Southwest Airlines

Runs a low-fare airline on US and leisure routes

Manager Artificial Intelligence - Agentic

Engineering LeadershipConfirmed live in the last 24 hours

Full-timeHyderabad, Telangana, IndiaNo salary listed

About the Job

Requirements

Knowledge of situational and strengths-based leadership to provide continuous employee coaching, identify improvement opportunities, improve team performance, and hold the team accountable.
Knowledge of data procurement and integration methodologies, platforms, and tools.
Knowledge of data science, machine learning, agentic artificial intelligence, artificial intelligence, or optimization product development methodologies, platforms, and tools.
Strong knowledge of engineering fundamentals, including code quality, testing and automation, observability and monitoring, the artificial intelligence product development life cycle, and platform engineering.
Experience leading teams developing multiple highly complex data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, or optimization products efficiently and with high quality.
Experience developing working relationships across company levels and communicating clearly and concisely with employees, customers, and leadership.
Skill in demonstrating self-confidence and emotional intelligence during crucial conversations that result in positive action or change.
Skill in developing talent to create a strong bench with adaptability to replace key positions in the functional area.
Ability to anticipate changing circumstances, constraints, or challenges and develop creative solutions for simple to complex problems.
Ability to translate objectives into plans, priorities, and assignments; prioritize team work, make time-sensitive decisions, and take responsible risks to achieve goals.
Ability to create an inclusive team environment that encourages dialogue and empowers the team to share differing perspectives.
Bachelor's degree in Mathematics, Computer Science or Data Science, Information Technology, or similar fields, or equivalent advanced-level experience.
Eight to twelve years of relevant work-related or leadership experience.
Eight or more years of people leadership of a cross-functional pod (engineering, product, and quality assurance) delivering customer-facing platforms, or three or more years of leading teams.
Five or more years of program and delivery leadership across roadmaps, funding, dependencies, and measurable outcomes.
Five or more years of stakeholder management across business, technology, security, and operations, including decision-making under ambiguity.
Working knowledge of agentic or large language model systems and governance of non-deterministic delivery, including evaluations, guardrails, and safety.
Experience with operating cadence and metrics, including objectives and key results/key performance indicators such as containment, deflection, customer experience, and latency; risk management; and execution transparency.
Demonstrated experience directly or indirectly leading teams.
Broad working knowledge of data analysis, advanced analytics, and artificial intelligence projects.
Broad working knowledge of data pipelines and artificial intelligence or relevant programming.
Broad working knowledge of visualization and presentation development and delivery.
Broad working knowledge of solving ambiguous and complex problems using a systems-thinking approach.
Broad working knowledge of formally or informally growing and mentoring talent, skills, and abilities across a diverse team.
Broad working knowledge of building and growing a new capability, including driving and managing change.
Broad working knowledge of backend systems such as Java, Python, or Go, or similar technologies.
Broad working knowledge of distributed systems fundamentals.
Broad working knowledge of APIs and microservices architecture.
Broad working knowledge of data and analytics platforms.
Must meet confidentiality expectations concerning confidential, proprietary, and sensitive company information.
Ability to work extended hours as needed.
Must be able to travel to or attend company and non-company facilities and remote locations as necessary.

Responsibilities

Build and lead a high-performing team responsible for delivering multiple complex data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, or optimization products efficiently and with high quality; work with business customers to understand problems and define, analyze, and deliver innovative solutions aligned with business needs and company strategic priorities.
Manage the creation and communication of results from complex data analysis and the development of data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, or optimization products.
Develop and communicate a team roadmap aligned to its vision, establish near- and long-term plans, and align team prioritization and development or training to execute the plan.
Ideate, adapt, and continuously improve the artificial intelligence program by advocating ideas and processes that increase efficiency, quality, and customer satisfaction.
Build relationships with business leaders, internal customers, and peers to promote and advise on opportunities that may be addressed through data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, or optimization.
Maintain a portfolio of products, prioritize delivery with internal customers, and communicate results and value through impactful metrics.
Recruit, develop, and retain people with the skills, attitude, and experience needed to achieve commitments as part of a cohesive, high-performing team.
Recognize employee achievements and advocate for career growth through mentorship, stretch opportunities, and skills-based learning plans.
Create an environment that welcomes debate, dialogue, and diversity of thought to foster morale, integrity, trust, and teamwork.
Guide and lead team members using company talent management practices to coach, develop, and engage employees.
Adhere to company values and competencies to foster inclusion, recognition, support, and a safe work environment.
Participate in continuous learning and development to support leadership and personal growth.
Lead the Agentic AI Customer and Commercial pod, developing customer-facing artificial intelligence experiences that enable assistance, option exploration, and transactions through natural-language interactions.
Own the customer and commercial product lifecycle from problem framing and solution design through production performance, ensuring measurable and sustained business impact.
Set objectives and key results and success metrics, including containment or deflection, customer experience outcomes, and latency; drive execution across roadmaps, funding, and dependencies; and partner with security and operations to deliver safe, trustworthy experiences.
Establish and grow a pod that ships with minimal handoffs, maintains quality, and has clear accountability; shape the scaling of customer-centric agentic capabilities.
Lead the Agentic AI ETO Products pod to create and scale intelligent agents that support enterprise and back-office technology teams by simplifying internal workflows and reducing manual work.
Shape team direction, establish product ownership, and set delivery practices for the new pod.
Guide the team to deliver production agentic solutions with operational value; partner with stakeholders across technology, cybersecurity, and operations to prioritize problems and demonstrate impact through metrics.
Hire and develop artificial intelligence and software engineering talent, drive Agile delivery at scale using Scrum or SAFe, manage team dependencies, and ensure pod work is sustainable, reliable in production, well-governed, and scalable as adoption grows.
May perform other job duties as directed by the employee's leaders.

Desired Qualifications

Experience in context engineering management with data catalogs and knowledge graphs.
Experience in artificial intelligence FinOps.
AWS artificial intelligence certifications.
Three or more years of prior engineering management in cross-continental teams.

Department:

Technology

Our Company Promise

We are committed to provide our Employees a stable work environment with equal opportunity for learning and personal growth. Creativity and innovation are encouraged for improving the effectiveness of Southwest Airlines. Above all, Employees will be provided the same concern, respect, and caring attitude within the organization that they are expected to share externally with every Southwest Customer.

Job Description:

As a Manager, Artificial Intelligence supportingSouthwest’sAgentic AI initiatives,you’lllead amulti-disciplinaryPod delivering highimpact AI and machine learning solutions for both Customer and enterprise needs.You’llsetstrategy and roadmap, manage a portfolio of AI products, and partner across Business, Product, Engineering, and Data to translate complex problems into scalable,well-governedsolutions. With accountability for execution and measurable outcomes,you’llguide Teams to deliver reliable,high qualityresults while fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement. As we continue to grow our Global Innovation Center (GIC) in Hyderabad,we’rehiring multiple Manager Artificial Intelligence across multiple Pods focused on Agentic AI —each offering the opportunity to lead meaningful work, navigate complexity, and help advance the technology that powers Southwest’s operation. Read on to learn more about the Pods you could support.

Manager Artificial Intelligence – Agentic AI, Customer & Commercial
Leadingthe Agentic AI – Customer & Commercial Pod, you’ll lead across‑functionalTeam (Engineering,Product,Quality) building intelligent,Customer‑facingAI experiences that make it easier to get help, explore options, and complete transactions through natural,plain‑languageinteractions.You’llown the full lifecycle—from problem framing and solution design to production performance—ensuring agentsdeliversustained, measurable business impact. This includes setting OKRs and success metrics (e.g., containment/deflection, Customer Experienceoutcomes, latency), driving execution across roadmap, funding, and dependencies, and partnering closely withSecurity andOperations to deliver safe, trustworthy experiences.You’llhelp stand up and grow aPod that can ship with minimal handoffs,upholds strongquality, andhasclear accountability—shaping how Southwest scalesCustomer‑centricagentic capabilities over time.

Manager Artificial Intelligence – Agentic AI, ETO Products
Leading the Agentic AI – ETO Products Pod,you’lllead the creation and scale of intelligent AI agents that support enterprise andback‑officeTechnology Teams by simplifying internal workflows and reducing manual toil. This role is ideal for a Leader who enjoys building from the ground up: shaping Team direction,establishingproduct ownership, and setting the delivery “tone” for this new pod.You’llguide the Team to deliver production agentic solutions with clear operational value, partnering with stakeholders across Technology, Cybersecurity, and Operations to prioritize the right problems and prove impact through metrics. Along the way, you’ll hire and develop AI and software engineering talent, drive Agile delivery at scale (Scrum/SAFe), manage dependencies across Teams, and ensure the Pod’s work is sustainable—reliable in production,well‑governed, and designed to scale as adoption grows.

Model the Southwest Way

Guide and lead team members using SWA talent management practices to coach, develop, and engage employees
Adhere to Company values and competencies to foster a culture of inclusion, recognition, and support of a safe work environment
Invest in leadership and self-growth through participating in continuous learning and development

Responsibilities

Build and lead a high-performing team responsible for delivering multiple, highly complex data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, or optimization products in a timely, efficient manner with high quality by working with business customers to understand contextual problems quickly and define, analyze, and deliver innovative solutions that address business needs and support the company’s strategic priorities
Manage the creation and communication of results from highly complex data analysis and/or the development of data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, or optimization products
Develop and effectively communicate a roadmap for the team aligned to the vision of the team, establish long-term and near-term plans as part of a roadmap necessary to meet the vision, and align the team appropriately through prioritization to execute the plan utilizing development and training to enhance the team’s skills as needed
Ideate, adapt, and continuously improve the artificial intelligence program by advocating for new ideas and processes to increase efficiency, quality, and customer satisfaction
Foster relationships with key business leaders, internal customers, and peers to promote and advise on opportunities in your functional area that may be addressed through data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, or optimization
Maintain a portfolio of products and prioritize the delivery of those products in partnership with internal customers, communicating results and value-delivered via impactful metrics
Recruit, develop, and retain individuals with the skills, attitude, and experience necessary to achieve goals/commitments as part of a high-performing, cohesive team
Recognize achievements and advocate for career growth of employees to build a bench using mentorship, stretch opportunities, and training plans via a skills-based learning plan
Create an environment where debate, dialogue and diversity of thought are encouraged, expected, and welcomed to foster high morale, integrity, trust and teamwork
May perform other job duties as directed by Employee's Leaders

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Knowledge of situational and strengths-based leadership to provide continuous coaching to unveil areas of opportunity for an employee to improve team performance and hold team accountable
Knowledge of data procurement and integration methodologies, platforms, and tools
Knowledge of data science, machine learning, agentic AI, artificial intelligence, or optimization product development methodologies, platforms, and tools
Strong knowledge of engineering fundamentals, including code quality, testing and automation, observability and monitoring, AI product Dev life cycle and platform engineering
Skilled in leading a team to develop multiple, highly complex data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, or optimization products in a timely, efficient manner
Skilled in developing strong working relationships across all levels of the company including employees, customers, and leadership, and communicating effectively to that network in a clear and concise way
Skilled in demonstrating self-confidence and emotional intelligence in crucial conversations that result in positive action or change
Skilled in developing talent to create a strong bench with adaptability to replace key positions in functional area
Ability to anticipate changing circumstances, unexpected constraints, or challenges and develop ideas, processes, and approaches through creative problem solving to meet those simple to complex challenges
Ability to translate objectives into well-defined plans, priorities, and assignments for your team; managing the prioritization of your team’s work and making time sensitive decisions to move work forward while taking responsible risks to achieve goals
Ability to create an inclusive team environment that encourages dialogue and empowers your team to sharing varying perspectives

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics, Computer or Data Sciences, Information Technology or similar fields of study; or equivalent advanced level experience

Experience

Required:
- 8-12 years relevant work-related / leadership experience
- 8+ years in people leadership of a cross-functional pod (engineering, product, QA) delivering customer-facing platforms/ 3+ years of leading teams
- 5+ years in program and delivery leadership across roadmap, funding, dependencies, and measurable outcomes
- 5+ years in stakeholder management across business, tech, security, and operations; decisioning under ambiguity
- Working knowledge of agentic/LLM systems and how to govern non-deterministic delivery (evals, guardrails, safety)
- Operating cadence and metrics: OKRs/KPIs (containment, deflection, CX, latency), risk management, and execution transparency.
- Demonstrated experience in directly or indirectly leading team(s)
- Fully functioning, broad knowledge in:
  - Data analysis, advanced analytics, Artificial Intelligence project experience
  - Data pipeline, Artificial Intelligence and/or relevant programming
  - Visualization and presentation development and delivery
  - Solving ambiguous and complex problems through a systems thinking approach
  - Formally or informally growing and mentoring talent, skills and abilities across a diverse Team
  - Building and growing a new capability including driving and managing change
  - Backend systems (Java/Python/Go or similar)
  - Distributed systems fundamentals
  - APIs, microservices architecture
  - Data and Analytics Platforms
Preferred: Experience in:
- Context engineering management w/ data catalogs and knowledge graphs
- Ai FinOps experience
- AWS AI certifications
- 3+ years of prior engineering management in cross-continental teams

Other Qualifications

Must meet confidentiality expectations as to confidential, proprietary and sensitive Company information
Ability to work extended hours as needed
Must be able to travel and / or attend Company and non-Company facilities and remote locations such as remote-based offices as necessary

Southwest Airlines is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Please print/save this job description because it won't be available after you apply.

About the Company

Southwest Airlines

Runs a low-fare airline on US and leisure routes

Southwest Airlines is a low-fare passenger airline flying leisure and business travelers across the United States, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. It runs a point-to-point network that links many midsize and secondary airports directly instead of routing most trips through a few large hubs. Customers book through Southwest's own website and app, choosing fare bundles that set bag allowances, change flexibility and boarding order. Revenue comes from ticket sales, bag and seat fees, and sales of frequent-flyer points to partner companies. Southwest was incorporated in 1967, began flying three Texas cities in 1971, and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

Company size: 10,001+
Company stage: IPO
Headquarters: Dallas, TX
Founded: 1971

Recently Posted Jobs

Explore more opportunities at Southwest Airlines

See more jobs