Director – Customer Automation

Description

Caring is one of United’s most important principles. And no one exemplifies that more than our Customer Contact Center team, who helps our customers with everything from booking and managing reservations, to questions about their travel, MileagePlus accounts, and so much more!

Job Overview and Responsibilities

The Director of Customer Automation Experience will lead the strategy, design, and continuous optimization of the customer-facing, automation portfolio across voice, chat, and messaging. This critical role sits at the intersection of customer experience, operations, and technical execution as well as managing vendor partnerships.

• Lead the strategy, design, and continuous optimization of the customer-facing, automation portfolio across voice, chat, and messaging.
• Direct the end-to-end design of natural, intuitive, conversation flows for voice bots and digital chat/messaging, collaborating with digital technology, UX, operations, and QA teams.
• Manage relationships and serve as the primary liaison between Customer Support & Advocacy, Operations, Digital Technology, Data Science, and vendor teams to translate and prioritize business needs and continuously evaluate emerging technologies.
• Develop and present business cases for new automation investments, including ROI modeling and projected impact on volume and cost.
• Lead, mentor, and grow a specialized team of conversational designers, product managers, and optimization analysts dedicated to the customer automation ecosystem.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or related experience in Management Information Systems, Industrial Engineering, Cognitive Science, Linguistics, Informatics, Business Analytics, Customer Insights or a related field requiring a mix of analytical and human-centric problem-solving.
• 8+ years in customer self-service, customer-facing automation, contact centers, customer experience or a related field.
• 3+ years specifically leading conversational channels.
• 3+ years in a leadership role.
• Demonstrated proficiency in at least one major CCaaS Credentials proving the ability to manage a digital roadmap or product.
• Conversational UX and Design Thinking.
• Deep understanding of telephony & digital routing.
• Escalating & handoff orchestration.
• Advanced CX Analytics & metric tracking.
• Familiarity with Generative AI concepts and prompt writing.
• Exposure to AI platforms such as Copilot, ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, and Notebook.
• LMMust 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.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree or related experience in Management Information Systems, Information Technology Management, Product Management, or Business/Data Analytics.
• 10+ years in customer self-service, customer-facing automation, contact center, customer experience or a related field.
• 5+ years specifically leading conversational channels.
• 5+ years in a leadership role.
• Specialized training or vendor certification in conversational AI, Process optimization certification, AI strategy credentials.
• Generative AI & Guardrail Frameworks API & backend integration logic Vendor negotiation & software evaluation Change management & agent advocacy Hands-on experience using AI tools in projects, internships, or work environment Knowledge of automation platforms such as Power Automate, Copilot Studio, Zapier, or n8n Demonstrates an understanding of the capabilities and limitations of generative AI tools and effectively leverages 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.

Pay and Benefits

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. You may be eligible for the following competitive benefits: medical, dental, vision, life, accident & disability, parental leave, employee assistance program, commuter, paid holidays, paid time off, 401(k) and 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 JobAccommodations@united.com.