Company Overview
United Airlines is a globally recognized carrier that connects people, places, and possibilities across continents. With a heritage dating back over a century, United continues to set the standard for aviation excellence through relentless innovation, sustainability initiatives, and a steadfast commitment to safety and customer experience. The airline’s Advanced Innovation Group drives cutting‑edge technology strategies that power everything from predictive maintenance to personalized traveler journeys. As part of this forward‑thinking ecosystem, the Data Operations team plays a pivotal role in delivering the data‑driven insights that fuel operational efficiency, revenue growth, and the next generation of AI‑enabled services.
Why This Role Matters
In today’s hyper‑connected world, data is the lifeblood of every airline operation—from flight scheduling and crew management to real‑time passenger services and supply‑chain logistics. United Airlines is seeking a seasoned Lead Data Operations Engineer to spearhead the design, deployment, and optimization of its cloud‑native data platform. This role sits at the nexus of data engineering, DevOps, and artificial‑intelligence enablement, providing you with the opportunity to shape a platform that processes billions of events daily, supports machine‑learning pipelines, and drives business‑critical decisions across the enterprise.
Key Responsibilities
- Architect & Build Scalable Data Platforms: Lead the end‑to‑end design of serverless and containerized data services on AWS, integrating tools such as Amazon Kinesis, Apache Flink, OpenTelemetry, OpenLineage, and Marquez to create resilient data pipelines that handle high‑volume streaming and batch workloads.
- Collaborate Across Disciplines: Partner with software engineers, data scientists, product managers, and business stakeholders to translate complex requirements into actionable data solutions that empower analytics, AI, and operational dashboards.
- Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Own the Terraform codebase that provisions and maintains cloud resources, ensuring reproducibility, security compliance, and cost‑efficiency across environments.
- Performance & Reliability Engineering: Define and enforce SLAs, SLOs, and monitoring strategies using CloudWatch, Prometheus, and custom telemetry to guarantee platform uptime and optimal throughput.
- Mentorship & Technical Leadership: Provide hands‑on guidance, code reviews, and technical training to a growing team of data engineers and DevOps specialists, fostering a culture of continuous learning and best practices.
- Data Quality & Governance: Implement data validation frameworks (e.g., Great Expectations, Deequ) and metadata management solutions to maintain high data integrity, lineage, and compliance with regulatory standards.
- Automation & CI/CD: Design robust CI/CD pipelines using tools such as GitHub Actions, Jenkins, or CircleCI to automate testing, deployment, and rollback of data services.
- Security & Compliance: Ensure all data processing adheres to industry standards (e.g., PCI‑DSS, GDPR) and internal security policies through IAM role design, encryption, and audit logging.
- Continuous Improvement: Stay abreast of emerging technologies in the data engineering space and champion innovative solutions that can further accelerate United’s digital transformation agenda.
Essential Qualifications
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field.
- Professional Experience: Minimum 8 years of hands‑on experience in data engineering, cloud infrastructure, or platform engineering, with at least 3 years in a leadership or lead‑engineer capacity.
- Cloud Expertise: Proven experience (≥1 year) designing and operating large‑scale data pipelines on AWS services including EC2, S3, IAM, Lambda, Kinesis, SNS, and others.
- IaC Proficiency: Strong command of Terraform (or CloudFormation) to codify infrastructure, manage state, and enforce version control.
- Programming Skills: Advanced competency in Python and SQL, with exposure to at least one additional language (e.g., Java, Scala, Go).
- Data Pipeline Tools: Hands‑on experience with streaming frameworks such as Apache Flink, Spark Structured Streaming, or similar, and proficiency in building data ingestion pipelines using Kafka, Kinesis, or Pulsar.
- CI/CD & Automation: Experience building automated build, test, and deployment pipelines using industry‑standard tools.
- Operating Systems: Deep familiarity with Linux environments (preferably Ubuntu, Amazon Linux) and command‑line tooling.
- Legal Work Authorization: Must be authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship.
Preferred Qualifications (What Sets You Apart)
- AWS Certifications: AWS Solutions Architect – Professional, AWS DevOps Engineer – Professional, or AWS Data Analytics – Specialty.
- Data Quality Frameworks: Direct experience with Great Expectations, Deequ, or similar tools for automated data validation and profiling.
- Observability Stack: Proficiency with OpenTelemetry, Prometheus, Grafana, and the implementation of end‑to‑end tracing for data workflows.
- Machine‑Learning Ops: Exposure to MLflow, Kubeflow, or other MLOps platforms to support model training and deployment pipelines.
- Leadership Experience: Demonstrated track record of scaling engineering teams, fostering inclusive cultures, and delivering complex projects on time and within budget.
Core Skills & Competencies
- Analytical Mindset: Ability to dissect complex data flows, identify bottlenecks, and propose optimized solutions.
- Strategic Vision: Understand business objectives and translate them into technical roadmaps that drive measurable impact.
- Collaboration & Communication: Exceptional interpersonal skills to effectively engage with cross‑functional partners and articulate technical concepts to non‑technical stakeholders.
- Problem‑Solving: Proactive approach to troubleshooting, root‑cause analysis, and rapid incident response.
- Adaptability: Comfort working in a fast‑paced, evolving environment where priorities shift based on market dynamics and regulatory changes.
- Innovation Drive: Passion for experimenting with emerging technologies and championing best‑in‑class engineering practices.
Career Growth & Learning Opportunities
United Airlines invests heavily in the professional development of its employees. As a Lead Data Operations Engineer, you will have access to:
- Continuous Learning Stipends: Annual budget for courses, certifications, conferences, and books.
- Mentorship Programs: Pairing with senior leaders across data science, product, and engineering to broaden your perspective.
- Innovation Lab: Participation in internal hackathons and incubation projects that encourage creative problem‑solving.
- Career Pathing: Clear trajectory toward senior architecture roles, data platform director positions, or cross‑functional product leadership.
- Global Exposure: Opportunities to collaborate with United’s international teams, gaining insights into global aviation data challenges.
Work Environment & Culture
United’s culture is built on the core values of safety, service, integrity, and diversity. The Data Operations team thrives in an environment that encourages:
- Inclusion & Belonging: A commitment to diverse perspectives, where every voice contributes to shaping the platform roadmap.
- Flexibility: While the role is based in Albany, NY, United supports hybrid work models, allowing remote collaboration where appropriate.
- Team Spirit: Regular virtual and in‑person gatherings, knowledge‑sharing sessions, and “coffee‑chat” forums to foster camaraderie.
- Safety First: Rigorous security and compliance standards are baked into every process, ensuring a trustworthy data environment.
- Purpose‑Driven Impact: Your work directly influences the safety, efficiency, and customer experience of millions of travelers worldwide.
Compensation, Benefits & Perks
United Airlines offers a competitive total‑reward package designed to attract top talent:
- Base Salary: $20‑$30 per hour (commensurate with experience and qualifications).
- Performance Bonuses: Annual incentive plans aligned with individual and company performance.
- Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, plus mental health resources.
- Retirement Savings: 401(k) plan with company matching contributions.
- Paid Time Off: Generous vacation, holidays, and sick leave policies.
- Employee Assistance Programs: Confidential counseling, legal, and financial guidance services.
- Learning & Development: Tuition reimbursement, certification funding, and access to internal training platforms.
- Travel Benefits: Discounted airline tickets for personal travel, airline mileage rewards, and partner airline perks.
- Wellness Initiatives: Fitness class reimbursements, wellness challenges, and on‑site ergonomic assessments.
How to Apply
If you are a motivated engineering leader who thrives on solving complex data challenges and wants to make a lasting impact on a world‑class airline, we invite you to submit your application today. United Airlines is an equal‑opportunity employer and welcomes candidates of all backgrounds to apply.
Ready to take flight with United?
Click the link below to begin your application journey. We look forward to discovering how your expertise can help us soar to new heights.
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