Operational Research Manager

Drive real operational impact by delivering models that improve performance, cost, and decision-making at scale
Full time, permanent opportunity based at our Jetstar Headquarters
Access to a range of employee benefits, including our staff travel program

At Jetstar, we’re transforming airline operations through optimisation and decision science — and this role sits at the centre of it

We’re looking for a Manager, Operational Research to lead the development of advanced decision-support models that power smarter, faster, and more consistent operational decision-making across our Jetstar Operations Control Centre (JOCC).

This is a unique opportunity to establish Operational Research (OR) as a core discipline at Jetstar, building a long-term, compounding analytical capability that transforms how we solve complex operational problems.

Working within Operations Delivery, you’ll stay close to real-world challenges while partnering closely with our Technology, Data & Analytics teams to bring sophisticated models into production and daily use.

In this role, you will:

Lead the design and evolution of optimisation, simulation and predictive models (e.g. tail assignment, recovery, delay prediction).
Own the end-to-end model lifecycle, from problem framing through to deployment including defining system architecture, building validation and testing frameworks, and establishing logging and monitoring for production models.
Build a connected suite of models where outputs inform downstream decisions, progressing toward a network digital twin.
Ensure models are robust, auditable and trusted through strong validation, documentation, and performance frameworks.
Drive adoption by embedding model outputs into JOCC workflows and decision-making processes.

You’ll bring:

Proven experience building and deploying decision-support models (optimisation, simulation, predictive) in production environments.
Hands-on experience with mathematical optimisation solvers (e.g. Gurobi, CPLEX) including formulating MIP, LP, or CP models from scratch — not just configuring off-the-shelf tools.
Strong Python engineering skills including model productionisation, API design, and deployment infrastructure (e.g. Docker, containerised workers, REST APIs).
Strong software engineering capability within OR — comfortable owning the full stack from model logic through to deployed systems (not solely BI, analytics, or consulting)
Ability to translate complex operational problems into scalable model solutions and manage the full lifecycle.
Experience working with cloud data platforms (e.g. Snowflake or similar).
Demonstrated people leadership through developing and leading technical talent.
Strong stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to translate technical outputs into clear business insights.
This is a rare role that combines technical depth with leadership — you'll need to be as comfortable in a codebase as you are in a boardroom.
This is a deeply hands-on technical leadership role — you will be expected to write, own, and evolve model code in production, not manage vendors or oversee work produced by others.

Your Life At Jetstar Is Unlike Any Other.

Put the craft in aircraft: There’s a new fleet of A321LR NEO’s waiting for your arrival. Beyond Jetstar, our teams get exposure to projects related to the Qantas Group’s A320/1, B787 and A321 Freighters.

Live the travel dream: You and your nominated travel companions can takeoff more with our famous Qantas Group Staff Travel discount.

Make work feel like a holiday: Join a fun, driven team where work feels like a holiday. Our people take every opportunity to takeoff together and find ways to help their teammates soar.

There’s a place for everyone at Jetstar: For us, travel and meeting new people go hand in hand. We invite our people to get involved in various Employee Network Groups that play an important role in creating our inclusive and supportive culture that we are fiercely proud of. We believe that teams with a diversity of ideas and experiences are more creative, innovative and solve problems quickly. We welcome applications from anyone who wants to takeoff with us. If you have support or access requirements, just reach out and let us know what you need.

We’re Jetstar. Let’s takeoff together.

Applications close on 22nd July 2026.