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Operations Research Engineer Jobs in Chicago, IL

Acceler8 Talent

Research Engineer

Mundelein, IL · On-site

$300K/yr

Founding Research Engineer - AI & Defence 📍 San Francisco | Onsite I'm working with a highly ... operation. This is not conventional cybersecurity, vulnerability research or zero-day hunting. The ...

Ulta Beauty

Sr Engineer, Cloud Operations

Bolingbrook, IL · On-site

$106K - $140K/yr

We are seeking a Senior CloudOps Engineer with deep expertise in Cloud Operations, DevOps practices ... Research: Within given research goals, assists in selection and review of credible and reliable ...

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All JobsOperations Research Engineer JobsOperations Research Engineer Jobs in Chicago, IL

Operations Research Engineer information

See Chicago, IL salary details

$37.1K

$87.6K

$139.1K

How much do operations research engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 24, 2026, the average yearly pay for operations research engineer in Chicago, IL is $87,592.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $71,600.00 and $96,800.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does an operations research engineer do?

An Operations Research Engineer applies mathematical modeling, statistical analysis, and optimization techniques to solve complex business and engineering problems. They use data-driven decision-making to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance system performance in industries such as logistics, manufacturing, finance, and transportation. By leveraging algorithms, simulations, and predictive analytics, they help organizations make informed decisions. Their work often involves programming, data analysis, and collaboration with cross-functional teams to implement practical solutions.

What does a typical day look like for an operations research engineer?

A typical day for an Operations Research Engineer involves identifying operational challenges, gathering and analyzing data, developing mathematical models, and simulating scenarios to propose improvements. You will often collaborate closely with cross-functional teams—including data scientists, engineers, and business managers—to understand requirements and implement optimal solutions. Expect to spend time both independently conducting research and attending meetings to present your findings and receive feedback. The role provides a good balance of technical work, problem-solving, and teamwork, making each day dynamic and intellectually engaging.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an operations research engineer?

To excel as an Operations Research Engineer, you need a solid grounding in mathematics, statistics, optimization, and analytical problem-solving, typically supported by a relevant engineering or quantitative degree. Proficiency with tools such as MATLAB, Python, R, CPLEX, or simulation software, as well as familiarity with data analysis platforms, is commonly required. Strong communication, teamwork, and adaptability are vital soft skills for presenting findings and collaborating across multidisciplinary teams. Mastery of these abilities is crucial to developing effective solutions that improve operational efficiency in complex business environments.

What are the most commonly searched types of Operations Research Engineer jobs in Chicago, IL?

The most popular types of Operations Research Engineer jobs in Chicago, IL are:

What are popular job titles related to Operations Research Engineer jobs in Chicago, IL?

For Operations Research Engineer jobs in Chicago, IL, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Operations Research Engineer jobs in Chicago, IL look for?

The top searched job categories for Operations Research Engineer jobs in Chicago, IL are:

Operations Research Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Operations Research Engineer job openings in Chicago, IL as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 67% Full Time, and 33% Contract. Highlights an 67% In-person, and 33% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $87,592 per year, or $42.1 per hour.

Research Engineer

Mundelein, IL • On-site

Acceler8 Talent
See more jobs at Acceler8 Talentexternal

$300K/yr

Other

Posted 9 days ago

Job description

Founding Research Engineer - AI & Defence


📍 San Francisco | Onsite


I’m working with a highly ambitious defense AI startup building technology to detect and conduct a novel class of AI-powered cyber operation. This is not conventional cybersecurity, vulnerability research or zero-day hunting.


The technical challenge sits much closer to elite quantitative research, market microstructure and applied machine learning.


You’ll work with petabyte-scale, multimodal time-series data refreshing in under one second, helping build the full prediction and learning stack:


→ Stream and capture continuously refreshing data at scale

→ Convert noisy, often ungrounded signals into useful representations

→ Model the future behaviour of actors within complex environments

→ Combine classical statistical methods with deep learning and transformers

→ Build agents that learn new strategies from sparse, long-horizon reward signals

→ Shape the technical direction of the company as an early engineering hire


The strongest candidates will be highly quantitative, empirically minded and comfortable working on ambiguous research problems. You may currently be a Quantitative Researcher or Quantitative Developer within a top systematic trading environment.


Relevant backgrounds could also include:


• Systematic trading and market microstructure

• Applied mathematics or statistics

• Signal processing

• Machine learning and sequential modelling

• Computational social science

• Intelligence or national-security technology


Prior cybersecurity experience is not required.


The company is already revenue-generating, has more than 18 months of runway and is backed by leading seed investors. The founding team has built and exited multiple companies, collectively returning more than $1B to investors.


Its advisory network includes senior military leaders and former White House advisors.

This is an opportunity to join a small, high-agency team working on problems with direct defense and intelligence relevance, where the earliest hires will influence both the core technology and how it is deployed.


Base salaries up to $300k + Significant equity for founding Engineers


No export controls, but you will need to either be a Green Card holder or US citizen to apply.


Apply to Ethan to find out more

elewis@acceler8talent.com

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