Network Planning Operational Research Expert

Amadeus North America•Dallas, TX

12h•Hybrid

About The Position

This role is a Senior Expert Individual Contributor within the Technical Expert career pathway. The position defines and drives enterprise‑level airline network optimization strategy, ensuring solutions are scalable, trusted, and applicable at full airline network scale. The role has material impact on Amadeus products, airline customer outcomes, and revenue, by shaping how airline planning problems are framed, optimized, and operationalized. The incumbent acts as a recognized authority in airline network planning optimization and contributes to knowledge sharing and technical leadership across Operations Research, Product, and Engineering teams. Scope & Impact Operates at enterprise / airline‑wide scale, influencing strategic and operational decision‑making Influences product strategy and roadmap through deep OR and airline domain expertise Impacts airline profitability, robustness, and operational performance Recognized internally and externally as a subject‑matter expert in airline network optimization No direct people management responsibility; influence is exercised through technical authority and thought leadership.

Requirements

PhD or MSc (or equivalent) in Operations Research, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related discipline
Minimum 10 years of experience in a relevant role, with strong exposure to airline network planning or large‑scale transportation optimization
Senior Individual Contributor mindset with demonstrated enterprise‑level impact
Airline Network Planning: Recognized expertise across: Full airline network & schedule design, Fleet assignment, aircraft routing, and connectivity modeling, Alliance and codeshare constraints, Profitability, robustness, and operational trade‑offs
Strong understanding of how network planning decisions directly impact airline P&L, beyond mathematical optimality.
Operations Research & Optimization: Expert‑level mastery of: Linear Programming (LP), Mixed‑Integer Programming (MIP), Network flow models at industrial scale
Proven ability to judge when not to apply MIP and select effective alternatives
Experience designing scalable, production‑ready optimization systems
Expertise & Thought Leadership – Recognized authority in a critical technical domain
Strategic Thinking – Connects technical decisions to long‑term business outcomes
Influence without Authority – Shapes decisions across teams through expertise
Customer Focus – Deep understanding of airline customer needs and operational realities

Responsibilities

Define and own optimization strategy for airline network planning at full‑network scale
Translate airline business objectives (profitability, growth, robustness, recoverability) into scalable optimization approaches
Challenge airline planning assumptions and influence how planners and stakeholders think about network trade‑offs
Ensure solutions are explainable, trusted, and operationally usable by airline customers
Drive algorithmic strategy, not just model implementation
Design and evolve large‑scale optimization approaches covering: Network & schedule design, Fleet assignment and aircraft routing, Connectivity, alliance, and codeshare constraints
Lead the selection of appropriate techniques, including: LP, MIP, and network flow models, Decomposition approaches, Hybrid exact + heuristic solutions for time‑critical planning
Define pragmatic approximations when exact optimization is not viable, without sacrificing business value
Act as a technical reference point for airline network planning optimization
Share expertise across OR, Product, and Engineering teams
Contribute to best practices, architectural decisions, and long‑term technical vision