Industrial and systems engineers (ISEs) improve organized effort—we help to make everything better, faster, cheaper, safer, and more efficient. After introducing Amazon’s package fulfillment network, we discuss transportation and facility logistics operations within Amazon’s Middle Mile. Opportunities where ISEs can and do contribute at Amazon are highlighted, then some suggestions on finding jobs at Amazon are offered. Finally, the talk concludes with some career guidance thoughts and perspectives.
Scott J. Mason is a Sr. Principal Scientist in Amazon Transportation Services focusing on under-the-roof package and container sortation and flow in Amazon’s Middle Mile. Middle mile operations move large trucks and cargo airplanes full of inventory/packages from point-to-point within Amazon’s network of fulfillment centers, sort centers, and delivery stations. Prior to joining Amazon, Dr. Mason spent 20 years in academia at the University of Arkansas (2000-2010) and most recently at Clemson University (2010-2020) where he served as the inaugural Fluor Endowed Chair in Supply Chain Optimization and Logistics and a Professor of Industrial Engineering. Dr. Mason uses operations research techniques to model and analyze large-scale supply chain and facility logistics challenges for Amazon. He received his PhD in Industrial Engineering from Arizona State University after earning BS and MS degrees from The University of Texas at Austin. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers and a Senior Member of INFORMS.