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 record2
Present results to management
+Present the game-theoretic findings and three management recommendations to CEO Laura and CFO Miguel at…
Present results to management
+Present the game-theoretic findings and three management recommendations to CEO Laura and CFO Miguel at Tuesday’s 11am leadership meeting, include clear payoff tables, executive summary of political risks, and one slide on budget implications.
The tools that do the workGoogle Docsjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Collaborate with organization members
+Work with Head of Strategy Priya and policy lead Omar to draft a single coordinated response to stakeholder…
Collaborate with organization members
+Work with Head of Strategy Priya and policy lead Omar to draft a single coordinated response to stakeholder concerns, circulate the draft for comments by Thursday, then hold a 45-minute workshop to resolve disagreements.
The tools that do the workGitHubGoogle Docsjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Analysing4
Analyze information about alternative actions
+Analyze the payoff differences between sanctioning, bargaining, and realignment options for the new tax rule,…
Analyze information about alternative actions
+Analyze the payoff differences between sanctioning, bargaining, and realignment options for the new tax rule, run sensitivity checks for probability of compliance, and produce a ranked memo for Head of Tax policy by Friday.
The tools that do the workIBM SPSS Statisticsjob descriptionsO*NETWikipedia
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Create simulations and predictive models
+Build and validate dynamic simulations of actor responses to subsidy removal, include baseline and high-risk…
Create simulations and predictive models
+Build and validate dynamic simulations of actor responses to subsidy removal, include baseline and high-risk scenarios, calibrate parameters to last three years’ fiscal data, and deliver reproducible model and results to modeling team lead.
The tools that do the workC++Linuxjob descriptionsO*NET
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Break systems into components and analyze
+Decompose the procurement-rebate system into actors, information flows, and incentive constraints, map…
Break systems into components and analyze
+Decompose the procurement-rebate system into actors, information flows, and incentive constraints, map failure points for compliance and propose three structural fixes with expected fiscal impact estimates.
The tools that do the workExtensible markup language XMLjob descriptionsO*NET
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Optimize resource allocation and logistics
+Create an allocation plan that maximizes social welfare under the current budget cap, model logistics…
Optimize resource allocation and logistics
+Create an allocation plan that maximizes social welfare under the current budget cap, model logistics trade-offs between three distribution networks, and produce a one-page dashboard showing marginal benefit per dollar for procurement.
The tools that do the workApache Hadoopjob descriptionsWikipedia
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The daily work17
Define data requirements and validate information
+Specify the datasets and field-level definitions I need to test candidate strategic-interaction models for…
Define data requirements and validate information
+Specify the datasets and field-level definitions I need to test candidate strategic-interaction models for the municipal tax reform case, verify provenance and missingness, and flag fields that violate our data-retention and confidentiality rules before analysis.
The tools that do the workAmazon Redshiftjob descriptionsO*NET
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Analyze data to identify trends and patterns
+Run exploratory analysis on the voter behaviour and budget allocation tables to surface recurring strategic…
Analyze data to identify trends and patterns
+Run exploratory analysis on the voter behaviour and budget allocation tables to surface recurring strategic patterns, compute summary statistics by region and income decile, and produce annotated charts highlighting shifts over the last five fiscal years for the policy team.
The tools that do the workIBM SPSS Statisticsjob descriptionsWikipedia
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Develop decision support software or products
+Prototype a decision-support module that scores policy options by expected equilibrium outcomes, implements…
Develop decision support software or products
+Prototype a decision-support module that scores policy options by expected equilibrium outcomes, implements sensitivity sweeps over participation rates and elasticities, and packages the result as an API for the policy modelling team to call.
The tools that do the workC++GitHubjob descriptionsWikipedia
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Develop and apply time and cost networks to plan, control, and review large projects.
+Construct time and cost networks for the statewide program rollout, map tasks to resource constraints and…
Develop and apply time and cost networks to plan, control, and review large projects.
+Construct time and cost networks for the statewide program rollout, map tasks to resource constraints and regulatory milestones, compute critical paths and slack, and produce a project log for quarterly reviews with finance and legal.
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.
+Design a set of business procedures for the policy modelling unit covering accounting of project funds, file…
Develop business methods and procedures, including accounting systems, file systems, office systems, logistics systems, and production schedules.
+Design a set of business procedures for the policy modelling unit covering accounting of project funds, file naming and archival rules, clearance workflows, and a logistics flow for data requests that complies with our finance and records policies.
The tools that do the workLinuxO*NET
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Review research literature.
+Collect and summarise the latest game-theory literature on public-good provision and tax compliance, annotate…
Review research literature.
+Collect and summarise the latest game-theory literature on public-good provision and tax compliance, annotate methodological strengths and gaps relevant to our revenue forecasts, and recommend three papers to prioritise for replication.
The tools that do the workGitHubO*NET
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Conduct cost-benefit analysis
+Run a cost–benefit analysis of extending the congestion charge to inner suburbs using last three years of…
Conduct cost-benefit analysis
+Run a cost–benefit analysis of extending the congestion charge to inner suburbs using last three years of revenue and compliance data, include tax-transfer effects, present net present values and policy risks to the finance director by Tuesday.
The tools that do the workIBM SPSS Statisticsjob descriptions
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Develop and supply optimal networks for evaluation
+Design three candidate network structures for the city transit subsidy program that maximize social welfare…
Develop and supply optimal networks for evaluation
+Design three candidate network structures for the city transit subsidy program that maximize social welfare under budget caps, simulate strategic commuter responses, and deliver adjacency matrices plus short rationale to the transport policy team by Friday.
The tools that do the workC++job descriptions
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Prepare management reports
+Prepare a one-page management report summarising model forecasts, key assumptions, scenario comparisons, and…
Prepare management reports
+Prepare a one-page management report summarising model forecasts, key assumptions, scenario comparisons, and recommended decision thresholds for the executive committee meeting next Wednesday.
The tools that do the workGoogle Docsjob descriptions
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Specify computational methods for models
+Specify the computational methods for the new bargaining model: equilibrium concept, solution algorithm,…
Specify computational methods for models
+Specify the computational methods for the new bargaining model: equilibrium concept, solution algorithm, convergence criteria, and required data preprocessing so the modelling team can code and validate within two weeks.
The tools that do the workGitHubjob descriptions
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Identify extreme values of real-world objectives like profit, performance, or yield
+Estimate the maximum achievable profit and minimum feasible social cost for the proposed tax shift, report…
Identify extreme values of real-world objectives like profit, performance, or yield
+Estimate the maximum achievable profit and minimum feasible social cost for the proposed tax shift, report the parameter sensitivities and binding constraints, and send results to the policy director by Monday afternoon.
The tools that do the workIBM SPSS StatisticsWikipedia
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Solve problems related to minimizing loss, risk, or cost
+Formulate and solve the loss-minimisation problem for the pension fund under regulatory limits, produce the…
Solve problems related to minimizing loss, risk, or cost
+Formulate and solve the loss-minimisation problem for the pension fund under regulatory limits, produce the optimal asset allocation, expected shortfall at 99 percent, and a brief implementation note for the CIO by Thursday.
The tools that do the workC++Wikipedia
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Design models to represent real-world systems and scenarios
+Build a concise set of strategic models that map firm incentives, regulatory constraints and tax rules to…
Design models to represent real-world systems and scenarios
+Build a concise set of strategic models that map firm incentives, regulatory constraints and tax rules to likely equilibrium behaviours in the urban transport market, then flag assumptions that conflict with council procurement policy.
The tools that do the workC++Wikipedia
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Integrate techniques from other mathematical sciences into problem-solving
+Take techniques from network theory and stochastic control and graft them onto our auction and bargaining…
Integrate techniques from other mathematical sciences into problem-solving
+Take techniques from network theory and stochastic control and graft them onto our auction and bargaining frameworks to test how municipal budget cycles change bidding behaviour over a five-year horizon.
The tools that do the workGitHubWikipedia
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Assess the effectiveness of operational strategies
+Evaluate the current operational strategy for toll collection by comparing predicted revenue, enforcement…
Assess the effectiveness of operational strategies
+Evaluate the current operational strategy for toll collection by comparing predicted revenue, enforcement costs and compliance rates under the proposed changes, and produce a short memo for the finance director with risk-ranked recommendations.
The tools that do the workIBM SPSS StatisticsWikipedia
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Research and develop taxation policies and legislation
+Draft a policy note that models the incidence and behavioural responses to the proposed corporate tax…
Research and develop taxation policies and legislation
+Draft a policy note that models the incidence and behavioural responses to the proposed corporate tax amendment, quantify distributional impacts across income brackets, and list where the draft law conflicts with existing national tax statutes.
The tools that do the workGoogle DocsESCO
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Advise official bodies on policy implementation and financial operations
+Prepare an advisory brief for the parliamentary implementation team that translates model outputs into…
Advise official bodies on policy implementation and financial operations
+Prepare an advisory brief for the parliamentary implementation team that translates model outputs into cashflow implications for the next two budget cycles and gives three operational steps to align treasury processes with the new policy.
The tools that do the workGoogle DocsESCO
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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