Senior Manager CARE Workforce Mgmt Strategy

Southwest Airlines • Dallas, TX

3d • $160,550 - $178,400 • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Manager CARE Workforce Management Strategy shapes how Southwest Customer CARE plans, supports, and transforms its workforce. The role leads end-to-end strategy for forecasting, capacity planning, scheduling, intraday operations, and vendor workforce performance across voice, digital, and back-office operations. It translates business plans and demand insights into workforce investments, staffing scenarios, technology roadmaps, and executive recommendations in partnership with Operations, Finance, People Operations, Technology, Vendor Management, and Strategy. The position also modernizes Workforce Management through advanced forecasting, automation, and AI-enabled capabilities, while developing Leaders and a Team recognized as trusted experts.

The role is based at Southwest's Dallas, Texas Headquarters and requires work there during business hours. It carries meaningful authority, visibility, and influence to strengthen service, productivity, operational readiness, and the long-term financial health of Southwest.

Requirements

• High School Diploma or GED.
• Demonstrated experience directly or indirectly leading teams.
• Broad knowledge and experience leading WFM functions across forecasting, capacity planning, scheduling, intraday operations, and vendor-supported operations in a multi-channel Customer or contact center environment.
• Experience developing long-range workforce strategies, labor forecasts, staffing and capacity models, workforce budgets, productivity strategies, and planning scenarios that support business and financial objectives.
• Experience leading workforce readiness and response for disruptions, demand fluctuations, new products, digital capabilities, and high-volume operating events.
• Experience advancing WFM technology capabilities, including AI-enabled forecasting, automation, predictive analytics, digital demand planning, business requirements implementation, operating controls, performance measures, and cross-functional adoption.
• Experience or knowledge involving Tableau/Power BI Reporting, Call Routing, Future Skill, SQL, and/or Python.
• Knowledge of strategic WFM, long-range business planning, operating models, governance, and practices across forecasting, capacity planning, scheduling, intraday operations, and vendor workforce operations.
• Knowledge of workforce financial planning, labor budgeting, staffing economics, productivity, cost-to-serve, capacity modeling, and methods for evaluating service, cost, and investment tradeoffs.
• Knowledge of Customer or contact center operations, including multi-channel demand, vendor-supported operations, service-level performance, staffing requirements, disruption response, and Customer and Employee experience considerations.
• Knowledge of advanced forecasting methods, predictive analytics, AI-enabled forecasting, automation, WFM technology/tools, routing capabilities, data governance, and enterprise reporting environments.
• Ability to convert business strategies and financial objectives into long-range workforce requirements, capacity plans, labor assumptions, scenarios, and actionable recommendations.
• Ability to analyze workforce, operational, vendor, Customer, technology, and financial data to identify trends, quantify risks and tradeoffs, test scenarios, and recommend actions.
• Ability to define business requirements, use cases, governance, adoption measures, and performance expectations for AI-enabled and automated WFM capabilities.
• Ability to translate complex workforce strategies, scenarios, risks, and technology opportunities into clear executive-level narratives, presentations, and recommendations.
• Ability to lead, coach, develop, and engage Leaders and Team Members; set strategic priorities, allocate resources, and create accountability for Team and business results.
• Ability to build trusted partnerships, influence decisions, advise senior Leaders, and align stakeholders across the Enterprise.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or authorized to work in the United States; work authorization sponsorship is not available.
• Must be at least 18 years of age and able to comply with Company attendance standards.
• Must maintain a well-groomed appearance per Company appearance standards.
• Ability to perform work duties from a limited-space workstation, desk, or office area for extended periods.
• Ability to communicate and interact with others in English to meet job demands.
• Ability to use a computer and other office productivity tools with sufficient speed and accuracy.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with Aspect for forecasting and workload management.
• Experience with AWS Cloud supporting call routing.
• Experience with call containment analytics and forecasting.
• Experience operating in a labor-represented environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead Department Workforce Management strategy, establishing long-range workforce, capacity, productivity, operating model, and capability plans aligned with organizational priorities, Customer commitments, growth objectives, and financial goals.
• Translate business plans and demand outlooks into labor requirements, capacity strategies, staffing scenarios, workforce investments, and budget inputs.
• Establish planning frameworks, governance, assumptions, performance measures, and decision routines connecting business planning, forecasting, capacity planning, scheduling, intraday operations, and vendor workforce execution.
• Direct demand forecasting and capacity modeling across voice, digital, and back-office operations, evaluating demand, productivity, workforce assumptions, and capacity risks.
• Lead Intraday WFM operations across internal and vendor-supported Customer operations, evaluating service levels, staffing coverage, schedule adherence, productivity, forecast variance, capacity utilization, and recovery performance.
• Provide strategic oversight of vendor WFM performance through scorecards, governance routines, and operational reviews; identify risks and drive corrective actions with Vendor Management and operational Leaders.
• Lead workforce readiness for disruptions, high-volume events, new products, digital capabilities, business initiatives, and demand shifts by ensuring contingency plans, staffing strategies, vendor capacity options, and recovery plans are developed and aligned.
• Establish WFM technology, automation, AI, and forecasting strategy, including platform evaluation, implementation oversight, governance, adoption monitoring, and measurement of business outcomes.
• Translate workforce, operational, Customer, vendor, technology, and financial information into executive recommendations; lead strategic initiatives and continuous improvement efforts.
• Recruit, lead, coach, develop, and retain WFM Leaders and Team Members while building strategic planning, analytical, technology, AI, and business partnership capabilities across the Team.
• Guide and lead team members using Southwest talent management practices to coach, develop, and engage employees.
• Adhere to Company values and competencies to foster inclusion, recognition, support, and a safe work environment.
• Invest in leadership and self-growth through continuous learning and development.
• May perform other job duties as directed by Employee’s Leaders.

Benefits

• Free travel on any open seat on Southwest flights for the employee and eligible dependents.
• Retirement Savings Plan with a dollar-for-dollar 401(k) Company match of up to 9.3% of eligible earnings, subject to plan terms and vesting.
• Potential annual profit-sharing contribution to the Southwest Retirement Savings Plan, subject to Company discretion and plan terms.
• Competitive health insurance for the employee and eligible dependents, with coverage options beginning on the first day of employment.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: High school or GED