Senior Director of Machine Learning Engineering & Data Operations – Enterprise Cloud Platform Development

Join the Future of Aviation Technology at arenaflex

Are you ready to be part of a revolution in the aviation industry? Welcome to arenaflex – where we're not just flying planes, we're soaring toward becoming the most innovative airline in the history of flight. We're on an ambitious growth trajectory, and in the years ahead, we'll be recruiting thousands of talented individuals across every facet of our global operation. This is your chance to join a team that's redefining what's possible in the skies.

At arenaflex, we believe that inclusion drives innovation, and it's the foundation of everything we do. Our Digital Innovation team spans the globe, comprised of diverse individuals working together with pioneering technology to make arenaflex the best airline in the history of aviation. If you're passionate about pushing boundaries, solving complex problems, and working with cutting-edge technology, you belong here.

We're currently seeking a visionary Senior Director of ML Engineering and Data Operations to lead our enterprise-wide Machine Learning Engineering and Platform environment. This is a critical leadership role that requires an exceptional level of technical expertise in building enterprise-scale big data infrastructure and mastering all phases of the data and software lifecycle management processes.

Why arenaflex?

At arenaflex, we offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to keep you happy, healthy, and well-traveled. Our careers come with serious advantages that set us apart:

• Travel Benefits: Enjoy space-available travel privileges for you and your qualified family members, plus discounted or free airline tickets for personal travel


• Financial Security: 401(k) retirement plans with company matching, employee stock purchase plans


• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage, prescription drug inclusion, health savings accounts (HSAs), and flexible spending accounts (FSAs)


• Paid Time Off: Generous paid vacation days, paid holidays, and sick leave


• Family Support: Outstanding parental leave and family-friendly policies


• Professional Development: Tuition reimbursement for qualified educational expenses, comprehensive training and development programs


• Work-Life Balance: Flexible work arrangements where applicable


• Recognition: Programs to recognize and reward employee achievements


• Employee Support: Counseling and support services through our Employee Assistance Programs (EAP)


• Insurance Coverage: Life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance, short-term and long-term disability protection

From our employee-run "Business Resource Group" communities to our industry-leading benefits, arenaflex is truly an exceptional place to build your career.

About the Role

As the Senior Director of ML Engineering and Data Operations at arenaflex, you'll be a fundamental part of the team responsible for enterprise-wide ML Engineering and Platform environment. You'll lead initiatives that drive data-driven insights and innovation to enable our Data Engineering and Machine Learning needs for business and operational projects with a digital-first focus.

This role will frequently collaborate with colleagues, data scientists, and ML engineers to design and enable key subsystems of our Data Platform, optimize operational critical metrics, and establish processes and best practices. As part of our platform team, you'll work with innovative cloud technologies from AWS and other ecosystems, including but not limited to Airflow, OpenTelemetry, OpenLineage, Marquez, Great Expectations, and many others.

Key Responsibilities

As a leader in our Data Engineering organization, you'll be responsible for:

• Strategic Technical Leadership: Collaborate with development teams and other department leaders/stakeholders to provide innovative technical solutions that enable business capabilities and drive organizational success


• Architecture & Development: Participate in and lead the design and development of innovative batch and streaming data applications using AWS technologies. Support large-scale data pipelines in a distributed and scalable environment


• Infrastructure Excellence: Enable and optimize production AWS environment for data infrastructure and frameworks. Establish robust cloud infrastructure that scales with our business needs


• Platform Development: Set up containers and Serverless platform with cloud infrastructure, ensuring high availability and performance


• Team Guidance: Provide the team with technical direction and approach to be attempted and guide them in resolution of questions/issues. Mentor and develop junior engineers


• Innovation Champion: Drive innovation across the data platform, evaluating new technologies and methodologies that can enhance our capabilities


• Cross-Functional Partnership: Work closely with data scientists, ML engineers, and business stakeholders to understand requirements and deliver solutions that meet their needs

Required Qualifications

To succeed in this role, you'll need:

• Education: Bachelor's degree (or equivalent experience)


• Experience: 8+ years of professional experience in data engineering, ML engineering, or related technical roles


• Cloud Expertise: 4+ years of professional experience managing infrastructure and data pipelines using Cloud Deployment, Terraform, PySpark, Airflow, or similar technologies


• Leadership Experience: 2+ years of experience leading a team that designs, architects, or supports solutions on AWS


• AWS Knowledge: Working knowledge of common AWS technologies including EC2, S3, IAM, Lambda, Glue, SNS, and others


• Programming Skills: Working knowledge with CI/CD tools, SQL, Python, Scala, Version control system, JIRA


• Software Development: Hands-on experience with any object-oriented programming language


• Authorization: Must be legally authorized to work in the US for any employer without sponsorship

Preferred Qualifications

While not required, these qualifications will help you stand out:

• AWS Certification: Solutions Architect, DevOps Engineer, or similar certifications


• Data Quality Tools: Experience with data quality tools like Great Expectations, Deequ, or similar


• Operating Systems: Strong knowledge and experience with Linux or Windows operating systems


• MLOps Experience: Background in MLOps practices and ML pipeline automation


• Data Governance: Experience with data governance frameworks and compliance requirements


• Open Source Contributions: Active participation in open-source data or ML communities

Skills & Competencies

Beyond technical qualifications, success in this role requires:

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to translate business requirements into technical architecture and solutions


• Communication Excellence: Strong ability to communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders


• Problem-Solving: Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills with a proactive approach


• Team Leadership: Proven ability to lead, mentor, and develop high-performing teams


• Adaptability: Comfortable working in a fast-paced, evolving environment with changing priorities


• Collaboration: Excellent cross-functional collaboration skills

Career Growth & Development

At arenaflex, we're invested in your growth. As a senior leader in our organization, you'll have:

• Leadership Opportunities: Direct management of talented engineers and the ability to build your team


• Technical Innovation: Access to cutting-edge technologies and the freedom to explore new approaches


• Professional Development: Continuous learning opportunities, including AWS certification support and conference attendance


• Career Advancement: Clear pathways to executive leadership roles within the organization


• Industry Exposure: Work with one of the most recognized brands in the aviation industry

Work Environment & Culture

arenaflex is more than an airline – we're a community of innovators, problem-solvers, and passionate professionals. Our Digital Innovation team works in an environment that values:

• Diversity & Inclusion: We believe diverse teams build better products. We encourage every individual who meets the minimum qualifications to apply


• Innovation Freedom: We give our teams the autonomy to experiment and innovate


• Work-Life Balance: Flexible arrangements to support your wellbeing


• Global Impact: The opportunity to work on technology that touches millions of travelers worldwide

While having the "ideal" qualifications makes for a stronger candidate, we encourage applicants who may not feel they check every box! We're constantly looking for individuals who will bring something truly unique to the table. If you're passionate about data engineering, machine learning, and want to shape the future of aviation technology, we want to hear from you.

Ready for Takeoff?

This is more than just a job – it's an opportunity to be part of something extraordinary. At arenaflex, we're not just moving people from point A to point B; we're connecting the world in ways that were never before possible. Join us on our journey to become the best airline in the history of flight.

Are you ready to see the world? Are you ready to make an impact? Are you ready to grow with a company that's going places?

Apply now and let's soar together!

arenaflex is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.