Associate Operations Research Scientist at Marriott International

Job Summary

Join our dynamic team at Marriott International, where you'll apply advanced computational techniques to develop innovative business solutions for data-intensive problems within the hospitality industry. This rewarding role offers you the chance to make a direct impact on Marriott hotels globally by creating tools that facilitate data-driven decision-making in pricing, revenue management, sales, and reservations.

As part of our Operations Research team, you'll support computationally-intensive data analysis and modeling efforts, provide technical expertise in pricing and statistical modeling, and deliver production support for systems used in our hotels. Your tasks will also include conducting undirected research on large datasets to derive business conclusions and recommendations, coding complex algorithms, and acting as a subject matter expert throughout the project lifecycle from inception to support. We seek a flexible, eager-to-learn candidate who brings unique perspectives to creatively solve challenges at Marriott.

Candidate Profile

Required Education and Experience

• Minimum 1-year experience in industrial or academic research, applying analytical and programming skills to complex mathematical modeling and/or systems development.
• At least 1-year experience in software development, including relational databases and engineering skills in distributed computing, object-oriented development, data cleansing, algorithms, and data structures.
• Undergraduate degree in Operations Research, Statistics, Mathematics, Data Science, Data Engineering, Computer Science, or a related rigorous, quantitative, technical, or scientific field.

Preferred Education and Experience

• Graduate or PhD degree in Operations Research.
• Proficiency in Python (pandas/Numpy/SciPy), Java or C/C++, and SQL at an advanced level.
• Experience with predictive modeling, forecasting, and statistical analysis on large-scale datasets.
• Familiarity with Big Data platforms (e.g., Hadoop), machine learning tools (e.g., k-nearest neighbors, random forests), optimization software (e.g., CPLEX, Gurobi), and SAS programming.
• Experience in developing analytic-driven solutions, understanding complex data sets, and debugging existing code.

Core Work Activities

Delivering Technology

• Provide input on solution structure, tasks, timelines, and estimates for revenue management deliverables.
• Partner with planning teams to articulate potential solutions to business problems and develop new models.
• Formulate methods for evaluating pricing and revenue management activities.
• Prepare detailed specifications for translating business processes into models and prototypes.
• Develop and implement scalable algorithms using appropriate technologies.
• Assist the Application Delivery teams in supporting and maintaining existing models.
• Conduct reviews and establish courses of action based on findings.

IT Governance

• Adhere to defined IT standards and processes and provide improvement suggestions as needed.
• Maintain a balance between business and operational risk.
• Follow established project management standards and processes.

Service Provider Management

• Validate and manage project plans, schedules, deliverables, and metrics with service providers.
• Utilize resources effectively and monitor service provider outcomes.
• Facilitate timely resolution of service delivery problems to minimize client impact.

Management Competencies

Leadership

• Communication: Convey information and ideas convincingly and engagingly through various methods.
• Leading Through Vision and Values: Keep the organization's vision and values at the forefront of decision-making and action.
• Managing Change: Initiate and manage change processes, overcoming barriers or accelerating the pace as needed.
• Problem Solving and Decision Making: Analyze issues, develop and evaluate solutions, and choose a course of action.
• Professional Demeanor: Exhibit confidence and command respect while representing the company.
• Strategy Development: Develop and execute business plans, focusing on opportunities with the greatest potential for positive results.

Managing Execution

• Building a Successful Team: