IT Application Development Mgr

United Airlines; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 112,000 - 147,000; Full time

Job summary

United Airlines is seeking an IT Application Development Manager in Chicago to lead the design, development, and deployment of Airport Operations technology. You will guide a team through Agile delivery, architecture decisions, and modernization efforts to ensure scalable, reliable applications.

You will partner with business and technical stakeholders to prioritize initiatives, manage delivery against budgets, and drive operational excellence across the application lifecycle.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in IT/CS or equivalent.
• 3+ years of application delivery and lifecycle management.
• Experience with web development: .NET, C#, MS SQL, Angular, AWS.
• Proven ability to lead digital transformation and Agile/DevOps practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end delivery and maintenance of applications, including cloud-based solutions.
• Align delivery with business goals and manage budgets, schedules, quality.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to drive product development and SLAs.
• Foster automation, improve processes, and drive innovation across teams.

Skills

.NET

C#

MS SQL

Angular

AWS

DevOps

Agile

Waterfall

Leadership

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Business Administration, Computer Science or equivalent

Tools

AWS

Kubernetes

Infrastructure as Code

Container orchestration

Cloud security practices

Job description

IT Application Development Mgr

Location Chicago, Illinois, United States

Job Type: Full-Time

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

United's Digital Technology team is comprised of many talented individuals all working together with cutting‑edge technology to build the best airline in the history of aviation. Our team designs, develops and maintains massively scaling technology solutions brought to life with innovative architectures, data analytics, and digital solutions.

Job Overview and Responsibilities

As the Application Development Manager, you will lead the development and implementation of a new Airport Operations technology, a key component of United's growth strategy. This technology will be seamlessly integrated with various other systems across the organization. Your role will involve leading a team focused on digital transformation, providing hands‑on leadership in designing, analyzing, and developing scalable solutions. You will emphasize solutions architecture, Agile development practices, and driving organizational change.

Delivery and Execution

Responsible for leading the end‑to‑end delivery and maintenance of applications/s (including cloud‑based). Manage the entire application lifecycle, from development through deployment and maintenance, ensuring efficient and reliable operations. Effectively manage and deliver work requests and projects within the committed budget, schedule and quality for individual projects while also meeting overall department performance goals. Emphasize operational excellence by maintaining high standards of performance, reliability, and availability for all applications.

Strategic Alignment

Engage, and partner with stakeholders, technical and business, to ensure that application delivery supports key business processes, customer experiences, loyalty and revenue growth. Collaborate with business units to prioritize product development and lead key initiatives. Work closely with stakeholders and leadership to align development and operational efforts with strategic priorities, ensuring the team's contributions drive critical business outcomes. Influence stakeholders to define clear priorities for deliverables and establish key business outcomes, ensuring these goals are effectively met. Ensure that the application lifecycle supports broader business goals, including enhancing end user experiences and optimizing operational efficiency.

Communication, Collaboration and Stakeholder Management

Collaborates with other teams and business constituents to provide daily operational support. Be a trusted thought leader with business partners to create impactful products that delight your customers. Ensure smooth coordination between teams to support seamless operational performance and application delivery. Provide delivery estimates and business case updates to support overall IT performance metrics, monthly project status reporting and quarterly resource planning review. Manages relationships with technology vendors, ensuring that partnerships deliver value to the organization.

Drive innovation

Identify technical obstacles early and work closely with the team to find creative solutions. Responsible for escalating, assisting and follow‑through on resolution of issues related to delivery of technology solutions. Collaborate and share knowledge to create effective and innovative solutions to problems. Facilitate collaboration between teams to identify emerging technologies and trends that could drive more effective solutions and future‑proof applications. Consistently assess and refine development processes and methods to improve team performance and product quality. Promote the use of automation to streamline processes, reduce manual work, and improve overall efficiency across the application lifecycle.

Change Management

Ensure Agile best practices are implemented and continuously improved as necessary. Ensure technology solutions align with architectural and evolving security standards and application changes are managed smoothly, adhering to best practices and ensuring minimal disruption to business operations. Work with the team to manage and implement changes effectively in a fast‑paced environment.

Process and Standards

Establish metrics‑driven accountability by regularly reviewing processes against operational KPIs, ensuring continuous alignment with business objectives. Ensures work is compliant with established processes, JSOX and other internal controls (i.e., SDLC, change management, production control, following standards, architecture review, incident response, PCI and PII information security, etc.). Focus on continuous process improvement by implementing feedback loops that leverage data from operational incidents and performance metrics to refine processes over time.

Leadership and Development

Shows a commitment to professional development. Lead efforts to plan project staffing, forecast budget, and communicate progress to senior IT and Business leadership. Promote cross‑functional skill development, ensuring team members have exposure to both operational (SRE, DevOps) and development practices to enhance their versatility.

Qualifications

What’s needed to succeed (Minimum Qualifications):

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Business Administration, Computer Science or equivalent field of study


• 3+ years of application delivery and life cycle management experience


• Experienced with web-based development, .NET, C#, MS SQL, Angular, AWS development services and technologies


• Understanding of digital platforms, tools, and emerging technologies (e.g., AI, IoT, cloud computing, cybersecurity)


• Experience with overseeing highly critical applications that require 24/7 operational support, incident management, and ensuring high availability and uptime for critical applications


• Proven experience in managing on‑premises web-based applications


• Proven experience in managing cloud‑native applications and services, including infrastructure as code, container orchestration, and cloud-based security practices


• Proven track record of ownership and successful delivery


• Ability to prioritize projects and initiatives based on their alignment with business goals and strategic objectives


• Experience maintaining scalable and reusable on tools and technologies


• Experience in leading digital transformation initiatives, driving innovation and modernization across the organization's application portfolio to meet evolving business demands


• Proficiency in managing software development projects, including familiarity with Waterfall, Agile, DevOps practices, and software lifecycle management


• Ability to leverage data analytics to drive decision‑making and improve digital products and services


• Proven track record of leading and developing high‑performing teams, fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration


• Strong planning and organizational skills


• Strong verbal and written communication skills and the ability to clearly present ideas to a variety of technical and non‑technical audiences


• Ability to quickly triage and drive the resolution effort for production support situations


• Experience in leading digital transformation initiatives, driving innovation and modernization across the organization's application portfolio to meet evolving business demands


• 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

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

• AWS Certifications: Developer Associate, Solutions Architect Associate, or higher


• Working knowledge or experience with High Availability systems


• Working knowledge or experience with ML, LLM, and AI


• Aviation industry knowledge or experience, particularly regulatory standards

The base pay range for this role is $112,480.00 to $146,540.00.

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.