Operations Research Specialist

Who We Are

Join a Global Leader with Local Impact!

Are you ready to make a difference with a leading company that has a global footprint and a strong local presence? Actlabs, a prominent Canadian privately-owned analytical laboratory services provider, has been at the forefront of the industry in Canada and around the globe for over 30 years. With operations across Canada and the globe, we bring our world-class expertise to a diverse range of industries, including mining and mineral exploration, agriculture, cannabis, environmental, occupational health, forensics, life sciences, manufacturing, and petroleum.

We are investing in the future, implementing innovative strategies to maintain our leadership and strengthen our impact across the sectors we serve. This is an exciting opportunity for dynamic individuals who want to be part of an established and rapidly growing company.

At Actlabs, we are dedicated to fostering the growth and development of our team members, both professionally and personally. If you are passionate about continuous improvement and eager to contribute to a thriving organization, we would love to have you join our team!

Job Title: Operations Research Specialist

About the Role:

• The Operations Research Specialist will develop and implement the mathematical optimization algorithm for the scheduling of laboratory operations;
• Work with users of the algorithm to improve utilization and get feedback for algorithm improvement/assess algorithm effectiveness;
• Work with Actlabs software development team to ensure the algorithm gets the required inputs, and outputs are appropriate.

Responsibilities:

• Development of an optimization-based scheduling tool that takes into account large-scale optimization problems.
• Connecting with multiple teams, such as IT and analytical services experts, to develop the most appropriate model to satisfy the scheduling needs of multiple facilities.
• Implement and test the developed solution, integrating with IT infrastructure.
• Be responsible for the migration of academic prototype to an in-house solution that becomes a standalone software used for scheduling.
• Provide support and maintenance for the developed software.
• Provide training for staff in terms of use of the software as needed.

About You

Education Required:

• PhD in Operations Research, Industrial Engineering, Mathematics, or a related field.
• PhD or D. Sc. in Computer Science.
• Post Doctoral Fellowship covering Algorithms, Optimization, multiscale modelling and process systems is considered an asset.

Experience Required:

• At least 3 years of development of multi-site scheduling algorithms.
• At least 3 years of development of personnel allocation for scheduling algorithms.
• 3+ years of experience in working with scheduling-type optimization problems.
• At least 3 years of development scheduling algorithms for laboratory operations applications, with preference to commercial laboratory operations.
• At least 3 years of experience working with industrial partners, scientists, and engineers.
• 5+ years of experience in working with practical solutions of mathematical optimization problems.

Other Requirements:

• Solid expertise in discrete optimization.
• Expertise in solution of large-scale mixed integer programming problems. Particular expertise in column generation approaches is desired but not required.
• Experience using constraint programming approaches to optimization.
• Strong technical expertise and deep knowledge of formulating and solving mathematical optimization problems such as LP, NLP, MINLP, CP, etc., with over 5 years of hands-on experience using commercial optimization solvers like CPLEX, Gurobi, FICO Xpress, or others.
• Working knowledge and experience in analytic tools such as Python, R, Julia, and/or Matlab.
• Expert knowledge of Computer programming languages. Particular expertise in Julia programming language, and in particular solving mathematical optimization problems with JuMP, is desired but not required.
• Knowledge in data visualization tools like Power BI is considered an asset.
• Ability to summarize findings and prepare business reports/presentations for diverse audience groups.
• Proven experience applying decomposition techniques to large-scale optimization problems.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate complex operations into effective simulation models.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present technical concepts and results to non-technical stakeholders.
• Solid coding and problem-solving skills, experience with real-world data.
• Strong oral and written communicator, able to convey complex ideas in simple terms.
• Significant experience in interfacing with non-technical experts in optimization and process systems.
• Strong ability to work cross-functionally, effectively gathering or giving feedback.
• Expertise in Linux, shell scripting, and Git.
• Research operations knowledge combined with prior management skills and the ability to supervise/handle multiple tasks at one time is critical.
• Need leadership capabilities to motivate others, initiate projects, make decisions, and effectively solve problems.
• Ability to work in a multidisciplinary team.

What We Offer:

• Competitive Salary: We value your expertise and offer a competitive salary package.
• Career Development: Opportunities for professional growth and career advancement.

Join us and become part of a dynamic and professional team where your skills and contributions are valued and rewarded. Apply now and take the next step in your career with us!

We celebrate diversity and are committed to an inclusive workplace environment for all employees. Actlabs is proud to be an equal opportunity work environment.

Please note that applicants applying for Canadian job positions must be authorized to work in Canada.

We thank all applicants for their interest, but only those considered for an interview will be contacted.

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits:

• Dental care
• Extended health care
• Life insurance
• On-site parking
• Paid time off
• Vision care

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Ancaster, ON: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

Education:

• Post-Doctorate (required)

Work Location: In person