Sr. Manager, Award and Upgrade Strategy

How You'll Help Us Keep Climbing (Overview & Key Responsibilities) About SkyMiles Delta Air Lines leads the global travel industry with its SkyMiles loyalty program, delivering a rich suite of benefits and experiences for millions of SkyMiles Members worldwide. The SkyMiles program is central to Delta’s welcoming, elevated and caring brand promise, helping deepen customer engagement and reward high-value Members throughout the travel journey. Role Overview SkyMiles is seeking a proven leader to shape and manage award and upgrade strategy across Delta’s loyalty portfolio. This role will help optimize the value and experience delivered to Members while balancing mileage liability, revenue performance, customer behavior and the broader financial impact to Delta. The Senior Manager, Award and Upgrade Strategy will lead a team of individual contributors focused on mileage redemption strategy and mileage upgrade products. The role will work closely with Revenue Management and other Commercial teams to evaluate performance, identify opportunities and implement customer-focused solutions. This position is based at Delta’s Global Headquarters in Atlanta, GA and follows a hybrid work model requiring a minimum of four days per week in the office. What Success Looks Like Brings high initiative, sound judgment and a strong bias for action to complex award and upgrade strategy decisions. Uses data, customer insights and business context to recommend practical actions that improve Member experience and business performance. Balances customer value, mileage economics, revenue impact and operational feasibility when evaluating strategy changes. Builds trusted partnerships with Revenue Management, Digital, Reservations, Finance, Legal and other cross-functional stakeholders. Communicates with clarity and candor to audiences at all levels, including senior leaders and executive stakeholders. Navigates trade-offs, ambiguity and competing priorities with speed, resilience and transparency. Embraces challenges, fresh perspectives and cross-functional problem solving to move ideas from concept to implementation. Primary Responsibilities Own planning, analysis and decision support for SkyMiles redemption and upgrade strategy, including initiatives that strengthen Member engagement, satisfaction and program value. Optimize the value and experience delivered to customers while balancing mileage liability, revenue performance and financial impact to Delta. Partner with Commercial teams, most notably Revenue Management, to oversee award and upgrade performance, evaluate customer behavior, recommend strategy changes and implement initiatives across flight and non-air redemption products. Serve as a key SkyMiles stakeholder for Revenue Management merchandising strategy changes. Work with Commercial partners to identify and promote redemption and upgrade opportunities that deliver incremental Member value beyond fare sales. Create and present clear, compelling business updates, analyses and recommendations for senior leaders and key stakeholders. Develop deep subject matter expertise in Delta, airline and broader loyalty redemption and upgrade practices, including monitoring competitive and industry trends. Coach and develop team members or cross-functional partners by building the behaviors, skills and knowledge needed for sustained performance and future growth. Lead through Delta’s core values and the Rules of the Road, consistently prioritizing safety, security and the well-being of self and others. What You Need To Succeed (Minimum Qualifications) Eight or more years of demonstrated high performance in a corporate environment, preferably in business, finance, marketing, loyalty or a related field. Excellent analytical, project management, database querying and problem-solving skills. Strong strategic thinking, financial and economic modeling, project management and business case development skills. Passion for Delta, SkyMiles, loyalty and delivering an industry-leading customer experience. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate complex ideas into clear, persuasive presentations for senior leaders. Demonstrated passion for problem solving and driving from insights to measurable impact. Ability to work autonomously in a fast-paced environment while managing multiple priorities and leveraging resources across divisions. Comfort interacting frequently with and making recommendations to senior internal leaders and external partners. Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to integrate across organizations and influence decisions in other departments. Ability to lead collaboratively and operate effectively in a cross-functional environment. Advanced proficiency in PowerPoint and Excel. Must be performing satisfactorily in current position. Consistently prioritizes safety and security of self, others, and personal data. Embraces diverse people, thinking, and styles. Possesses a high school diploma, GED, or high school equivalency. Is at least 19 years of age and has authorization to work in the United States. What Will Give You a Competitive Edge (Preferred Qualifications) Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience. Experience with, or deep understanding of, loyalty programs, airline revenue management, award travel, upgrades or merchandising strategy. Experience using SAS, SQL, Hyperion or similar tools for data gathering, performance analysis and forecasting. Benefits And Perks To Help You Keep Climbing Our culture is rooted in a shared dedication to living our values – Care, Integrity, Resilience, Servant Leadership, and Teamwork – every day, in everything we do. At Delta, our people are our success. At the heart of what we offer is our focus on Sharing Success with Delta employees. Exploring a career at Delta gives you a chance to see the world while earning great compensation and benefits to help you keep climbing along the way. Why You'll Love Delta Competitive salary, industry-leading profit sharing program, and performance incentives 401(k) with generous company contributions up to 9% Paid time off including vacation, holidays, paid personal time, maternity and parental leave Comprehensive health benefits including medical, dental, vision, short/long term disability and life benefits Family care assistance through fertility support, surrogacy and adoption assistance, lactation support, subsidized back-up care, and programs that help with loved ones in all stages Holistic Wellbeing programs to support physical, emotional, social, and financial health, including access to an employee assistance program offering support for you and anyone in your household, free financial coaching, and extensive resources supporting mental health Domestic and International space-available flight privileges for employees and eligible family members World-wide partnerships to engage in community service and innovative goals created to focus on sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint Recognition rewards and awards through the platform Unstoppable Together Business Resource Groups created to connect employees with common interests to promote inclusion, provide perspective and help implement strategies Access to over 500 discounts, specialty savings and voluntary benefits through Deltaperks such as car and hotel rentals and auto, home, and pet insurance, legal services, and childcare #J-18808-Ljbffr Delta Air Lines