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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. They will be the voice of the customer without the automation ecosystem, being customer-obsessed and ensuring every automated touchpoint feels intuitive, human, and effortless while also handling complicated customer issues seamlessly, or when needed, gracefully transitioning the customer to live human support.
Our approach to automation will address real operational challenges - for example, sharp spikes in customer contacts during large-scale irregular operations that can lead to extremely long wait times for customers and significant additional hours for our frontline teams –- while enabling our frontline experts to focus on the complex, high-value moments where their judgment, empathy and problem-solving skills make the greatest difference
Define automation strategy and customer experience roadmap, balancing automation resolution goals with customer experience/satisfaction including the ‘human-in-the-loop’ strategy and experience
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
Establish and monitor performance metrics such as resolution rate, CSAT, escalation rates, using data to identify gaps and drive continuous improvement
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
Govern content quality across all automated interactions, including tone, accuracy, compliance, and brand voice and ensure escalated interactions include full context, transcripts, and intents are passed to the live agent, minimizing customer and live agent effort
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 analyst dedicated to the customer automation ecosystem
What’s needed to succeed (Minimum Qualifications):
Bachelor's degree or related experience
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 NotebookLM
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
This role is based in Chicago and follows a hybrid work schedule
What will help you propel from the pack (Preferred Qualifications):
Master's degree or related experience
Master of Science in 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
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
[email protected]