Sr. Director, Lift Experience COE

Our mission is to create the Experience of a Lifetime for our employees, so they can, in turn, create the Experience of a Lifetime for our guests. We own and operate the most renowned destination resorts in the world as well as regional and local ski areas outside major cities, and connect them all through one unrivaled network. We are looking for ambitious leaders, innovators and creators to join our talented team. If you’re ready to pursue your fullest potential, we want to get to know you!

Candidates for year-round positions are reviewed on a rolling basis. Applications will be accepted up to 90 days after the posting date, or until the position is filled (whichever is first).

Job Summary:

We’re building something new for one of the most visible and critical parts of the mountain experience: Lift Experience. The Senior Director, Lift Experience Center of Excellence (COE) will lead this work to support Lift Operations and Scanning teams to deliver at a high level across safety, guest experience, employee experience, operational efficiency, access control, and revenue protection.

The Senior Director, Lift Experience COE is responsible for defining and leading the enterprise vision, strategy, priorities, operating model, and roadmap for Lift Operations and Scanning across the resort network. The Senior Director will work closely with resort, regional, and enterprise partners to improve lift utilization, queue flow, scan capture, labor deployment, training effectiveness, technology readiness, safety and guest experience.

Job Specifications:

• Starting Wage: $146,000 - $160,000 + annual bonus + equity
• Employment Type: Year Round
• Shift Type: Full Time hour
• Minimum Age: At least 18 years of age
• Housing Availability: No

Job Responsibilities:

• Build and lead the COE : Create a first-of-its-kind Lift Experience COE that leads with purpose, builds trust with the field, and strengthens Lift Operations and Scanning performance across the mountains.
• Set the vision and strategy : Define and execute the enterprise Lift Experience strategy, including priorities, goals, non-negotiables, resort-flex decisions, and improvements that create meaningful impact across diverse resorts and teams.
• Elevate safety, access effectiveness, and guest flow: Strengthen the systems, standards, training, and operating practices that help teams safely and efficiently move guests through access points, onto lifts, and across the mountain.
• Build scalable tools and practices : Develop the resources, routines, knowledge systems, SOPs, playbooks, escalation paths, training expectations, performance scorecards, and resource hubs needed for consistent execution and long-term success.
• Own performance and results : Establish and manage KPI frameworks, governance routines, and performance reviews that connect data to action, track progress, identify opportunities, and ensure initiatives deliver measurable value.
• Build leader and workforce capability : Develop forums, onboarding tools, training priorities, succession focus, and peer-learning mechanisms that reduce reliance on tribal knowledge and strengthen Lift Experience leadership enterprise-wide.
• Turn insight into action : Use operational data, field feedback, guest signals, labor insights, scan performance, lift optimization metrics, and technology inputs to diagnose opportunities, prioritize interventions, test solutions, and scale what works.
• Partner across the enterprise : Work with resort and regional leaders, Mountain Operations, Product Sales and Services, Training, Workforce Management, Operational Insights, IT, Finance, HR, Legal, and other partners to align priorities, remove barriers, and deliver best practices at scale.
• Listen, adapt, and strengthen culture : Engage Lift Experience leaders and frontline teams to understand operational realities, incorporate feedback, identify scalable strengths, and reinforce the pride, purpose, safety mindset, service orientation, and operational discipline that make these teams essential to delivering the Experience of a Lifetime.

Job Requirements:

• 10+ years of demonstrated progressive leadership experience in resort operations, mountain operations, guest operations, lift operations, scanning operations, or a related operational function.
• Strong enterprise leadership capability with demonstrated success influencing and aligning diverse stakeholders across a complex, matrixed organization.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to translate business priorities into clear direction, decisions, and measurable outcomes.
• Strong business, operational, and financial acumen.
• Effective communicator capable of engaging operational leaders and executive stakeholders.
• Ability to leverage data, operational insights, and field feedback to inform decisions and drive performance.
• Experience successfully balancing long-term strategic priorities with near-term seasonal readiness, operational urgency, and the practical realities of resort execution.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience preferred.

The expected Total Compensation for this role is $146,000 - $160,000 + annual bonus + equity. Individual compensation decisions are based on a variety of factors.

Job Benefits

• Ski/Mountain Perks! Free passes for employees, employee discounted lift tickets for friends and family AND free ski lessons
• MORE employee discounts on lodging, food, gear, and mountain shuttles
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Employee Assistance Program
• Excellent training and professional development

Full Time roles are eligible for the above, plus:

• Health Insurance; Medical Insurance, Dental Insurance, and Vision Insurance plans (for eligible seasonal employees after working 500 hours)
• Free ski passes for dependents
• Critical Illness and Accident plans

Vail Resorts offers a ‘Hybrid’ work environment where employees living within 50 miles of the Broomfield office work on-site Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and have flexibility to work off-site on Mondays and Fridays. Employees living outside of a commutable distance can work remotely from British Columbia, Washington D.C., and the 16 U.S. states* in which we currently operate. This includes: California, Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, Washington State, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Please note that the ability to work in person or off-site, and the particulars related to such work, are subject to change at any time; and, accordingly, the Company reserves the right to change its policies and/or require in-person/in-office work or off-site work at any time in its sole discretion.

In completing this application, and when submitting related documentation, applicants may redact information that identifies their age, date of birth, and/or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution. 

We follow all federal, state, and local laws including restrictions on child/minor labor. Minors hired into this position will not be asked or permitted to engage in any activities restricted to adult workers.

Vail Resorts is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or any other status protected by applicable law.

Requisition ID 517602
Reference Date: 09/17/2026 
Job Code Function: Mountain Operations COE