Reporting to the CTO, the VP, Software Engineering, Digital serves as the senior software engineering leader for Digital Products and provides input into and drives the Digital strategy and product roadmaps in partnership with the SVP, Digital Products. This role leads the team accountable for the architecture, development and delivery of innovative and high-quality customer-facing direct channel platforms, including Marriott.com, Marriott Mobile, On-site Digital (property-facing) and China Digital (Web, Mobile, Wechat) to drive the growth and guest satisfaction of Marriott's direct channels.  Follows and provides input to standard application development tools and processes to promote project quality for client-facing and property-facing systems (website and mobile).  This position manages day-to-day relationships with global information technology teams to promote client satisfaction with all technology teams and business partners.  Implements and manages continuous improvement program to improve quality, consistency, and client satisfaction.

CANDIDATE PROFILE  

Education and Experience

Required:

• 15+ years of application architecture and development leadership experience, including:
  • Direct experience leading technology teams in defining, creating and supporting enterprise-scale consumer websites with strong knowledge of industry best practices
  • Experience in mobile and on-site digital platforms and technologies
• Demonstrated experience in Agile development methodologies, specifically with large-scale initiatives and geographically-distributed teams
• Direct management of cross-functional, sourced, and matrixed teams
• Management of complex budgets in excess of $25-50M direct and indirect costs
• Demonstrated digital thought leadership commensurate with the scale of Marriott digital properties
• Demonstrated enterprise technology leadership experience in hospitality, travel or retail industry 
• Demonstrated experience with the following technologies:
  • GraphQL, SPA Architecture, Couchbase technologies, Swift, Kotlin, API Gateways, BLE, MVVM Patterns, React & React-Native, & Headless CMS

Preferred Experience:

• Demonstrated success leading medium- to large-scale initiatives/transformations 
• Proven executive experience in strategic planning and budgeting within one or more business groups
• Experience with and knowledge of IT outsourcing activities in a managed services environment
• Proven knowledge of SDLC; good understanding of ITIL v4 Framework
• Strong process management, negotiating, influencing and problem resolution skills 
• Proven ability to effectively prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment
• Experience in business systems and process planning
• Knowledge of business environment, service requirements and hospitality culture
• Demonstrated ability to assess customer/client needs, creatively approach solutions, decide and influence appropriate courses of action
• Ability to understand and communicate the lifecycle of technologies and applications and to translate into business strategies for the client organizations
• Graduate/post graduate degree
• Solid understanding of IT financial structures and ability to manage to corporate financial processes and standards - including drivers of process costs
• Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to articulate complex technical ideas in easy-to-understand business terms
• Ability to accomplish results through others, particularly by establishing relationships, effective controls and leading in a managed service environment

CORE WORK ACTIVITIES                                                         

Developing and Managing Application Development Standards, Processes, And Tools

• Works with the Enterprise Architecture lead to facilitate consistency of delivery across client groups
• Builds and maintains a standard set of application development tools and processes that will drive consistency and predictability throughout the SDLC for all client groups including:
  • SDLC standard tools and processes for both waterfall and agile development
  • Estimating standard tools and processes, incorporating flexibility for small and large projects
  • Deployment standard tools and processes
• Monitors projects for adherence to defined application development processes
• Works with IT organization to create broader IT related and corporate standards and policies where necessary
• Communicates important application development policy changes that affect service provider and/or Marriott operations

Managing Day-To-Day Relationships with IT Teams 

• Manages application development projects in partnership with Digital Product Leadership, business partners and providers
  • Provides input into overarching technology roadmaps for Digital Products
  • Defines and oversees effective reporting to Digital Product Leaders and business stakeholders
  • Leads project reviews with Digital Product Leadership on application development projects
  • Provides overall project management of business projects/portfolios 
  • Manages day-to day relationships with all IT teams to promote the delivery of services that meet or exceed the client expectations
  • Monitors all projects for alignment with defined business case process 
  • Drives timely resolution of escalated service delivery problems and minimizes the impact of any client service delivery issues 
  • Defines, manages, and improves service level reporting for application development
  • Provides early warning to the appropriate Digital Product leaders and team regarding degraded or missed service levels
  • Leads application development and maintenance of service provider project management standards and tools
  • Participates in client portfolio and demand management processes, and engages service providers to promote client satisfaction 
  • Ensures effective software engineering resourcing of engineers across Digital Product teams
  • Drives talent development and best practices for team
• Works with application development service providers
  • Validates that the service provider(s) performs the services agreed to by the master services agreement in a manner that is consistent with both the spirit and the letter of the agreement
  • Works with all IT teams to progress the service providers services to match client needs
  • Facilitates team and service provider compliance with the agreement
  • Defines and facilitates service levels to meet business needs
• Supports the IT organization
  • Participates in the creation and maintenance of IT's business strategy and planning
  • Supports and follows defined IT Governance decision rights, standards and practices
  • Emphasizes accuracy and effectiveness of estimating and planning management with team
  • Assists all IT teams with the preparation and monitoring of business/discipline and continent IT budgets

Implementing and Managing Continuous Improvement Program 

• Implements CMMi or similar metrics to demonstrate continuous improvement and alignment with the industry
• Demonstrates continuous improvement through metrics of quality consistency and client satisfaction
• Works with application development service providers, IT teams, and business partners to implement continuous improvement activities
• Designs and administers project surveys or other feedback processes, to continually improve client satisfaction

At Marriott, we are committed to putting our associates first and their health and safety are our highest priorities.  This position requires associates to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 per current CDC standards or approved for a medical or religious accommodation.