Overview

SITA is a integral technology and communications solutions provider for the air transport industry, operating in 95% of international airports. We partner with airlines and government agencies to keep operations running smoothly and innovate across airports and airspace.

Position Purpose

As an Optimization Scientist, you will apply operations research and mathematical optimization to design and build engines that recover airline operations from disruption. Your work will transform hours of manual replanning into minutes of high‑quality, automated recovery decisions, enabling airlines to manage and recover from operational disruptions efficiently.

Key Responsibilities

Own a disruption‑recovery solver pipeline end‑to‑end—from mathematical formulation to production code.

Translate airline‑specific rules and constraints (crew legality, aircraft routing, passenger re‑accommodation) into solver formulations.

Validate solver solutions against real disruption cases while collaborating closely with Solutions Experts.

Maintain solution‑quality and runtime KPIs, balancing solution quality with solve time.

Extend solver capabilities and ship new optimization functionality as the product evolves.

Collaborate with Back‑End and Data Engineering teams to integrate solver outputs into the live product.

Build deep airline‑operations domain knowledge and use it to improve formulations.

Qualifications

Strong foundation in mathematical optimization and operations research, with depth in linear programming, mixed‑integer programming, network flow algorithms, large‑scale optimization techniques, or meta‑heuristics.

Hands‑on experience with solvers such as Gurobi, CPLEX, or SCIP.

Proficiency in Python and SQL, experience with Git, and ability to write production‑ready code.





Ability to translate complex business rules into algorithms.

Comfort at the intersection of mathematical theory and engineering, bridging OR theory and production code.

Self‑directed with the capacity to ramp up new domain knowledge independently.

Detail‑oriented—capable of debugging solver behavior with precision.

Systems thinking: understanding how formulation choices affect solver performance end‑to‑end.

Degree in Operations Research, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Industrial Engineering, or a related quantitative field (MSc or PhD is a plus).

Additional Skills

Knowledge of airline operations management and the operational, commercial, and customer‑service challenges faced by airlines.

Experience with column generation or decomposition methods.

Proficiency in C++ programming.

Familiarity with airline operations such as IROPs, crew legality rules, aircraft rotations, or passenger rebooking.

Benefits

Flex Week: Work from home up to 2 days per week (dependent on team needs).

Flex Day: Adapt work schedule to suit personal life and plans.

Flex‑Location: Take up to 30 days a year to work from any location worldwide.

Employee Wellbeing: 24/7 Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for employees and dependents; Champion Health platform for wellbeing needs.

Professional Development: Access to world‑class learning platforms, including LinkedIn Learning, Microsoft Enterprise Skills Initiative, Pluralsight, Harvard Business Publishing, Stanford, and more.

Competitive benefits that align with local market and employment status.

EEO Statement

SITA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value a diverse workforce and encourage women, aboriginal people, members of visible minorities, and/or persons with disabilities to apply and self‑identify during the application process.

📌 Optimization Specialist (Madrid)
🏢 Jobtome
📍 Madrid