Operational Researcher

The Operational Research Group - who we are and what we do!

We are a small, specialist team within HEOR sitting at the intersection of mathematical modelling, data science, and health economics. Our work is genuinely unusual: we build novel quantitative solutions to complex problems in healthcare. We are looking for an innovative problem solver - if you enjoy tackling complex problems and creating innovative solutions – then our operational research group (ORG) could be the place for you to develop your career.

We focus on three key areas:

• Deliver innovative, rigorous solutions to client challenges

• Develop new modelling paradigms and challenging the field to think differently

• Drive quality and efficiency across HEOR through new analytical tools, automation, and data-driven decision-making
  

We work with differential equations, optimisation algorithms, simulation frameworks, and bespoke software, applied to real decisions in drug development, value demonstration, and healthcare delivery.

You’ll work across a varied portfolio of projects: some client-facing (building models that underpin major healthcare decisions), some internal (designing tools that improve how HEOR operates), and some genuinely novel (developing new methodological approaches and contributing to published thought leadership).

Day to day, you might be:

• Translating a complex clinical or economic decision problem into a mathematical or computational model

• Building R or Python backends and R Shiny frontends for client-facing decision tools

• Applying optimisation techniques and data visualisation to communicate solutions to non-technical audiences

• Collaborating with economists, epidemiologists, and clinicians to define and solve problems across therapy areas

• Support the redesign how we model diseases using AI

• Developing AI agents

• Contributing to proposals, publications, and conference presentations that push HEOR’s methodological frontier

• Developing training resources and analytical frameworks that raise the technical bar across HEOR

Requirements

We are looking for someone with a strong quantitative foundation, intellectual curiosity, and the drive to apply rigorous methods to messy real-world problems. You’re comfortable operating in ambiguity, confident stepping outside your comfort zone, and motivated by doing work that genuinely matters.

You’ll need:

• A PhD in a quantitative discipline, or equivalent experience - mathematics, physics, engineering, operational research, or a closely related STEM field

• Fluency in at least one of R, Python, or MATLAB, and experience using version control (git)

• Strong interest in agentic models and AI assisted working

• Experience with numerical modelling, differential equations, or algorithm development

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills: the ability to structure an ambiguous problem, select appropriate methods, and deliver a rigorous solution

• Clear written and verbal communication, you can translate complex quantitative work for non-specialist audiences

• The initiative to work independently and the collaborative instinct to work effectively across a wide range of colleagues and clients

Benefits

Competitive compensation and benefits package, including:

• A ‘learning’ culture focused on personal development and supported by study bursaries
• Workplace pension scheme
• Range of high street, supermarket, restaurant, gym membership, holiday and entertainment discounts via Sodexho
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee assistance programme
• Employees are given an additional day of leave for: their wedding and moving house
• Annual leave purchase scheme of up to 10 additional days’ leave per year

If you would like to request any reasonable adjustment, for any part of the recruitment process (including application), please let us know by emailing [email protected]