Director – Tech Ops Standards & Excellence

United Airlines•Chicago, IL

20h•$159,790 - $207,998

About The Position

The Director - Tech Ops Standards & Excellence leads both the Process Standards and Projects Execution functions, as well as Change Management activities and innovation acceleration, ensuring that operational processes are clearly defined, effectively governed, and successfully implemented across all stations. This role serves as the integrator between process design and operational execution, ensuring that initiatives are translated into practical standard work, deployed consistently across the network and sustained over time - ensures Strategy-to-Task and Task-to-Strategy. The Director partners closely with Line & Base Maintenance leadership, the Continuous Process Improvement peer organization, Analytics and Training to drive end-to-end operational excellence through the alignment of CSC-based functions and field-level staff assistance visits (SAVs). Translate the overall S&E strategy into a mid-term Standards & Execution roadmap and lead the Process Standards and Projects & Execution teams, ensuring strong alignment, prioritization and delivery of Tech Ops operational objectives. Champion a culture of standardization, disciplined execution and continuous improvement across Line Maintenance. Manage talent and resource priorities, including recruiting, capability building, manager development and ready-now successor planning. Own the end-to-end system for process standardization and execution, ensuring initiatives move effectively from design through implementation and long-term sustainment. Establish and govern standard processes across Line Maintenance, ensuring consistency, regulatory compliance and alignment with operational best practices. Oversee the Tech Ops portfolio of operational initiatives, ensuring clear prioritization, sequencing and execution discipline across multiple hubs, stations and functions. Ensure change is planned managed effectively. Drive consistent and effective deployment of initiatives across the network, reinforcing accountability, adoption and execution at the station level. Partner closely with Continuous Improvement, Analytics, Training and the innovation echosystem and DT, as well as cross-divisional leaders to improve processes, measure performance and equip frontline leaders to execute standard work. Ensure initiatives are designed for operational success, partnering with CPI, field leadership and SMEs to validate that processes are practical, scalable and executable. Align cross-functional stakeholders across Tech Ops and corporate teams, ensuring coordinated execution and minimizing breakdowns between design, rollout and adoption. Partner with Analytics and functional leaders to measure adoption, benefits realization, process adherence and operational / financial impact, using results to adjust standards, rollout plans and sustainment routines. Provide senior leader visibility into process performance and initiative execution, including progress, risks and realized operational and financial impact.

Requirements

Bachelor’s (Business, Supply Chain, Aerospace, Mechanical, Industrial Engineering, Process Engineering)
8+ years of experience in Tech Ops, Line Maintenance, operations or related leadership roles.
Proven experience leading cross-functional teams and enterprise-level initiatives from design through execution and sustainment.
Excellent communication and leadership skills, including experience presenting to senior leadership.
Strong background in process standardization, program execution or operational excellence within complex, distributed environments.
Demonstrated ability to drive alignment across field operations and corporate functions.
Strong business acumen with ability to connect process execution to operational and financial outcomes.

Nice To Haves

Experience in Tech Ops, Line Maintenance, MRO or airline operations.
Experience leading standardization and large-scale operational deployment efforts.
Experience working in regulated environments, such as FAA / GMM.
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or equivalent experience.
Familiarity with Theory of Constraints and system-level optimization.
Demonstrates an understanding of the capabilities and limitations of generative AI tools and effectively leverages them to support research, analysis, content creation, and problem-solving. Apply critical thinking to validate AI-generated outputs while adhering to organizational policies for responsible AI use, data privacy, and security.

Responsibilities

Leads both the Process Standards and Projects Execution functions, as well as Change Management activities and innovation acceleration.
Ensures that operational processes are clearly defined, effectively governed, and successfully implemented across all stations.
Serves as the integrator between process design and operational execution.
Translates the overall S&E strategy into a mid-term Standards & Execution roadmap.
Leads the Process Standards and Projects & Execution teams, ensuring strong alignment, prioritization and delivery of Tech Ops operational objectives.
Champions a culture of standardization, disciplined execution and continuous improvement across Line Maintenance.
Manages talent and resource priorities, including recruiting, capability building, manager development and ready-now successor planning.
Owns the end-to-end system for process standardization and execution.
Establishes and governs standard processes across Line Maintenance, ensuring consistency, regulatory compliance and alignment with operational best practices.
Oversees the Tech Ops portfolio of operational initiatives, ensuring clear prioritization, sequencing and execution discipline across multiple hubs, stations and functions.
Ensures change is planned and managed effectively.
Drives consistent and effective deployment of initiatives across the network, reinforcing accountability, adoption and execution at the station level.
Partners closely with Continuous Improvement, Analytics, Training and the innovation ecosystem and DT, as well as cross-divisional leaders to improve processes, measure performance and equip frontline leaders to execute standard work.
Ensures initiatives are designed for operational success, partnering with CPI, field leadership and SMEs to validate that processes are practical, scalable and executable.
Aligns cross-functional stakeholders across Tech Ops and corporate teams, ensuring coordinated execution and minimizing breakdowns between design, rollout and adoption.
Partners with Analytics and functional leaders to measure adoption, benefits realization, process adherence and operational / financial impact, using results to adjust standards, rollout plans and sustainment routines.
Provides senior leader visibility into process performance and initiative execution, including progress, risks and realized operational and financial impact.