Director Alliances & Airline Partnerships

Director Alliances & Airline Partnerships

The Team
Guided by our purpose, core values, and leadership principles, we are creating an airline people love. Our corporate teams set the strategies and operational plans to ensure the success of our company. Whether we use our expertise in accounting, human resources, finance, planning, legal, marketing, or any of our operational divisions, our shared passion for travel and our guests is what motivates us to achieve excellence each day.

If you share our passion for creating an airline people love, we want to hear from you.

Company Alaska Airlines

Role Summary
The Director, Alliances & Airline Partnerships sets the long‑term strategy and oversees the financial performance of alliances and airline partnerships at Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, and Horizon Air. As a people leader, this role establishes strategic goals and direction for a team of leaders to execute, grow and sustain alliances and partnerships, ensuring Alaska maximizes the value of its partnership portfolio to drive revenue, build guest loyalty, and ensure a seamless guest experience.

• Establish strategic goals and direction for Alaska’s alliances and partnerships team, steering viable potential partner agreements and providing strategic recommendations to leaders across the organization to improve revenue capture, advance guest loyalty and eliminate operational pain points.
• Set long‑term strategy and planning for the partnerships portfolio, determining the type and level of cooperation in line with competitive strategy, and cultivating relationships with executives at partner airlines and companies, along with the oneworld management company.
• Serve as Alaska’s senior delegate to the oneworld alliance and the subject‑matter expert for oneworld stakeholders, with day‑to‑day ownership of Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air’s relationship with the oneworld management company.
• Own the strategy for maximizing the value from Air Group’s multi‑billion West Coast International Alliance (WCIA).
• Evaluate existing partnership agreements to determine value, and partner cross‑functionally to achieve partnership objectives.
• Influences across loyalty, marketing, sales and e‑commerce teams to deliver on objectives.
• Responsible for success of alliances and partnerships platform, including establishing and implementing codeshare and interline infrastructure and communication processes within Alaska Airlines and partners, and managing project’s budget and timelines.
• Negotiate alliance and partner agreements, including interline, codeshare, frequent‑flyer, partner loyalty, and other agreements that drive over $500M a year of Air Group revenue. Ensure partnerships are sustainable and mutually beneficial.
• Grow Alaska Mileage Plan’s portfolio of airline partners to increase member loyalty through greater program relevance and increased opportunities to earn and redeem miles and engage with Alaska.
• Apply deep understanding of the competitive environment both domestically and globally to remain cognizant of second‑order effects from shifting allegiances that could impact Alaska.
• Develop people through effective performance management and ongoing feedback, focusing on fostering strategic and systems thinking, development of talent, and succession planning across team.
• Shape culture of the team through action, presence, and reforming of behaviors.

• 8 years of experience in business development, strategic partnerships/alliances or related area.
• 5 years of leadership experience, with at least 2 of those years directly leading people.
• Bachelor’s degree, or an additional two years of relevant training/experience in lieu of this degree.
• Robust knowledge of alliance and partnership structures.
• Awareness of global development trends.
• Exceptional analytical background with proven ability to navigate complex datasets.
• Strong communication skills (verbal, written, listening) with an ability to communicate clearly and concisely to both internal and external constituencies.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to create collaborative relationships that drive outcomes in the…