Executive Director, Network Operations & Strategy

Southwest Airlines Co.; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 249,000 - 277,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free standby flights

401(k) match

Profit-sharing

Health insurance

Job summary

Southwest Airlines Co. is seeking a Managing Director Network Operations to lead the Network Operations Team, set strategic direction for aircraft routing, disruption management, and operational recovery, and drive decisions balancing safety, reliability, customer experience, and cost.

The role requires collaborating with Flight Operations, Dispatch, Ground Operations, Maintenance, Crew, and customer-facing teams, developing leaders, and strengthening operational resilience at our Dallas, TX

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in directly or indirectly leading teams.
• Advanced business acumen in a complex airline operation.
• Strong knowledge of regulatory requirements and labor agreements.
• Ability to manage cross-functional collaboration across Flight Operations, Dispatch, Ground Ops, Maintenance, Crew, and Customer-facing Teams.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership of Network Operations and policy development.
• Lead CONs, SODs, and NCP teams to ensure planning excellence.
• Build scalable advanced planning organization across operations.
• Develop and implement playbooks for pre- and day-of-operation planning.
• Collaborate with Flight Operations, Ground Ops, Dispatch, and Maintenance to ensure resilience.
• Drive IROPS improvement and real-time customer support strategies.
• Develop leadership depth and succession planning.
• Establish KPIs balancing reliability, cost, and customer service.
• Ensure compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations and company policies.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Decision making

Cross-functional collaboration

Regulatory knowledge

Problem solving

Communication

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Job description

Southwest Airlines Co. is seeking a Managing Director Network Operations to lead the Network Operations Team, set strategic direction for aircraft routing, disruption management, and operational recovery, and drive decisions balancing safety, reliability, customer experience, and cost.

The role requires collaborating with Flight Operations, Dispatch, Ground Operations, Maintenance, Crew, and customer-facing teams, developing leaders, and strengthening operational resilience at our Dallas, TX