Sr. IT Manager - Supply Chain

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 Senior Manager of IT Application Development will lead a team responsible for creating, implementing, and maintaining technology solutions to support United Airlines’ TechOps business organization. This role involves aligning IT strategies with overall business goals, managing project portfolios, ensuring system performance and security, and fostering strong relationships with business partners and senior leaders. Candidates should have expertise in the software development lifecycle, Agile methodologies, and the ability to provide technical leadership for complex, large-scale systems. The role centers on modernizing legacy systems, strengthening cybersecurity measures, and enabling data-driven insights to improve fleet reliability, safety, and regulatory compliance. Collaboration with engineering, maintenance, safety, and compliance leaders is crucial to ensure IT capabilities support both operational and strategic objectives. This role will lead a team dedicated to enhancing United’s Supply Chain operations and in designing, analyzing, and developing scalable solutions, focusing on solutions architecture and driving organizational change. Effective collaboration with finance and other organizational teams is crucial to achieving the company’s strategic goals. The role requires a combination of technical expertise, leadership qualities, and collaborative skills. Additionally, this role offers the exciting opportunity to shape the future of Supply Chain technology strategy, paving the way for advancements in warehousing, logistics, transportation management, global trade management, forecasting and inventory management within United.

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 the agreed SLA

Provide information and periodic updates to support overall IT performance metrics, monthly project status reporting, and quarterly resource planning review

Development Standards, Tools & Architecture

Create a team structure and process for quality control during development, testing, 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 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 incorporate 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 in the formation of agile delivery teams for development and technology delivery

Product Development and Roadmap:

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 a 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

Governance & Performance:

Manage budgets, vendor relationships, and service delivery metrics

Ensure adherence to FAA, OEM, and internal IT governance standards

Drive measurable improvements in application reliability, security, and user satisfaction

Leadership:

Lead a multi-functional, impactful team responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining SaaS and customer applications

Manage vendor development teams assigned to projects and core support

Mentor and develop team members by guiding technical skills, best practices, and career growth opportunities

Establish department and individual goals

Assess and recommend improvements to the organization's 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 resource planning to ensure the proper number of resources and the right skills are available to meet project goals and schedules

Use creative and proactive leadership skills to address project challenges and opportunities

Bachelor's degree

Information Technology, Computer Engineering, Finance, or related field

5+ years of relevant experience in application development

At least 2+ years of leadership experience in managing multiple, large, cross-functional teams or projects, and influencing senior-level management and key stakeholders

Experience in application development supporting Warehousing, Logistics, Transportation Management, Global Trade Management, Forecasting, Order and Inventory Management

Understanding of system architecture principles, including the ability to design scalable and reliable solutions

Strong background in Agile delivery, SaaS solutions, cloud technologies (AWS/Azure), and enterprise integration (API, microservices)

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

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

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

Proven experience managing Supply Chain technology solutions

Experience with cybersecurity principles and secure software development lifecycle

Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills

Ability to lead through influence in a complex organization

Passion for technology innovation, reliability, and safety in aviation

Demonstrates an understanding of the capabilities and limitations of generative AI tools and effectively leverages them for research, analysis, content creation, and problem-solving. Applies critical thinking to validate AI-generated outputs while adhering to company policies related to responsible AI use, data privacy, and security.