Operations Research Analyst

Job Description

Operations Research Analyst | U.S. Customs and Border Protection

The Tone:
This is a full-time role at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, located in Washington, DC, with potential for selections in other organizational divisions and units. U.S. Customs and Border Protection secures the nation’s borders by enforcing trade and travel regulations, screening passengers and shipments, seizing illegal goods, and preventing unauthorized entry. This position plays a critical role by applying advanced operations research concepts, statistics, and scientific methods to identify and resolve complex challenges, acting as an expert analyst and advisor to management to achieve organizational goals.

The TL;DR
• Role: Expert-level
• Type: Full-time
• Location: In-person, Washington, DC
• Pay: $143913–$187093 yearly
• Team: Office of Field Operations, Innovation and Strategy Directorate, advising management
• Mission: Identify and solve a variety of complex challenges germane to OFO’s solution support.

What You’ll Actually Do
• Apply Advanced Methods: Utilize advanced concepts of operations research, statistics, and scientific techniques to identify and resolve complex challenges supporting the Office of Field Operations (OFO).
• Perform Analysis and Reporting: Conduct quantitative and qualitative analysis, ensure data quality, and develop graphics and reports based on the interpretation of operational and management program statistics.
• Provide Expert Advice: Serve as an expert analyst and advisor to management by preparing and presenting technical briefings, white papers, and executive summaries to achieve OFO’s objectives.
• Manage Contractual Efforts: Oversee and manage contractual efforts that support various operations research projects.
• Develop Senior Leadership Solutions: Examine existing challenges and develop new solutions for OFO senior leadership while liaising with federal, state, and local agencies for information exchange and collaboration.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Possess a degree in operations research; or at least 24 semester hours in a combination of operations research, mathematics, probability, statistics, mathematical logic, science, or subject-matter courses requiring substantial competence in college-level mathematics or statistics, with at least 3 of those semester hours in calculus.
• Experience: A minimum of one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level, which includes conducting operations research projects using advanced concepts like modeling, simulation, gap analysis, forecasting, and trend identification from large data sets. This experience also involves developing and implementing analytical tools, models, or dashboards for strategic planning and operational decision support, and preparing detailed technical reports and briefings for senior leaders. Additionally, serving as a technical advisor for complex analytical studies, defining objectives, developing designs, and formulating data-driven recommendations is required.
• Skills: Advanced operations research methodologies (modeling, simulation, gap analysis, forecasting, trend identification), quantitative and qualitative analysis, data quality assurance, technical report writing, and presenting complex findings to senior leadership.