Alaska Airlines

Senior Manager Operations Execution

Alaska Airlines$148K — $229K *
Transportation
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 7+ years in business processes, systems management, or continuous improvement in aviation-related functions.
  • 4+ years of leadership experience, including direct management of teams.
  • Bachelor's degree in business administration or relevant field, or 2 additional years of experience in lieu of a degree.
  • Proven skills in project and change management with a research-based approach to problem-solving.
  • Expertise in data-driven decision making and solution implementation.
  • Strong analysis capabilities for project definitions and recommendations.

Responsibilities

  • Lead a multi-disciplinary team to operationalize enterprise priorities into clear objectives.
  • Translate enterprise strategy into an executable roadmap for operational systems and transformation initiatives.
  • Make high-impact decisions based on data insights to ensure accountability for results.
  • Drive cross-functional integration initiatives, removing barriers to advance strategic goals.
  • Negotiate priorities with stakeholders and foster partnerships to enhance operational goals.
  • Continuously improve processes and governance to implement best practices in operations management.
  • Identify and deploy AI and automation solutions to optimize workflows and decision-making.

Benefits

  • Free standby travel on Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines & Horizon Air with priority status.
  • Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits.
  • Generous 401k match program to support retirement savings.
  • Annual bonus plans to reward performance.
  • Generous holiday leave and paid time off benefits.
Full Job Description
Role Summary

The Senior Manager Operations Execution is an enterprise operations leader responsible for leading a multi-disciplinary team of Operations Execution Managers across Alaska Airlines Operations Divisions. This role partners with the Director Operations Execution to translate enterprise strategy into outcomes, sequences priorities across the organization and drives execution of cross-functional systems and process initiatives that deliver sustained business value. As a people leader, the Senior Manager partners with divisional and executive leadership to influence decision-making, align resources, and manage a portfolio of initiatives that support corporate objectives. Success in this role requires enterprise thinking, cross-functional influence, and accountability for outcomes across multiple disciplines.

Key Duties

  • Leads the team, operationalizes and sequences priorities for a multi-disciplinary Operations Execution function supporting multiple divisions, partner with Director translating enterprise priorities into clear team objectives.
  • Translates enterprise priorities into an executable roadmap for operations systems, processes, and transformation initiatives, and serves as a strategic advisor to divisional leadership by shaping direction, informing decisions, and executing on priorities.
  • Makes high-impact decisions across multiple functions and disciplines, leveraging data and insights to inform direction, translates analysis into outcomes, and ensures accountability for results.
  • Leads cross-functional integration initiatives and influences across teams and the enterprise to drive alignment, remove barriers, and advance strategic initiatives.
  • Negotiates and aligns priorities across stakeholders, including Information Technology Services (ITS), Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Ops Analytics and divisional leadership, cultivating strategic partnerships to advance operational and transformation goals.
  • Establishes and continuously improves best-in-class processes, governance, and operating rhythms (e.g., business reviews, portfolio management), and maintains expertise in process improvement, change management, and industry best practices.
  • Identifies, evaluates, and deploys AI and automation solutions (e.g., generative AI, intelligent automation, predictive analytics) to streamline operational workflows and accelerate decision-making.
  • Designs and creates implementation of practical adoption of AI tools across operations teams, including training employees to integrate them into daily work.
  • Develops and leads the team through performance management, coaching, and ongoing feedback, focusing on building strategic and systems thinking, strengthening organizational capability across disciplines, and enabling succession planning and talent pipeline development.
  • Shapes team and organizational culture through leadership presence, role modeling, and reinforcement of desired behaviors, and drives a culture of continuous improvement and change adoption.
  • Owns and monitors budgets across multiple disciplines, and partners with FP&A and leadership to assess investments, build business cases, and track return on value delivered.
  • Assesses organizational performance, risks, and opportunities, and establishes frameworks, tools, and capabilities that enable scalable, repeatable improvement and sustained multi-year value creation.


Job-Specific Experience, Education & Skills

Required
  • 7 years of experience supporting business processes, systems management or continuous improvement in areas related to Crew Management (Inflight or Pilot), Maintenance & Engineering, Airports Operations, Cargo, Systems Operations Control or related functions.
  • 4 years of leadership experience, with at least some of this experience directly leading people.
  • Bachelor's degree with a focus in business administration, organizational development, or a related discipline, or an additional two years of training/experience in lieu of this degree.
  • Proven project and change management skills, and the ability to apply research and best practices to existing business problems.
  • Ability to lead analysis studies in multiple areas and lead project definition and recommendations.
  • Expertise in using a data-driven approach for decision making and solution implementation.
  • High school diploma or equivalent.
  • Minimum age of 18.
  • Must be authorized to work in the U.S.

Preferred
  • Experience in management consulting, project management, change management, organizational development, Lean/Six Sigma process improvement, or related experience.
  • Strong presentation skills.
  • Master's degree with a focus in aviation business or related field.


Job-Specific Leadership Expectations

Embody our values to own safety, do the right thing, be caring and kind, and deliver performance.

Salary Range

$148,250 - $229,800 / year

Salary Details

Pay will be based on multiple factors, including and not limited to location, relevant experience/level and skillset while balancing internal equity relative to other Alaska/Hawaiian/Horizon employees. Alaska/Hawaiian/Horizon is committed to fair, unbiased compensation along with competitive benefits in all locations in which we operate.

Note: We don't typically hire at the top of the range.

Total Rewards

Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air pay and benefits can vary by company, location, number of regularly scheduled hours worked, length of employment, and employment status.

  • Free stand-by travel privileges on Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines & Horizon Air with high priority status
  • Select number of confirmed travel credits provided annually
  • Comprehensive well-being programs including medical, dental and vision benefits
  • Generous 401k match program
  • Annual bonus plans
  • Generous holiday and paid time off

For more information about Alaska/Hawaiian/Horizon Total Rewards please visit our career site and view benefits.

Apply by 7:00 PM Pacific Time on

9/2/2026

FLSA Status

Exempt

Employment Type

Full-Time

Regular/Temporary

Regular

Requisition Type

Management

Location

Renton - Global Training Center

L:

#LI-B

About Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines is a major American airline headquartered in SeaTac, Washington, within the Seattle metropolitan area. It is the sixth largest airline in North America when measured by fleet size, scheduled passengers carried, and the number of destinations served. Alaska, together with its regional partners Horizon Air and SkyWest Airlines, operates a large domestic route network, primarily focused on connecting from the Pacific Northwest, West Coast, and Alaska to over one hundred destinations in the contiguous United States, Hawaii, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, and Mexico. The airline operates out of five hubs, with its primary hub being at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. Alaska Airlines is a member of Oneworld, the third-largest airline alliance in the world. As of 2020, the airline employs over 16,000 people and has been ranked by J. D. Power and Associates as having the highest customer satisfaction of the traditional airlines for twelve consecutive years.
Learn more about Alaska Airlines

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