Senior Operational Research

Location: Bellevue, WA

Job Type: Full-time

Department: Industrial Engineering

About SHEIN

SHEIN is a global online fashion and lifestyle retailer, offering SHEIN branded apparel and products from a global network of vendors, all at affordable prices. Headquartered in Singapore, SHEIN remains committed to making the beauty of fashion accessible to all, promoting its industry-leading, on-demand production methodology, for a smarter, future-ready industry. Founded in 2012, SHEIN has more than 16,000 employees operating from offices around the world and continues to expand operations globally. Join SHEIN and be the future!

Position Summary

We are seeking a highly analytical and technically strong Operational Research Analyst to join our Industrial Engineering team to drive Warehouse Automation. This role is ideal for PhD students nearing graduation, recent PhD graduates, or candidates with advanced research experience in Operations Research, Industrial Engineering, Robotics, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, or related disciplines. In this role, you will focus on solving complex warehouse automation challenges through mathematical modeling, optimization algorithms, simulation, and data analysis, with a particular emphasis on robot path planning, routing optimization, system design, and operational efficiency improvement.

You will work closely with cross-functional teams including product, engineering, operations, and automation stakeholders to translate research and modeling insights into scalable solutions that improve throughput, labor productivity, space utilization, and overall warehouse performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and apply operations research models, optimization algorithms, and simulation methods to solve warehouse automation and logistics problems.
• Design and optimize robot path planning, task allocation, routing logic, and traffic control strategies for automated warehouse environments.
• Analyze warehouse workflows, operational constraints, and system bottlenecks to identify opportunities for improving throughput, efficiency, and resource utilization.
• Build mathematical models and decision-support tools for layout design, capacity planning, labor efficiency, order flow optimization, and automation system performance.
• Partner with product, software, and operations teams to translate business needs into quantitative problem statements and implementable solutions.
• Conduct experiments, scenario analysis, and simulation studies to evaluate system designs and compare alternative operational strategies.
• Use large-scale operational data to generate insights, validate assumptions, and continuously improve automation performance.
• Support the design and rollout of automation solutions by providing analytical recommendations on system configuration, process flow, and operational policy.
• Create clear documentation, reports, and presentations to communicate methodologies, findings, trade-offs, and recommendations to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Participate in cross-functional initiatives focused on cost reduction, space optimization, process improvement, productivity enhancement, and warehouse innovation.
• Stay informed on industry trends, emerging research, and best practices in warehouse robotics, automation, operations research, and intelligent logistics systems.

Qualifications

• PhD in Operations Research, Industrial Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, Applied Mathematics, Statistics, or a related quantitative field; or Master’s degree with strong relevant research and industry experience.
• Strong foundation in optimization, mathematical modeling, algorithms, simulation, and data analysis.
• Experience working on research or applied projects related to robotics, path planning, scheduling, routing, multi-agent systems, warehouse automation, or logistics optimization.
• Proficiency in programming and data analysis tools such as Python, SQL, Excel, and relevant scientific computing libraries.
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to structure ambiguous business problems into rigorous analytical frameworks.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to collaborate effectively across technical and operational teams.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and manage multiple priorities.

Benefits and Culture

• Healthcare (medical, dental, vision, prescription drugs)
• Health Savings Account with Employer Funding
• Flexible Spending Accounts (Healthcare and Dependent care)
• Company-Paid Basic Life/AD&D insurance
• Company-Paid Short-Term and Long-Term Disability
• Voluntary Benefit Offerings (Voluntary Life/AD&D, Hospital Indemnity, Critical Illness, and Accident)
• Employee Assistance Program
• Business Travel Accident Insurance
• 401(k) Savings Plan with discretionary company match and access to a financial advisor
• Vacation, paid holidays, floating holidays, and sick days
• Employee discounts
• Free weekly catered lunch
• Free swag giveaways
• Annual Holiday Party
• Invitations to pop-ups and other company events
• Complimentary daily office snacks and beverages

SHEIN is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse workplace environment.