Southwest Airlines
Airline
ManagerTechnologyAIOps/Support
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“Manager Technology AI Ops/Support at Southwest Airlines. Skills: AI Operations, AI Support, leading AI Ops organization, AWS-based systems, observability, AI/ML technologies, people leadership, delivery ownership for AI/ML or agentic products, technical depth in modern AI stack. ensuring AI and agentic systems run reliably and deliver measurable value in production environments. stand up and lead a new AI Ops organization”
What You'll Achieve.
deliver measurable value in production environments; driving outcomes in reliability, incident response, and operational efficiency; reduce repeat incidents; balance speed, stability, and cost; achieve maximum Team productivity while delivering high quality products; deliver quality projects on time and within budget; measure financial benefits and demonstrable business value
Industry & Context.
incident response; resolve issues quickly; reduce repeat incidents
Ability to work extended hours as needed
What They're Looking For.
Must Have
Demonstrated experience in directly or indirectly leading team(s), Fully functioning, broad knowledge in: Business and/or Information Technology environment, Leading teams and providing work direction, 3+ years of People leadership of agentic/AI/SWE teams of 8+, 3+ years of Delivery ownership for AI/ML or agentic products in production, 3+ years of Technical depth in modern AI stack (LLMs, agentic frameworks, AWS), 3+ years of Hiring and growing AI/SWE engineers in a competitive market, 5+ years of Agile delivery at scale—Scrum/SAFe, roadmap, dependency mgmt, Must meet confidentiality expectations as to confidential, proprietary and sensitive Company information
Nice to Have
Prior GIC/captive build-out or pod stand-up, Airline/travel/large enterprise IT exposure, Vendor management & FinOps for AI workloads, Public thought leadership in AI/agentic (talks, blogs, OSS), Driving back-office/ETO automation programs
What You'll Do.
ensuring AI and agentic systems run reliably and deliver measurable value in production environments
stand up and lead a new AI Ops organization
defines how AI systems are supported
and continuously improved at scale
establish service level standards
and a follow‑the‑sun support framework
driving outcomes in reliability
and operational efficiency
connect operations and development—ensuring issues are resolved quickly and translated into long‑term improvements that reduce repeat incidents
and cost as AI adoption grows
build and grow a high‑performing team
shaping how Southwest supports and scales AI capabilities across the enterprise
Guide and lead team members using SWA talent management practices to coach
Adhere to Company values and competencies to foster a culture of inclusion
and support of a safe work environment
Invest in leadership and self-growth through participating in continuous learning and development
and influence the achievement of the mission
goals and objectives of the department and organization
Participate fully in organizational processes and initiatives
i. e. performance management
Lead the resolution of organization
team and individual issues
making appropriate decision
Develop and execute strategies and processes to improve performance and the value of products and services provided
Lead cross-functional Teams to deliver solutions and services to meet enterprise needs
Provide Technical thought Leadership related to assigned functional areas
Deliver technology solutions using best practices to achieve maximum Team productivity while delivering high quality products
Stay abreast of emerging trends
and solutions related to assigned responsibilities
collaborative relationships and credibility while influencing and driving change across respective Business and Technology Teams
Work with Technology and business partners to measure financial benefits and demonstrable business value
May perform other job duties as directed by Employee's Leaders
How You'll Work.
Team & Collaboration
Partnering closely with Engineering, Platform, and Product Teams; Lead cross-functional Teams to deliver solutions and services to meet enterprise needs; Build strong, collaborative relationships and credibility while influencing and driving change across respective Business and Technology Teams; Work with Technology and business partners to measure financial benefits and demonstrable business value; facilitate interactions with business Customers and technology teams
Communication Scope
excellent communication
Process & Methodology
project management methodologies, roadmap management, dependency management, deliver quality projects on time and within budget, manage projects using the organization's project management methodology
Full Job Description
**Department:** Technology **Our Company Promise** We are committed to provide our Employees a stable work environment with equal opportunity for learning and personal growth. Creativity and innovation are encouraged for improving the effectiveness of Southwest Airlines. Above all, Employees will be provided the same concern, respect, and caring attitude within the organization that they are expected to share externally with every Southwest Customer. **Job Description:** As Manager Technology supporting Southwest’s AI Operations & Support Pod, you’ll lead the Pod responsible for ensuring AI and agentic systems run reliably and deliver measurable value in production environments. This will stand up and lead a new AI Ops organization that defines how AI systems are supported, monitored, and continuously improved at scale. You’ll establish service level standards, on‑call models, and a follow‑the‑sun support framework across global Teams, while driving strong outcomes in reliability, incident response, and operational efficiency. Partnering closely with Engineering, Platform, and Product Teams, you’ll help connect operations and development—ensuring issues are resolved quickly and translated into long‑term improvements that reduce repeat incidents. With a focus on AWS‑based systems, observability, and evolving AI/ML technologies, you’ll guide your Pod to balance speed, stability, and cost as AI adoption grows. This role offers the opportunity to build and grow a high‑performing team while shaping how Southwest supports and scales AI capabilities across the enterprise. Model the Southwest Way * Guide and lead team members using SWA talent management practices to coach, develop, and engage employees * Adhere to Company values and competencies to foster a culture of inclusion, recognition, and support of a safe work environment * Invest in leadership and self-growth through participating in continuous learning and development Responsibilities * Lead, support, and influenc
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