Sr Manager - IT Application Development

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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

As Senior Manager of IT Application Development, you will lead the transformation of our MRO platform services layer for DT Tech Ops. You'll collaborate with United Enterprise teams and Principal Architects to modernize integrations and data systems supporting our critical MRO platform. In this role, you will lead a team focused on operational excellence while building a future‑ready platform that prioritizes performance, scalability, and security. You'll apply Agile methodologies and DevOps practices to enhance development speed and quality, and provide hands‑on leadership in designing and developing scalable solutions. You will drive solution architecture and organizational change initiatives while partnering with finance stakeholders and cross‑functional teams to achieve strategic objectives. The ideal candidate will bring strong technical expertise and leadership skills, with a proven ability to foster collaboration across teams and drive transformation in complex technical environments.

Develop and implement a comprehensive strategy in alignment with business objectives

• Manage the full lifecycle of projects, including planning, development, testing, and deployment.
• Ensure the quality and scalability of solutions by establishing best practices and governance procedures.
• Monitor the performance of solutions and conduct regular reviews to ensure they deliver the expected business benefits.
• Responsible for escalating, assisting, and following through on the resolution of issues related to the delivery of technology solutions.

Delivery/Support: Accountable for gaining and maintaining alignment of delivery success criteria with business partners

• Accountable for effective project management and delivery of work requests and projects within committed budget, schedule, and quality for individual projects while also meeting overall department performance goals.
• Accountable for identifying needs, securing commitments, and monitoring progress of deliverables from internal and external service provider teams.
• Provide cost estimates and business case updates.
• Accountable for ensuring technology solutions comply with architectural standards.
• Responsible for communication of progress to senior IT and Business leadership.
• Responsible for organizing and maintaining performance of any application issues in accordance with agreed SLA.
• Provide information and periodic updates to support overall IT performance metrics, monthly project status reporting, and quarterly resource planning review.

IT Process Management and Administration

• Define, prioritize, allocate resources, track and provide status reporting of work assignments, projects, programs.
• Budget and cost management for the projects/programs.
• Ensures projects/programs are completed within the committed time and budget and are integrated with other software applications.
• Directs multiple teams of developers involved in the analysis, design and development of complex and large‑scale applications which may include both projects and programs.

Development Standards, Tools & Architecture

• Create a team structure and process for quality control during development, testing for debugging code and deployment.
• Ensure best practices for Agile methodologies are implemented, and continuous improvements are made, as needed. Ensure adherence to code scanning and other security protocols are adhered to during development and release.
• Ensure IT application development process disciplines (solution delivery, project management, work requests, QA, etc.) and standards are established, effectively managed and performed.
• Remain informed of new technologies and/or business processes and incorporating those technologies to improve the productivity of the applications staff and software systems' maintainability.
• Drive continuous improvement and be adaptable to changing designs and to adding performance enhancements.
• Play a key role in formulating and following the procedures and processes for development.
• Play a key role with the formation of agile delivery teams for development and technology delivery.

Product Development

• Understand and partner with United business and DT leadership teams along with product SMEs to define the end‑state vision, goals, and strategy of the product and create multi‑year product development strategy and tactical plans.
• Share knowledge and collaborate to come up with effective and innovative solutions to problems.
• Maintain up‑to‑date knowledge of technology trends and advancements.

Collaboration and Stakeholder Partnership

• Engage, collaborate and partner with stakeholders, technical and business, to understand business requirements and user expectations, and lead the development of solutions that meet functional and technical requirements.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams, including IT operations, security, and quality assurance, to ensure the reliability, security, and scalability of our applications.
• Foster strong relationships with business partners, acting as a trusted advisor and advocate for the IT department.
• Collaborate with various departments to identify and prioritize process automation opportunities. Be a Thought Partner, i.e. engaged with Business Owners/Business Process Development.

Leadership

• Lead a multi‑functional impactful team responsible for MRO Platform services and designing, developing, and maintaining a SaaS based application.
• Manage vendor development teams assigned to projects and core support.
• Mentor and develop team members, providing guidance on technical skills, best practices, and career growth opportunities. Establish department and individual goals.
• Assess and recommend improvements to the organization structure, roles and responsibilities.
• Participate actively in future strategy, goals, objectives, and operational performance.
• Create and maintain a high performance by interacting and mentoring junior and senior level developers.
• Perform short and long term resources planning to ensure the proper number of resources and right skills are available to meet project goals and schedules.
• Use creative and proactive leadership skills to address project challenges and opportunities.

Qualifications

What's needed to succeed (Minimum Qualifications)

• Bachelor's degree
• Information Technology, Computer Engineering, Finance or related field
• 7+ years of progressive experience in software/application development, with at least 3+ years in senior leadership role.
• Proven experience managing large, distributed teams and overseeing mission‑critical or enterprise‑wide applications.
• Understanding of system architecture principles, including the ability to design scalable and reliable solutions.
• Strong technical background with hands‑on experience in modern development frameworks (Java, .Net, Node.js), cloud platforms (AWS, Azure).
• Proficient in project management methodologies, including Agile and DevOps practices.
• Leadership experience and the ability to guide and inspire a team. Project management skills may also be beneficial.
• A mindset for continuous learning and staying updated on industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices.
• Advanced technical and business knowledge in software development life cycle, quality assurance, project management, and other related disciplines/processes.
• Well‑versed in Agile development and requirements management processes.

What will help you propel from the pack (Preferred Qualifications)

• Master's degree
• Practical experience in developing and architecting highly integrated, high‑user‑base systems is highly valued
• Leadership experience in managing multiple, large, cross‑functional teams or projects, and influencing senior‑level management and key stakeholders
• Experience in application modernization, cloud native architectures, or microservices.

The base pay range for this role is $140,600.00 to $183,108.00.

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. United Airlines recruits, employs, trains, compensates and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical ability, age, veteran status and other protected status as required by applicable law. Equal Opportunity Employer - Minorities/Women/Veterans/Disabled/LGBT.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions. Please contact JobAccommodations@united.com to request accommodation.