Technical Product Lead, Ancillary

What’s needed to succeed (Minimum Qualifications):

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Data Science, Operations Research, Statistics, Economics, or other quantitative discipline

4+ years of related experience

Strong passion to solve business problems with data

Analytical mindset, quantitative orientation required with strong knowledge of database querying languages (SQL, Python, etc.)

Experience with Python for data preparation

Experienced in analyzing complex, high volume data from various sources to identify patterns and relationships

Experience with statistical modeling, statistical inference

Poised and confident presenting insights to stakeholders of all levels

Self-motivated – If you don’t know the answer, you’ll reach out and find somebody who does

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):

Master's degree

At least one year in a lead or managerial role preferred

Familiarity with airlines and ancillary products

Experience with Optimization frameworks and tools (ex. CPLEX)

Experience with Revenue Management practices and demand forecasting for perishable services

Experience in Airline Merchandising, Revenue Management, Management Consulting, or similar commercially focused roles

Experience with model training, validation and deployment

Knowledge of Machine Learning

Becoming the best airline is an adventure. And our Pricing & Revenue Management team is providing fuel for that journey by ensuring that we maximize our ticket revenue on every single flight across our network – both domestically and internationally – while giving our customers various product offerings for their travel. By analyzing market trends and forecasting consumer demand, this team works hard to ensure we are selling the right number of tickets at the right price to optimize our revenue and run a profitable airline.

Job overview and responsibilities

The Ancillary Products team, a part of United’s Pricing & Revenue Management division, manages a multi-billion-dollar portfolio of travel services including Economy Plus, cabin upgrades, seat assignments, checked bags, travel insurance, and more.

As Product Lead, you will be charged with day-to-day orchestration of our pricing optimization program, improving revenue performance and customer satisfaction for United’s ancillary portfolio. Leveraging a blend of expertise in statistical modeling, machine learning, and project management, you will guide development of new technologies to elevate our business. You will have the opportunity to directly influence strategy and investment for high-margin ancillary products, improve customers’ flight experience, and impact United's bottom line.

Cross-functional coordination of Ancillary’s next-generation pricing initiatives:

Serve as central coordination point and internal expert for Ancillary Pricing initiatives, especially around advanced modeling implementation

Properly validate models, conclusions, and methodologies throughout the process

Identify opportunities to improve existing models and workflows, and the new data or technologies needed to do so

Coordinate with our partners across Digital Technology, Analytics & Innovation, and Pricing & Revenue Management to define, prioritize, and deliver tangible business outcomes

Project Management & Communication:

Coordinate efforts with Ancillary’s internal pricing, analytics, and development teams to deliver actionable business intelligence and tool enhancements that deliver impact to United’s ancillary revenue

Serve as Ancillary’s subject matter expert in cross-functional initiatives, collaborating effectively with multiple stakeholders and articulating + pursuing project needs to drive progress

Develop and present executive-grade materials to stakeholders of all levels

Capably explain technical concepts to less-technical collaborators

Apply Data Science Methodologies to Business Problems:

Function as internal expert on modeling applied to Ancillary Pricing, learning about and educating others on new methodologies as required

Shepherd data science projects through a full project lifecycle, from identifying an innovation opportunity to delivering actionable insights

Interface with partner teams’ machine learning use cases to assess Ancillary impact, advocating for optimized business outcomes

Exercise ownership of data generated as part of Ancillary’s pricing programs; leading business intelligence generation from that data; develop expertise in other United data domains

Leadership:

Foster teamwork, think strategically and deliver results

Take the initiative upon identifying areas of opportunity

Work collaboratively across functions and create an inclusive environment with people at all levels of the organization

Drive independent workstreams in the context of a broader team project

NOTE\: This position provides a hybrid work arrangement including approximately 50% of the time spent working onsite at our Chicago office location and 50% remotely.