Manager, Airport Innovation

Intro

Are you ready to explore a world of possibilities, both at work and during your time off? Join our American Airlines family, and you’ll travel the world, grow your expertise and become the best version of you. As you embark on a new journey, you’ll tackle challenges with flexibility and grace, learning new skills and advancing your career while having the time of your life. Feel free to enrich both your personal and work life and hop on board!

Why you'll love this job

The Manager, Airport Innovation leads and develops a team of analysts and project managers while driving multiple concurrent innovation initiatives across airport and contact center customer experience. This role is responsible for shaping strategy, building data-driven business cases, and guiding product evaluations and proofs of concept to secure funding and advance high-impact initiatives. It also ensures clear prioritization, stakeholder alignment, and execution by translating complex topics into decision-ready insights and driving accountability across teams.

What you'll do

This list is intended to reflect the current job but there may be additional essential functions (and certainly non-essential job functions) that are not referenced. Management will modify the job or require other tasks be performed whenever it is deemed appropriate to do so, observing, of course, any legal obligations including any collective bargaining obligations.

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of analysts and project managers
• Support and lead the strategy and design of multiple concurrent innovation initiatives across airport and contact center customer experience
• Execute product evaluations, proofs of concept, and commercial feasibility analysis by working with internal stakeholders and external partners
• Create business cases supported by data analysis, proofs of concept, and projected business value to obtain funding for key initiatives
• Define scope, sequencing, and delivery timelines aligned to financial and operational risk, customer and team member impact, and regulatory requirements
• Translate complex technical or operational topics into clear, decision-ready narratives
• Prepare and present updates to senior leaders and steering committees
• Set clear priorities, provide decision clarity, and remove blockers for the team
• Make tradeoff decisions around resource allocation, timing, and
• Drive alignment on ownership, process changes, and change management plans

All you'll need for success

Minimum Qualifications – Education & Prior Job Experience

• Bachelor’s and/or master’s degree in a relevant field, or equivalent experience and/or training
• 5+ years of airline or transportation industry experience

Preferred Qualifications – Education & Prior Job Experience  

• 2+ years of people leadership experience in product and/or project management
• 3+ years of experience in product and/or project management roles
• Extensive knowledge of airport operations and key success factors
• Experience applying AI in occupational settings to improve productivity

Skills, Licenses, and Certifications

• Strong people leadership experience in a product, program, or innovation environment
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-organizational initiatives without direct authority
• Comfort operating at both strategic and execution levels
• Experience working with engineering, airport, contact center, and finance partners
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills for executive audiences

What you'll get

Feel free to take advantage of all that American Airlines has to offer: 

• Travel Perks: Ready to explore the world? You, your family and your friends can reach 365 destinations on more than 6,800 daily flights across our global network.
• Health Benefits: On day one, you’ll have access to your health, dental, prescription and vision benefits to help you stay well. And that’s just the start, we also offer virtual doctor visits, flexible spending accounts and more. 
• Wellness Programs: We want you to be the best version of yourself – that’s why our wellness programs provide you with all the right tools, resources and support you need.
• 401(k) Program: Available upon hire and, depending on the workgroup, employer contributions to your 401(k) program are available after one year.
• Additional Benefits: Other great benefits include our Employee Assistance Program, pet insurance and discounts on hotels, cars, cruises and more

Feel free to be yourself at American

From the team members we hire to the customers we serve, inclusion and diversity are the foundation of the dynamic workforce at American Airlines. Our 20+ Employee Business Resource Groups are focused on connecting our team members to our customers, suppliers, communities and shareholders, helping team members reach their full potential and creating an inclusive work environment to meet and exceed the needs of our diverse world.

Are you ready to feel a tremendous sense of pride and satisfaction as you do your part to keep the largest airline in the world running smoothly as we care for people on life’s journey? Feel free to be yourself at American.