Data Analytics & AI Technologist

Who we are:

Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR) is a leading Research and Technology Organisation providing a portfolio of operations research, training, and consultancy services to Industry across the following four thematic pillars: Digitisation, Sustainable Manufacturing, Design for Manufacturing, and Robotics and Automation. As a leading manufacturing Research & Technology Organisation (RTO) with labs and industrial pilot lines in Dublin and Mullingar, IMR works with leading global and indigenous brands to demystify and derisk new and emerging technologies and to deliver high-impact collaborative research and services to enable advanced manufacturing for a broad range of clients across Ireland’s manufacturing network.

What IMR offers:

• An opportunity to contribute to the national economic growth agenda
• A competitive salary and pension
• A friendly and flexible working environment with State-of-the-art Innovation Centres
• Lots of diversity in terms of people, technology, projects and ideas
• The opportunity to join a dynamic and committed team
• Interaction with a diverse range of industrial clients and state partners
• 5 weeks holidays

About FactoryXChange:

FactoryXChange 2.0 (FXC 2.0) is Ireland’s European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) for manufacturing, focused on accelerating digital transformation and Industry 5.0 adoption across the sector. FXC 2.0 acts as a one‑stop‑shop, helping enterprises access advanced digital technologies, expertise, and supports to address real manufacturing challenges.​

The Role:

Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR) is seeking a Data Analytics & AI Technologist on a 23-month contract to join the Digitalisation team as part of the FactoryXChange 2.0 service delivery team. The successful candidate will help manufacturers improve production planning and scheduling, by working directly with clients to understand their operations, assess feasibility and lead the technical delivery of solutions, from production data and business rules through to validated tools that planners can use.

The successful candidate will apply data analytics and, where appropriate, machine learning to understand production performance and improve model inputs and decisions. The role holder will own the technical approach and validation, working with software engineering and infrastructure colleagues on implementation and deployment.

The role also includes leading technical work packages in national and European research projects and contributing to funding proposals.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead client discovery sessions and site visits, translate operational problems into requirements and acceptance criteria, and define feasible technical scopes and statements of work.
• Develop scheduling and optimisation solutions that reflect production constraints, objectives and business rules. Analyse production data to identify patterns, assess data quality and establish model inputs.
• Validate solutions against agreed criteria and current planning practice, assessing feasibility, operational benefits and usability with planners, engineers and managers.
• Lead technical delivery from prototype to operational use, working with software engineering and infrastructure colleagues on integration, testing, deployment and handover.
• Lead technical work packages in Horizon Europe, DTIF and other funded projects, delivering the agreed scope, milestones, technical outputs and reporting.
• Contribute technical content to industrial and research proposals, including methods, effort estimates, risks and validation plans, and collaborate with research and industrial partners.
• Support project planning and delivery: Work with the Programme Manager and project teams to estimate and plan assigned work, track deliverables and dependencies, communicate progress and risks, and deliver to agreed scope, schedule and quality.
• Contribute to the opportunity pipeline: Identify technical opportunities arising from engagements and support scoping, effort estimates and technical input to proposals or funding applications, in line with programme requirements and agreed funding arrangements.
• Contribute to IMR’s research and technology roadmap: Bring evidence from client work and project outcomes, identify relevant manufacturing needs and emerging technologies, and suggest research priorities, demonstrators and reusable capabilities with the relevant Subject Matter Experts.



Required Skills and Experience:

• Master’s degree or PhD in Operations Research, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Industrial Engineering, Mathematics or a related discipline.
• 5+ years’ post graduate experience applying scheduling and optimisation methods to practical problems in industry or applied research.
• Proven expertise in scheduling and optimisation, demonstrated through projects, deployments or publications, with hands-on experience of mixed-integer programming, constraint programming or metaheuristics.
• Strong Python programming skills, including developing maintainable, tested code and working with software engineers to integrate analytical tools into usable applications.
• Experience analysing operational data, assessing its quality, deriving model inputs and evaluating results against meaningful performance measures.
• Experience leading technical projects and working directly with industrial clients to gather requirements, agree scope and communicate results, assumptions and limitations.
• Experience with manufacturing scheduling, including constraints such as routings, setups, shifts, resource availability and material flow, desirable.
• Experience combining machine learning with optimisation, for example to estimate processing times or predict demand, desirable.
• Experience deploying analytical or optimisation tools as services and integrating them with operational systems, desirable.
• Experience contributing to successful EU or national funding proposals, delivering funded research projects or leading technical work packages, desirable.
• A record of peer-reviewed publications or an established network of research and industrial collaborators, desirable.

Location:

Candidates will be required to be resident in Ireland. IMR offices are situated in Rathcoole, Co. Dublin and Mullingar, Co. Westmeath. This role will be based in either office. We offer a hybrid working model with onsite presence in the office required at least one day per week. Travel between offices and client sites will be required from time to time.

Salary & Benefits:  

This position will command a package consisting of basic salary (€67,214 - €81,760 depending on qualifications and experience), employer pension contribution and 5 weeks holidays.

Closing Date:

All applicants must include an up-to-date version of their CV with their application. Electronic applicants only via LinkedIn or to careers@imr.ie

Closing date for receipt of all applications is noon Thursday, 19th November 2026. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early should we receive sufficient applications. Early application is encouraged.

Interviews are expected to take place week commencing 7th December 2026.

IMR is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. We actively promote equity and equal opportunity in all aspects of employment and welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, experiences, and identities. We do not discriminate based on age, disability, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic. We strive to ensure our recruitment processes are fair, accessible, and free from bias.