Director - IT Application Development, Airport Ops Technology

Job Title

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Description

United's Digital Technology team is comprised of many talented individuals all working together with cutting-edge technology to build the best airline in the history of aviation. Our team designs, develops and maintains massively scaling technology solutions brought to life with innovative architectures, data analytics, and digital solutions.
Job overview and responsibilities
The Director leads end to end technology strategy and execution for Above-the-Wing Airport Operations platforms, powering mission-critical systems across 300+ airports worldwide. Drive transformation toward an AI-first delivery strategy, embedding intelligence, automation, and real-time decisioning into applications. Own delivery and performance of applications ensuring high availability, resilience, and operational continuity. Serve as a liaison between business and technology, shaping strategy in partnership with business and technology partners. Champion a modern engineering culture grounded in continuous improvement to accelerate innovation while reducing risk.
Strategy, vision, and stakeholder management:
Define and execute a multi-year technology roadmap aligned to Airport Operation's strategic goals
Proactively identify and evaluate new strategic IT capabilities, including AI tools and processes, to enhance the delivery and performance of the programs
Shape the future of airport technology through emerging capabilities infused with telemetry & sensor data
Establish governance that balances speed, risk, and value delivery, ensuring alignment to enterprise architecture and security standards
Act as a strategic advisor to senior leadership, influencing investment decisions, prioritization, and long-range planning
Stay abreast of industry trends and introduce innovative technologies and partnerships that create competitive advantage
Communication and Stakeholder management:
Serve as the point of accountability for Above the Wing technology delivery for Airport Operations leadership
Translate complex technical concepts into clear business outcomes, risks, and tradeoffs for executive audiences
Build deep partnerships with business, product, and cross-channel teams
Drive alignment across engineering, product, infrastructure, security, and vendor teams to ensure seamless execution at scale
Lead executive-level communications including roadmaps, performance metrics, incident reviews, and funding investments
Strategic Project Delivery and technology management:
Lead delivery of complex, enterprise-scale programs ensuring on-time, on-budget, high-quality execution aligned to business outcomes.
Own and evolve the software development lifecycle (SDLC) with a focus on AI-augmented development and embedding security into every stage
Compliance with TSA, PCI, and enterprise security standards
Establish best in class observability and reliability practices with full instrumentation and real-time analytics
Lead data-driven decision making, identifying and evaluating key metrics to drive program success criteria
Ensure system reliability and resilience with systems designed for high availability, fault tolerance, modern release strategies, and a goal of zero downtime
Lead cloud transformation initiatives leveraging AWS, microservices, and distributed architectures
Optimize delivery through agile and continuous improvement frameworks
Manage vendor partner ecosystem to ensure performance, accountability, and innovation
Leadership:
Build, lead, and inspire high-performing teams across engineering, product, and delivery functions.
Develop a next-generation workforce skilled in AI, cloud, automation, and modern engineering practices.
Foster a culture of ownership and accountability, innovation and experimentation, continuous learning and improvement
Lead organizational design and workforce strategy to support scalability, speed, and evolving business needs.
Balance operational excellence with innovation, ensuring teams can run the business while transforming it.
This role is Hybrid to Chicago or Houston.
Qualifications

What's needed to succeed (Minimum Qualifications):
Bachelor's degree in Computer science, Supply Chain or related field
8+ years of relevant experience
5+ years of management experience in an IT or leadership-related role Requires advanced technical and business knowledge in software development life cycle, quality assurance, project management, and other related disciplines/processes
Experience with application development or product ownership
Experience with Agile development
Experience with cloud delivery
Experience with REACT, HTML, JavaScript, .net, and document databases required
In-depth understanding of application development processes, methodologies, and lifecycle management.
Strong program management / execution & delivery skills required.
Strong grasp of business operations and the ability to translate business needs into IT solutions.
Knowledge of financial principles to manage budgets, forecast costs, and deliver cost-effective solutions.
Expereince with implementing Agile project delivery
Ability to develop and present business cases to senior management and stakeholders.
Excellent communication skills to effectively liaise with technical teams and business leaders.
Ability to build strong relationships with internal and external partners, vendors, and service providers.
Collaboration skills to work across different departments and foster a team-oriented environment
Must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship
Successful completion of interview required to meet job qualification
Reliable, punctual attendance is an essential function of the position
What will help you propel from the pack (Preferred Qualifications):
Master's degree preferred
Experience in application development delivery of large scale projects/programs.
Experience using and applying Lean principles to improve IT operations
Experience implementing IT solutions in the airline industry a plus
Experience with cloud delivery
The base pay range for this role is $175,750.00 to $228,818.00. The base salary range/hourly rate listed is dependent on job-related, factors such as experience, education, and skills. This position is also eligible for bonus and/or long-term incentive compensation awards.
You may be eligible for the following competitive benefits: medical, dental, vision, life, accident & disability, parental leave, employee assistance program, commuter, paid holidays, paid time off, 401(k) and flight privileges.
United Airlines is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, veteran status, or any other protected category under applicable law. We provide reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. To request an accommodation, contact JobAccommodations@united.com.