Manager, Business Readiness Change Management

Job Description:

Intro
Are you ready to explore a world of possibilities, both at work and during your time off? Join our American Airlines family, and you'll travel the world, grow your expertise and become the best version of you. As you embark on a new journey, you'll tackle challenges with flexibility and grace, learning new skills and advancing your career while having the time of your life. Feel free to enrich both your personal and work life and hop on board!
Why you'll love this job
* As a member of the Next Gen Operations Program at the IOC, you'll drive the business readiness strategy and lead a high-impact change management team, partnering with senior leaders across Operations and Crew portfolios and Technology to deliver adoption and readiness at scale.
* Ensure smooth, safe, and compliant transitions to new tools and capabilities, reducing disruption and accelerating operational excellence to position American Airlines for sustained success.
What you'll do
As noted above, this list is intended to reflect the current job but there may be additional essential functions (and certainly non-essential job functions) that are not referenced. Management will modify the job or require other tasks be performed whenever it is deemed appropriate to do so, observing, of course, any legal obligations including any collective bargaining obligations.
* Define and own the business readiness and change management strategy for the Next Gen Ops Program, aligning with program objectives and enterprise priorities.
* Lead and develop the change management team, providing mentorship, guidance, and performance management to deliver high-impact outcomes.
* Influence senior leaders and sponsors, ensuring visible and active sponsorship of change across all operational divisions.
* Integrate readiness and adoption plans into program delivery, embedding checkpoints, training, and communications into release schedules.
* Oversee stakeholder engagement and alignment, ensuring cross-functional collaboration across Flight Ops, IOC, and Technology.
* Drive execution of the five OCM levers: communications plan, sponsor roadmap, coaching plan, training plan, and resistance management plan.
* Monitor and measure adoption outcomes, using data-driven insights to adjust strategies and report progress to executive leadership.
* Identify and mitigate change risks, escalating issues with clear options and impacts to governance forums.
* Champion a culture of change and continuous improvement, embedding lessons learned into future releases and organizational practices.
* Prepare and deliver executive-level updates on readiness, adoption health, and stakeholder sentiment for program governance and leadership forums.
All you'll need for success
Minimum Qualifications- Education & Prior Job Experience
* Bachelor's degree in Business, Communications, Organizational Development, or related field
* 5+ years in organizational change management, business readiness, or related discipline
* 2+ years in a leadership or supervisory role
* Experience applying structured change management methodologies on large-scale initiatives
Preferred Qualifications- Education & Prior Job Experience
* Master's degree in Business, Organizational Development, or related field
* 7+ years in change leadership for complex, regulated, or safety-critical environments
* Experience with large-scale system implementations or operational transformations
* Prosci® certification (ADKAR) or equivalent
* Familiarity with airline operations or Flight Operations System environments
Skills, Licenses & Certifications
* Strategic thinker with strong business acumen
* Exceptional communication and executive influence skills
* Proven ability to lead teams and deliver results in a matrixed environment
* Expertise in OCM frameworks, stakeholder engagement, and readiness planning
* Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
* Ability to manage ambiguity and drive clarity in complex programs
* Proficiency in Microsoft 365 (PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Visio, Project), SharePoint; familiarity with work management tools (e.g., Azure DevOps/JIRA) a plus
What you'll get
Feel free to take advantage of all that American Airlines has to offer:
* Travel Perks: Ready to explore the world? You, your family and your friends can reach 365 destinations on more than 6,800 daily flights across our global network.
* Health Benefits: On day one, you'll have access to your health, dental, prescription and vision benefits to help you stay well. And that's just the start, we also offer virtual doctor visits, flexible spending accounts and more.
* Wellness Programs: We want you to be the best version of yourself - that's why our wellness programs provide you with all the right tools, resources and support you need.
* 401(k) Program: Available upon hire and, depending on the workgroup, employer contributions to your 401(k) program are available after one year.
* Additional Benefits: Other great benefits include our Employee Assistance Program, pet insurance and discounts on hotels, cars, cruises and more
Feel free to be yourself at American
From the team members we hire to the customers we serve, inclusion and diversity are the foundation of the dynamic workforce at American Airlines. Our 20+ Employee Business Resource Groups are focused on connecting our team members to our customers, suppliers, communities and shareholders, helping team members reach their full potential and creating an inclusive work environment to meet and exceed the needs of our diverse world.
Are you ready to feel a tremendous sense of pride and satisfaction as you do your part to keep the largest airline in the world running smoothly as we care for people on life's journey? Feel free to be yourself at American.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY/ AFFIRMATIVE ACTION POLICY
American Airlines maintains a continuing policy of nondiscrimination in employment. It is our policy to provide equal opportunity and access for all persons, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or status as a disabled veteran or other protected veteran, in all phases of the employment process and in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. This policy of nondiscrimination shall include, but not be limited to, the following employment decisions and practices: hiring; upgrading; promotions; demotions or transfers; layoffs; recalls; terminations; rates of pay or other forms of compensation; selection for training, including apprenticeship; and recruitment or recruitment advertising