The Senior Director, Transformation & Delivery will be responsible for shaping Air Canada’s digital vision, driving the execution of critical IT-enabled transformation initiatives, and ensuring delivery excellence across the organization. Reporting directly to the Chief Digital Officer, this executive will lead the development of a forward-looking digital strategy, manage a robust portfolio of transformation initiatives, and build a scalable internal delivery organization. The ideal candidate will be a strategic thinker and hands-on leader with deep experience in strategy, transformation, portfolio management, and complex program delivery.

Digital Strategy & Transformation Leadership

Define and continuously refine the strategic direction for IT, Digital, and Data, ensuring alignment with Air Canada’s corporate objectives and long-term business growth.Establish a cohesive roadmap of Strategic and Transformational initiatives that drive team productivity and efficiency, improves delivery quality, enhances value delivered to the business, and transforms the team’s culture.Lead, track, govern and measure impact of strategic initiatives across IT, Digital and Data that transform what we do and how we deliver value to the business.Partner with key IT, Digital and Data leaders to ensure strategic initiatives deliver meaningful and sustainable outcomes.Rollout changes to the entire IT, Digital and Data teams, ensuring adoption and integration into everyday operations.Establish and participate in governing bodies and steering committees as required.Be a trusted strategic advisor to the CDO.  Ensure AC leadership understands the importance, relevance, and involvement of the role’s area.

Oversee the management and governance of the IDD portfolio, ensuring visibility into active projects, strategic initiatives, risks, and dependencies.Guide, manage and coordinate the execution of  > 50 projects and programs annually, across IT, Digital and Data teamsCo-sponsor, along with other IT, Digital and Data executives, several business-facing large scale transformation programs, with a planned budget of >$1B over the next four years Develop and implement performance management frameworks, including KPIs and OKRs, to track the success of digital initiatives.Lead leadership forums and reviews to ensure timely decision-making, proactive risk mitigation, and accountability across the portfolio.Continuously track and communicate progress, providing insights to drive improvement and value realization.

Build and mature an internal delivery organization by recruiting, developing, and retaining top talent in program management and delivery roles.Reduce reliance on external System Integrators (SI) by progressively increasing in-house delivery capabilities while maintaining cost efficiency and high-quality outcomes.Define and implement a standardized delivery model incorporating best practices in agile, waterfall, and hybrid methodologies.Lead the development and potential establishment of an offshore delivery center to enhance flexibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness.Drive continuous improvement in delivery processes, leveraging metrics and feedback to enhance quality, speed, and predictability of program outcomes.

Lead key transformation initiatives such as operating model redesign, cost optimization, and strategic workforce planning in partnership with HR, Finance, and other stakeholders.Champion a culture of innovation, continuous improvement, and operational excellence across the IDD organization.Drive the adoption of modern technologies, data-driven decision-making, and a customer-centric approach to digital initiatives.Keep abreast of the latest technology advances, initiatives, implementations, and capabilities to ensure suitable actions are taken within Air Canada.

Develop and execute a vendor strategy, managing relationships with external partners to maximize value, cost efficiency, and performance.Optimize the use of external vendors while ensuring the successful delivery of critical programs through a blended internal and external team model.Establish the optimal balance of employees, contractors, and managed services to achieve quality, performance, and cost goals.

15+ years of experience in IT, Digital, or Data leadership roles, with a strong track record in strategy development, large-scale transformation, and complex program delivery.A relevant University degree/technical certification, and/or relevant experience.MBA or technology-relevant post-graduate degree preferred.Demonstrated ability to lead, inspire, and mentor a diverse and talented team of technology professionals.Proven experience in building internal delivery capabilities, including standing up offshore delivery centers and reducing reliance on external SI partners.Strong background in portfolio and performance management, with experience implementing KPIs, OKRs, and governance frameworks.Deep understanding of enterprise IT, digital platforms, data strategy, and their role in enabling business outcomes.Exceptional leadership, stakeholder management, and communication skills, with the ability to influence at all levels, including C-level executives.Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with the ability to navigate complexity and ambiguity.Experience leading operating model redesigns, cost optimization efforts, and talent strategy initiatives.Demonstrate punctuality and dependability to support overall team success in a fast-paced environment.

Candidates must be eligible to work in the country of interest, at the time any offer of employment is made and seeking any required work permits/visas or other authorizations which may be required is the sole responsibility of the candidates applying for this position.

Based on equal qualifications, preference will be given to bilingual candidates.

Air Canada is strongly committed to Diversity and Inclusion and aims to create a healthy, accessible and rewarding work environment which highlights employees’ unique contributions to our company’s success.

Air Canada thanks all candidates for their interest; however only those selected to continue in the process will be contacted.