Forest Operations Research Scientist

Weyerhaeuser is searching for a Forest Operations Research Scientist to join our Quantitative Systems & Inventory team. As a member of the Quantitative Systems and Inventory Department (QSI) you will work on a diverse range of projects in the domains of harvest scheduling, quantitative silviculture, economic modeling and growth and yield modeling. As a Forest Operations Research Scientist, a focus of your role will be to develop biomathematical systems which incorporate uncertainty and consideration for the effects of climate change. This position can be located at one of many Weyerhaeuser offices across the US, with preference for Madison, GA; New Bern, NC; Hot Springs, AR; or Seattle, WA. This role has the option for a flexible/hybrid work schedule as defined by company policy, with occasional required travel to regional offices across the country. 

Key Functions

• Design, develop, maintain, deploy, and support optimization, planning, and performance evaluation tools to enable the Timberlands business to optimize value-generation and investment decisions
• Design and develop innovative stochastic optimization techniques to incorporate uncertainty and risk in timberlands harvest planning and other optimization platforms
• Collaborate with biometricians and other teams across our business to integrate climate responsive growth and yield models into planning systems
• Work as a member of the Quantitative Systems and Inventory Department to design, develop, and maintain the elements of our Biometric Platform, including:
  • Growth and yield models
  • Volume and merchandizing models
  • Financial valuation models
  • Remote Sensing tools
• Assist in development of forest carbon projects under the Improved Forest Management (IFM) methodology
• Partner with other teams in Strategy and Technology, Inventory and Planning, and throughout the Timberlands business to perform various analyses using QSI-supported tools

Qualifications

Education:  A degree (Masters or PhD) in Forestry, Forest Operations, Industrial Engineering, Mathematics, Operations Research, or related technical field

Experience:  We place an emphasis on our candidate’s skills, willingness to learn, and drive to achieve results. We prefer candidates who can demonstrate a deep understanding in forest operations research, the use and interpretation of growth and yield models, and forest inventory data.

Technical Skills: Experience or training in linear mixed-integer programming with commercial solvers (Gurobi or CPLEX) is required; specific experience or training in forest harvest scheduling with Remsoft Woodstock is strongly preferred. Demonstrated proficiency in R, python, and SQL is essential. Candidates with experience or training in C++ and C# programming, and economics are preferred.

Drive: We are looking for someone who is eager to learn, works well with their team, and engages with subject matter experts and business clients. As a Forest Operations Research Scientist, success in this role includes looking for opportunities to improve processes, while applying their technical expertise to ensure analytical rigor and effective implementation of our decision support tools in our Timberlands business environment.

Communication: Strong communication and interpersonal skills are essential for working effectively with a diverse set of internal and external clients.

Safety: We expect all team members to hold themselves and their team members accountable to a high level of safety awareness and safe behavior. Our goal is an injury-free workplace.

What We Offer

Compensation: This role is eligible for our annual merit-increase program, and we are targeting a salary range of $86,742 – $130,250 based on your level of skills, qualifications and experience. You will also be eligible for our Annual Incentive Program, which offers a cash bonus targeting 7% of base pay. Potential plan funding may range from zero to two times that target.

Benefits: When you join our team, you and your dependents will be offered coverage under our comprehensive employee benefits plan, which includes medical, dental, vision, short and long-term disability, and life insurance.  We offer a pre-tax Health Savings Account option which includes a company contribution.  Other benefit options are also available such as voluntary Long-Term Care and Employee Assistance Programs. We also support personal volunteerism, sponsor a host of diversity networks, promote mentoring, and provide training and development opportunities to help you chart your path to a fulfilling career.

Retirement: Employees are able to enroll in our company’s 401k plan, which includes a paid company match in addition to our annual contribution equal to 5% of your base salary.

Paid Time Off or Vacation: We provide eligible employees who are scheduled to work 25 hours or more per week with 3-weeks of paid vacation to use during your first year of employment. In addition, after being employed for six months, eligible employees begin to accrue vacation for future use. We also recognize eleven paid holidays per year, providing a total of 88 holiday hours

About Weyerhaeuser

We sustainably manage forests and manufacture products that make the world a better place. We’re serious about safety, driven to achieve excellence, and proud of what we do. With multiple business lines in locations across North America, we offer a range of exciting career opportunities for smart, talented people who are passionate about making a difference. 

We know you have a choice in your career. We want you to choose us. 

Weyerhaeuser is an equal opportunity employer. Inclusion is one of our five core values, and we strive to maintain a culture where all our people feel a sense of belonging, opportunity and shared purpose. We are committed to recruiting a diverse workforce and supporting an equitable and inclusive environment that inspires people of all backgrounds to join, stay and thrive with our team.