Senior Numerical Optimization Engineer
$191,000–$253,000 year
On-siteCosta Mesa, California, United States
Job Summary
Develop manufacturing precedence graphs from 3D CAD geometry and bills of materials using constraint solvers and graph algorithms. Build production scheduling systems that replan operations in under 10 minutes when disruptions occur via mixed-integer programming and metaheuristics. Partner with factory operators to translate workflows into mathematical models and deploy optimization engines on edge compute clusters within OT networks. Formulate and solve large-scale problems using Gurobi, CPLEX, and OR-Tools to optimize makespan and resource utilization. Perform rigorous validation ensuring sub-10-minute replanning times at production scale while joining an on-call rotation for factory systems. Collaborate with data engineers to integrate engines with real-time streams and enterprise platforms like PLM and MES.
Required Qualifications
- 5+ years of experience in a software engineering role building production systems, ideally in a fast-paced environment.
- Deep expertise in numerical optimization, including linear programming, mixed-integer linear programming, constraint programming, combinatorial optimization, or metaheuristics.
- Strong technical fluency in modern software architectures, APIs, distributed systems, CI/CD, and cloud or edge infrastructure.
- Expert proficiency in Python for scientific computing and robust software development, with strong foundations in numerical computing libraries (NumPy, SciPy, Pandas).
- Hands-on experience with optimization libraries and commercial/open-source solvers (e.g., Gurobi, CPLEX, OR-Tools, SCIP, PuLP, CVXPY, Pyomo).
- Strong theoretical and practical understanding of constraint satisfaction, graph algorithms, and computational complexity analysis.
- Experience building systems that must operate reliably under real-world operational constraints (high availability, low latency, or constrained environments).
- Demonstrated ability to formulate real-world problems as mathematical optimization models and implement production-grade solutions.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to collaborate across engineering, manufacturing, and operations teams.
- Degree in Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, Operations Research, Industrial Engineering, or related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
- U.S. Person status is required as this position needs to access export controlled data.
Desired Qualifications
- Experience in manufacturing, industrial, or OT-adjacent domains (MES, SCADA, PLC integration, factory automation, IoT).
- Master's or Ph.D. in Operations Research, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Industrial Engineering, or closely related quantitative field.
- Hands-on experience with computational geometry algorithms, CAD/CAM systems (STEP, IGES, OpenCASCADE), or 3D modeling APIs for manufacturing applications.
- Experience with production scheduling, job shop scheduling, resource-constrained project scheduling (RCPSP), or manufacturing optimization.
- Background in graph algorithms, network flow optimization, or precedence-constrained scheduling problems.
- Experience with heuristic and metaheuristic algorithms (genetic algorithms, simulated annealing, tabu search, ant colony optimization) for large-scale scheduling problems.
- Familiarity with frontier AI tooling, AI coding assistants, and AI-enabled software development workflows.
- Experience in hyper-growth startup-like environments, with demonstrated success balancing speed, ambiguity, and long-term system health.
- Familiarity with enterprise systems such as ERP, MES, WMS, PLM, or advanced planning and scheduling (APS) systems.
- Experience with performance-critical programming languages such as C++, Rust, or Java for optimization kernels.
- Experience in manufacturing industries with hands-on exposure to assembly lines, shipbuilding, aerospace, or complex discrete manufacturing.
- Knowledge of Bill of Materials (BOM) structures, manufacturing routing, work centers, and production planning concepts.
- Experience with real-time optimization, online algorithms, or dynamic rescheduling under uncertainty.
- Eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret security clearance.
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