Master thesis internship: Towards a dedicated selection and assignment algorithm for optimizing the planning of service mechanics

ORTEC helps many of the world's best-run organizations make better data-driven decisions. Our decision support software and data science expertise enable them to improve their business results and make a positive impact on the world.

ORTEC for Field Service supports the planning of service mechanics. At the end of each month, a planning for the coming month needs to be constructed, assigning recurrent maintenance tasks to the mechanics, while reserving time for urgent last-minute repair tasks. When more maintenance tasks are available than can be performed in the coming month, an additional decision to make is which tasks will be performed in the coming month, and which tasks are postponed to a later period.

We would like to have a detailed look at our current algorithm and test different approaches. Instead of focusing on planning as many tasks as possible while keeping the travel time as low as possible, one might, for example:

-       Consider the task duration, as adding long tasks are more likely to cause excessive overtime

-       Consider that remote tasks have to be planned at some time, as continuing pushing them forward might end up in a very expensive planning

After reviewing the existing literature and familiarizing yourself with the existing dataset, we would like you to analyze the effect of taking particularities of tasks into account. Your challenge is to design and implement ways to select the tasks to perform next month and to investigate the impact of using different methods of selecting which tasks to perform based on the solution, runtime etc.

• You are a master student in Data Science, Operations Research, Econometrics, Applied Mathematics or another related field and looking for a graduation project.
• You have experience with heuristics such as Variable Neighborhood Search.
• You like programming and can hunt for bugs (in C++ or willing to learn).
• You are currently living in the Netherlands, studying at a Dutch University, and communicate fluently in Dutch or English, verbally and in writing.
• You are available for a minimum of six months to a maximum of nine months, starting in Q1 or Q2 of 2025.
• You can travel to the office (in Zoetermeer) at least twice a week.

• Entrance to the most passionate powerhouse in applied mathematics. We share a drive to use our problem-solving skills to improve our planet, from the world at large to our own backyard. 
• Inclusion in a company founded by graduate students back in 1981, which today still fosters its students by: 
  • Excellent supervision during your graduation project,
  • Good internship allowance, laptop, and other office facilities,
  • An open, kind, and fun culture. 
  • Access to Young ORTEC formal and informal events

The next steps: 

If you're an enthusiastic graduate student seeking a hands-on experience that combines analytical thinking, multidisciplinary collaboration, and problem-solving, we invite you to join us on this exciting assignment by uploading your CV, motivation letter and grade lists (BSc and MSc in PDF if applicable). The recruitment process will consist of two online assessments and an interview. 

We will help you to thrive in your field of expertise. We offer development programs, tailored to your individual needs and function requirements, including opportunities to attend courses and seminars. We offer challenging, practical hands-on experience. We operate in a flat organizational structure that keeps communication lines short. The atmosphere is open, informal, cooperative and positive. We employ over 1000 people in the Netherlands (HQ), Belgium, Germany, France, the U.K., Romania, Italy, the U.S., Australia, Brazil, Poland, Denmark and Singapore. Visit our website www.ortec.com to learn more about our solutions and clients’ experiences. Please do not use this vacancy as an acquisition opportunity.