International Execution Director

Alaska Airlines

Seatac, WA

Schedule: Full-Time

Company Alaska Airlines

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.

Role Summary

The International Execution Director is a subject matter expert and strategic leader responsible for supporting the successful delivery of Alaska Air Group's international franchise. Operating on a matrixed basis from Seattle, this role partners with Regional Heads in Asia, Pacific, and Europe to ensure consistent execution of operational standards, guest experience delivery, and performance improvement initiatives. As an individual contributor, this role leads cross-functionally and partners with the Regional Heads to deliver world-class performance across launch readiness initiatives, performance improvement programs, and guest experience enhancements.

Key Duties

Launch Readiness

• Lead end-to-end operational readiness for new international route launches, ensuring all systems, processes, and teams are prepared for day-one success.
• Define the long-term strategy for international launch readiness with an 18–24 month horizon, ensuring proactive planning and alignment with broader network and enterprise growth goals.
• Partner to adapt operational frameworks for international stations, including ground handling procedures, turnaround protocols, and customer service standards.
• Coordinate cross-functional readiness activities across Network Planning, Airport Operations, Inflight, Maintenance, and other Operational and Commercial teams.
• Present launch-readiness recommendations and long-range plans to senior operational and commercial leadership to drive alignment on investment, resource allocation, and go-to-market timing.
• Develop market entry playbooks that standardize launch activities while allowing customization for local market requirements.

Operational Excellence

• Partner with Regional Heads to drive operational performance improvements across completion factor, on-time performance, mishandled baggage, and other ops metrics.
• Lead international schedule signoff process with an eye toward resilience and operational success, partnering with Network Planning.
• Advise enterprise leaders on long-term operational goals for international flying, ensuring decisions reflect future-state performance, resource needs, and competitive positioning.
• Design and implement performance dashboards providing real-time visibility into international operations metrics.
• Establish benchmarking frameworks to measure Alaska's international performance against industry standards and competitive sets.

Guest Experience

• Identify and execute initiatives that differentiate Alaska's international guest experience, particularly for premium cabin passengers.
• Partner with Guest Experience teams to enhance key journey moments: check-in efficiency, customs/immigration facilitation, connection management, and post-flight engagement.
• Implement feedback mechanisms to capture guest sentiment and rapidly address service gaps.
• Work cross-functionally to map guest experience touchpoints across the international experience.
• Develop service recovery protocols specific to international operations challenges.
• Present guest-experience insights, performance trends, and long-term recommendations to senior Commercial and Operations leadership to inform strategic decisions.

Job-Specific Experience, Education & Skills

Required

• 10+ years airline operations experience with proven international launch expertise.
• Bachelor’s degree, or an additional two years of relevant experience in lieu of this degree.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook).
• Excellent written, verbal, analytical, presentation, and negotiation skills.
• Strong cross-functional leadership and stakeholder management capabilities.
• Data-driven approach to problem-solving with ability to translate insights into action.
• Experience managing complex, multi-workstream projects across geographically distributed teams.
• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Minimum age of 18
• Must be authorized to work in the U.S.

Preferred

• Experience with regulatory compliance frameworks (TSA, CBP, IATA standards).
• Background in network planning, station management, or ground operations.
• Excellent communicator across all levels within an organization providing clarity to complex concepts and solutions.  

Job-Specific Leadership Expectations

• Embody our values to own safety, do the right thing, be kind-hearted, deliver performance, and be remarkable.
• Lead with bias-for-action: when operational issues arise, own the fix quickly through cross-functional collaboration.
• Build enterprise value by designing scalable solutions that benefit the entire international network.
• Operate with lean team mentality: focus efforts on most leveraged opportunities that drive measurable outcomes.
• Ensure international performance exceeds domestic benchmarks through operational excellence and remarkable guest experiences.

Salary Range

$150,600 - $233,450 / year

Total Target Compensation Range (incl. bonus & equity)

$185,532 - $286,609

Salary Details

The pay range and total target compensation package listed above is the expected pay offered for this position at the start of employment. Your pay will be based on multiple factors, including and not limited to location, your relevant experience/level, experience level, and skillset while balancing internal equity relative to other Alaska/Hawaiian/Horizon employees. Alaska/Hawaiian/Horizon is committed to fair, unbiased compensation along with competitive benefits in all locations in which we operate.

Note: We don't typically hire at the top of the range.

Total Rewards

Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air pay and benefits can vary by company, location, number of regularly scheduled hours worked, length of employment, and employment status.

• Free stand-by travel privileges on Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines & Horizon Air
• Comprehensive well-being programs including medical, dental and vision benefits
• Generous 401k match program
• Quarterly and annual bonus plans
• Generous holiday and paid time off

For more information about Alaska/Hawaiian/Horizon Total Rewards please visit our career site and view benefits.

Regulatory Information

Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement

It is the policy of Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment and to ensure equal opportunity in all terms, conditions, and benefits of employment or potential employment.

We also prohibit discrimination and harassment against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information and other legally protected categories.

We have established an EEO Compliance Program under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (“Section 503”) and the Vietnam Era Veteran’s Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (“VEVRAA”). All applicants and employees are treated without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. In addition, we have established an audit and reporting system to allow for effective measurement of its equal employment opportunity activities.

To implement this policy, we will:

(1) Recruit, hire, train and promote qualified persons in all job titles, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information and any other legally protected categories;

(2) Ensure that employment decisions are based only on valid job requirements; and

(3) Ensure that all personnel actions and employment activities such as compensation, benefits, promotions, layoffs, return from layoff, Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air sponsored programs, and tuition assistance will be administered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information and other legally protected categories.

Employees and applicants for employment will not be subjected to harassment, intimidation, threats, coercion or discrimination because they have engaged or may engage in (1) filing a complaint, (2) opposing any act or practice made unlawful by, or exercising any other right protected by, any Federal, State or local law requiring equal opportunity, including Section 503 and the equal opportunity provisions of VEVRAA, or (3) assisting or participating in any investigation, compliance evaluation, hearing, or any other activity related to the administration of any Federal, State or local law requiring equal opportunity, including Section 503 and the equal opportunity provisions of VEVRAA.

Government Contractor & Department of Transportation (DOT) Regulations

Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines & Horizon Air are regulated by the Department of Transportation (DOT – regulations, 49 CFR part 40) and all applicants are advised that post-offer and/or pre-employment drug testing will be conducted to determine the presence of marijuana, cocaine, opioids, phencyclidine (PCP) and amphetamines or a metabolite of these drugs prior to any offer or employment or transfer into a safety-sensitive position. Failure to submit to testing or positive indications of drug use will render the applicant ineligible for employment with Alaska Airlines/Hawaiian Airlines/Horizon Air and any employment offer will be withdrawn.

Apply by 7:00 PM Pacific Time on

2/20/2026

FLSA Status Exempt
Employment Type Full-Time
Regular/Temporary Regular
Location Seattle - Corporate HQ
Job Locations USA-WA-SeaTac
Requisition ID 2026-18228
Category Corporate & Operations