Head of Sustainability and Corporate Innovation Strategy – Delta Air Lines

Location: Atlanta, GA

Overview

Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) is the U.S. global airline leader in safety, innovation, reliability and customer experience. Powered by our employees around the world, Delta has for a decade led the airline industry in operational excellence while maintaining our reputation for award-winning customer service. With our mission of connecting the people and cultures of the globe, Delta strives to foster understanding across a diverse world and serve as a force for social good. In this role, the right candidate will work closely with the SVP, Chief Sustainability Officer & Corporate Innovation and extended team, as well as our internal cross-functional partners to develop and deliver outcomes that align with Delta’s global short and long-term business strategy. To be successful, this role will need to  operate at the senior levels within Delta.  The position will have responsibility for driving Board and C-Suite level priorities while overseeing partnership opportunities to meet our long-term objectives.

This is a newly created leadership position responsible for building a strategic vision for Delta’s Sustainability & Corporate Innovation efforts.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and activation of a world-class strategy in support of Delta’s Sustainability & Corporate Innovation efforts.
• Help set the vision and define the overall sustainability and corporate innovation strategy for the company from launch to scale, including long-term goals to achieve consistent results and growth
• Identify, recommend, and deliver strategies, plans, ideas, and partnership opportunities to maximize Delta’s Sustainability & Corporate Innovation goals, as well as shareholder value
• Work collaboratively with executive and senior management across divisions to identify and define the most essential strategic opportunities and challenges
• Direct cross-functional teams to develop and maintain views of important industry trends, market dynamics, competitive benchmarking and indices to affirm or alter strategies as necessary
• Partner across executive and divisional leadership to develop and execute cross functional and divisional strategies and plans
• Distill key strategic themes, ideas, and opportunities into tangible executable, plans and initiatives
• Steer multiple key initiatives by providing guidance on how to  define, accelerate, track and monitor results
• Maintain responsibility for deliverables and timelines, shifting priorities as needed and managing stakeholder relationships and expectations
• Support preparation of agendas / topics / materials for Board and other executive meetings in conjunction with other business leaders

Minimum Qualifications

• Strong problem solver with ability to lead the team to push the solution and progress
• Responsive and agile in a fast-paced, highly visible environment
• Master’s Degree in Business or equivalent years of experience
• 10+ years of demonstrated experience in developing and executing strategic planning or larger scale / cross-functional program management.
• Ability to work effectively with senior leadership on C-Suite and Board topics to drive change and achieve strategic goals.
• Executive presence to be an effective agent of change, leading through influence and vision across the enterprise translating the strategic plan into tangible and easily understood goals.
• Experience researching external trends, sources, information to form perspectives / points of view / recommendations given quickly changing or ambiguous topics
• Self-starter, demonstrating flexibility and adaptability in a fast-paced, dynamic team environment
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Embraces diverse people, thinking and styles
• Consistently makes safety and security of self and others a priority
• Where permitted by applicable law, must have received or be willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by date of hire to be considered for U.S.-based job, if not currently employed by Delta Air Lines, Inc.

Preferred Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in large scale strategy development in areas of new technology, innovation, industry transformation
• Experience with sustainability subjects such as carbon accounting, ESG, stakeholder engagement, and systems solutions