Senior Applied Scientist, Operations Research

The role

At HelloFresh, our mission is to change the way people eat - forever. From our 2011 founding in Europe’s vibrant tech hub Berlin, we’ve become the global market leader in the meal kit sector and inspire millions of energised home cooks across the globe every week.

Our operation planning team, located in Berlin and New York, is critical to what we do. From operation and supply chain optimization to forecasting, we work on challenging problems and have a high output of building and releasing features and engines that make our business thrive and deliver real financial impact.

As an Applied Scientist in Operations Researcher (OR), you will work together with a global, cross-functional team that is transforming supply chain management, from menu planning and procurement to production and logistics. In this role, you will play a vital part in enhancing and expanding our algorithmic planning capabilities. Your contributions will directly impact the efficiency and performance of our business operations.

What you’ll do

• Design, implement and evolve optimization models and decision-support tools for high-impact planning problems in the supply chain (e.g. assortment/menu structure, capacity, sourcing, fulfillment and network trade-offs, priorities will follow business needs).
• Drive adoption of globally developed optimization capabilities: localize assumptions, validate outputs against operational reality and coordinate staged roll-outs with stakeholders and engineering.
• Partner with engineering to productionize solvers, services and workflows; ensure ownership, runbooks, and monitoring are clear after launch.
• Build and maintain data pipelines and, where useful, dashboards so inputs, outputs, and KPIs stay transparent and we can iterate with measurable feedback.
• Spot gaps early: translate messy reality into robust, data-backed formulations and pragmatic solutions that hold up at scale.
• Collaborate across product, engineering, data, and commercial teams; represent the US planning perspective in global OR discussions so shared roadmaps stay fit for purpose.
• Champion a shared, optimization-aware, data-driven way of planning — without losing sight of simplicity and trust from business users.

What you’ll bring

• Master’s or PhD in Operations Research, Mathematics, Industrial Engineering, Management Science, or a closely related field.
• Deep knowledge of mathematical optimization and core OR methods (e.g. mixed-integer programming, decomposition and sound use of heuristics where appropriate).
• Hands-on experience with industrial solvers such as Gurobi, CPLEX, or comparable (commercial or open-source).
• Senior-level track record: Either 5+ years of relevant professional experience applying OR/optimization in industry, or a PhD plus 3+ years of post-PhD applied work, demonstrating shipped models or tools and clear ownership of outcomes.
• Strong Python and SQL for modelling, experimentation, and working with large operational datasets; familiarity with BI tools (e.g. Tableau) is a plus.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; you can explain trade-offs, build trust, and align priorities across levels.
• Autonomy and judgment: you prioritise under ambiguity, run several meaningful threads in parallel, and keep quality high as scope grows.

You’ll get…

• Competitive hourly rate, 401K company match that vests immediately upon participation, & team bonus opportunities
• Generous PTO and flexible attendance policy 
• Comprehensive health and wellness benefits with options at $0 monthly, effective first day of employment
• Up to 85% discount on subscriptions to HelloFresh meal plans (HelloFresh, Green Chef, Everyplate, and Factor_)   
• Access to Employee Resource Groups that are open to all employees, including those pertaining to BIPOC, women, veterans, parents, and LGBTQ+
• Inclusive, collaborative, and dynamic work environment within a fast-paced, mission-driven company that is disrupting the traditional food supply chain

This job description is intended to provide a general overview of the responsibilities. However, the Company reserves the right to adjust, modify, or reassign work tasks and responsibilities as needed to meet changing business needs, operational requirements, or other factors.