Operations Analyst - Defense Analytics DARPA

We are seeking Operations Research Analysts to provide quantitative decision support for a portfolio of defense research and development activities.

Responsibilities

• Personnel roles apply analytical methods and modeling to inform financial, operational, and transition‑related decisions across the organization.
• (Narrative) As an Operations Research Analyst, you will use quantitative techniques to help leadership understand and manage complex programs.
• You will support analysis of budget plans, execution profiles, and trade‑off scenarios, helping to illuminate the implications of different funding and scheduling options.
• You will work with financial and program management staff to develop data‑driven insights that support planning, resource allocation, and execution monitoring.
• You will also analyze operational and tasking data to understand workload, throughput, and performance.
• By developing metrics, visualizations, and decision‑support tools, you will help leadership see where processes are working well and where adjustments may be needed.
• Your work will often involve pulling together information from multiple sources, structuring it for analysis, and presenting clear, actionable findings.
• In support of acquisition and transition activities, you will examine lifecycle and performance data to identify trends and potential areas for improvement.
• You may help assess how programs progress from early research through transition, applying quantitative methods to evaluate options, risks, and likely outcomes.
• Throughout, you will collaborate closely with program managers, acquisition analysts, financial analysts, and other stakeholders to ensure that analytic products are aligned with real‑world needs and are delivered in a format that supports effective decision‑making.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science, mathematics, or a related technical field.
• At least 4 years of experience in operations research or a closely related analytical discipline supporting large organizations.
• Experience gathering data and constructing mathematical or statistical models to describe systems and support decisions.
• Active Top Secret (TS) clearance required.
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills, including statistics, modeling, and/or optimization.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and familiarity with one or more analytical tools (e.g., MATLAB, R, Python) is highly desirable.
• Ability to translate complex analytic findings into clear, concise briefings and written products.

Preferred

• Qualifications Experience supporting Department of Defense financial, acquisition, or R&D organizations.
• Familiarity with defense planning, programming, budgeting, and execution (PPBE) processes and related data.