Director - Airport Affairs

United Airlines; Virginia (MN); Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 208,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

Life

Accident & disability

Parental leave

Employee assistance program

Commuter

Paid holidays

Paid time off

401(k)

Flight privileges

Job summary

United Airlines seeks a Senior Real Estate and Negotiation Leader to drive the strategy for its corporate real estate portfolio. You will negotiate with airports, airlines, and government entities, leading a team to execute strategic priorities across hubs and stations.

The role requires a strong background in real estate, contract negotiation, and leadership, with a focus on cost management and growth. Hybrid work arrangements are available in the U.S.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, Real Estate, Business or similar.
• 8+ years real estate and/or contract negotiation experience.
• 3+ years of managerial experience in related role.
• Strong negotiation, analytical, strategic thinking and long-term vision.
• Ability to scan the horizon and balance risk/benefit in emerging issues.
• Strong communication and presentation skills with experience presenting to senior management or external audiences.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and implementation of objectives and strategies for United’s corporate real estate portfolio and growth plan.
• Manage primary relationships with airport authorities, airlines, and government entities.
• Lead a team to drive strategic priorities and execute plans with defined metrics.
• Negotiate at hub airports to achieve key business outcomes and complex agreements.
• Drive cost/risk management and optimal real estate utilization across the portfolio.

Skills

Negotiation

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Analytical skills

Presentation skills

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Achieving our goals starts with supporting yours. Grow your career, access top-tier health and wellness benefits, build lasting connections with your team and our customers, and travel the world using our extensive route network.

Come join us to create what’s next. Let’s define tomorrow, together.

Description

Get your hard hat ready. We’re not just renovating the travel experience – we’re renovating our physical spaces too. And our Corporate Real Estate team is on the front lines of procuring, designing and developing spaces at all our hubs, stations and city locations across the world. From airport affairs and business services to planning and development, this team is responsible for all our leases and major construction and renovation projects, system wide.

Job Overview and Responsibilities

Responsible for leading the development and implementation of key objectives and strategies as part of United’s corporate real estate portfolio and growth plan. Manage primary relationship with key external stakeholders including but not limited to airport authorities, airlines, applicable government entities and industry organizations. This includes leading negotiations on behalf of United to achieve key business outcomes. Lead a team of professionals to drive development of strategic priorities and execute implementation of plans against defined objectives and metrics. Support other duties as assigned.

Strategy:

• Develop and maintain a strategic plan, goals and key performance indicators that support United corporate real estate portfolio and growth strategy.
• Engage key stakeholders in the development of the plan to gather their input and obtain their commitment.
• Facilitate execution of the plan with collaboration across United leadership, business units, and external stakeholders.
• Collaborate across the company to drive development and administration of processes that support strategic objectives and priorities across United’s corporate real estate portfolio, including business case development, planning and negotiation.

Implementation:

• Manage primary relationships and drive negotiations at strategic hub airports on behalf of United with key stakeholders including but not limited to airports, airlines, and applicable public/ government entities.
• Balance proactive and reactive approach to managing key responsibilities, inclusive of developing solutions and driving consensus through collaboration and communication.
• Drive implementation of policies and initiatives across the corporate real estate portfolio that focus on cost and risk management, optimal real estate utilization, and enabling growth.
• Responsible for leading engagement in exception management, conflict resolution and strategic alignment.

Leadership:

• Effectively lead teams by establishing department and individual goals.
• Oversee the department and individual performance and improvement plans.
• Coach, counsel, and assist employees to develop individual career development and training plans.
• Lead effective teams using technical knowledge and experience combined with business acumen to provide thoughtful decision making and guidance in strategic implementation of United’s objectives and initiatives.
• Demonstrate solution-oriented approach to problem-solving and a commitment to creating and sustaining a culture of continual improvement and innovation.
• Model integrity, possess self-awareness and foster an environment of accountability.
• Provide transparent communication to department staff, leadership, and stakeholders.
• Represent United's programs and leadership at industry and other external events.
• Mentor and develop a team that is empowered and engaged in the mission of the Airport Affairs Department.

Qualifications

What’s needed to succeed (Minimum Qualifications):

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, Real Estate, Business or similar
• 8+ years real estate and/or contract negotiation experience
• 3+ years of managerial experience related to the position
• Strong negotiation skills
• Strong analytical skills, strategic/innovative thinking, and long-term vision
• Ability to "scan the horizon" and apply risk/benefit approach to emerging issues
• Strong communication and presentation skills with experience presenting to senior management and/or external audiences required
• Able to collaborate with and influence internal and external stakeholders
• Able to balance various corporate objectives
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship
• Successful completion of interview required to meet job qualification
• Reliable, punctual attendance is an essential function of the position
• This position is hybrid, with the option to be based in either Chicago, IL or the Dulles Airport area in Northern Virginia

What will help you propel from the pack (Preferred Qualifications):

• Master's degree
• Airline, airport, and/or aviation industry experience
• Demonstrates an understanding of the capabilities and limitations of generative AI tools and effectively leans on them to support research, analysis, content creation, and problem-solving.
• Applies critical thinking to validate AI-generated outputs while adhering to organizational policies for responsible AI use, data privacy, and security

The base pay range for this role is $159,790.00 to $207,998.00. The base salary range/hourly rate listed is dependent on job-related factors such as experience, education, and skills. This position is also eligible for bonus and/or long-term incentive compensation awards.

• medical
• dental
• vision
• life
• accident & disability
• parental leave
• employee assistance program
• commuter
• paid holidays
• paid time off
• 401(k)
• flight privileges

United Airlines is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, veteran status, or any other protected category under applicable law. We provide reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. To request an accommodation, contact [e-mail]