable – our customers' choice. Every time a customer decides where to order, they're picking a side. 

At the heart of the JET Customer League are our values and behaviours. They guide every interaction, every decision, every innovation. These are the actions we need to perform consistently and brilliantly, to surpass the competition and earn our customers’ loyalty, again and again.  

Fun, fast-paced and supportive, the JET culture is about movement, growth, helping one another to succeed and celebrating wins. By truly living our values and embodying our behaviours, we’re building a customer-first culture which enables us to stay one step ahead of the competition.

Inclusion, Diversity & Belonging 

No matter who you are, what you look like, who you love, or where you are from, you can find your place at Just Eat Takeaway.com. We’re committed to creating an inclusive culture, encouraging diversity of people and thinking, in which all employees feel they truly belong and can bring their most colourful selves to work every day. 

What else are we delivering?

Want to know more about our JETers, culture or company? Have a look at our career site where you can find people's stories, blogs, podcasts and more JET journeys.

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