Senior Director, Information Technology Application Development

JOB SUMMARY:

The Senior Director, IT Application Development is a hands-on technical leader responsible for turning strategy into scalable, high-quality software products. This role blends deep engineering acumen with a product and commercial mindset - owning outcomes, customer value, and operational excellence. You will lead and scale multi-disciplinary, global teams (internal, vendor, and matrixed) to deliver platforms and applications that power critical business capabilities and exceptional customer experiences. You’ll set the technical direction, shape product roadmaps with stakeholders, and drive continuous improvement in quality, reliability, speed, and cost.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

Education and Experience

Required:

•10+ years of application development leadership experience and the various approaches to the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) (e.g.

Agile and Waterfall)

•Five years recent experience as a primary point of application accountability for an enterprise, globally-distributed applications

•Demonstrated expertise of industry application platforms, trends and best practices

•Direct management of complex budgets in excess of $10M+ annual direct and indirect costs

•Direct management of cross functional, sourced, or matrixed teams

•Experience with and knowledge of IT outsourcing activities in a managed services environment

•Demonstrated experience leading transformations (e.g., cloud migration, platform modernization, agile/DevOps adoption). 

•Exceptional communication and storytelling skills—can explain complex technology in clear business terms to executives and non-technical audiences.

Preferred:

•Experience in Loyalty programs (Marriott Rewards/SPG)

•Demonstrated success leading medium- to large-scale initiatives/transformations

•Proven management experience in strategic planning and budgeting within one or more business groups

•Good 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.

•Undergraduate/graduate degree in computer science or related discipline

•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

Managing Application Development Standards, Processes, and Tools

•Works with direct reports to facilitate consistency of service delivery across client groups

•Facilitates compliance with the standard set of application development tools and processes that will drive consistency and predictability

throughout the SDLC for all client groups including:

o SDLC standard tools and processes for both waterfall and agile development

o Estimating standard tools and processes, incorporating flexibility for small and large projects

o Deployment standard tools and processes

d•Monitors projects for adherence to defined application development processes

•Communicates to Application Development leaders opportunities 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 Teams

•Manages application development projects in partnership with IT teams, business partners and providers

o Provides project management of business projects

o Oversees effective reporting within application development team

o Leads project reviews with team on application development projects

o Manages day-to day relationships with all IT teams to promote the delivery of services that meet or exceed the client expectations

o Monitors projects for alignment with defined business case process

o Drives timely resolution of escalated service delivery problems and minimizes the impact of any client service delivery issues

o Manages, and improves service level reporting for application development

o Provides early warning to the appropriate Business Partnership & Planning leaders and team regarding degraded or missed service

levels

o Assists with application, development and maintenance of service provider project management standards and tools

o Participates in client portfolio and demand management processes, and engages service providers to ensure client satisfaction

•Works with application development service providers

o Validates 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

o Works with team to progress the service providers services to match client needs

o Facilitates team and service provider compliance with the agreement

o Validates service levels meet business needs

o Facilitates the definition and enforcement of good service provider contracts

•Supports the IT organization

o Provides input to IT’s business strategy and planning as needed

o Supports and follows defined IT Governance decision rights, standards and practices

o Emphasizes accuracy and effectiveness of estimating and planning management with team

o Provides input to business/discipline and continent IT budgets

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Strategic Thinking & Execution: Converts strategy into clear plans and reliably delivers results at scale.

• Change Leadership: Energizes transformation, removes barriers, and sustains momentum.

• Decision Quality: Data-informed, customer-centered decisions with prudent risk management.

• Influence & Collaboration: Builds trust with senior stakeholders; orchestrates across business, product, and technology.

• Continuous Improvement: Metric-driven mindset; relentlessly improves quality, speed, and cost.

MANAGEMENT COMPETENCIES

Leadership

• Communication - Conveys information and ideas to others in a convincing and engaging manner through a variety of methods.

• Leading through Vision and Values - Keeps the organization's vision and values at the forefront of employee decision making and action.

• Managing Change - Initiates and/or manages the change process and energizes it on an ongoing basis, taking steps to remove barriers or

accelerate its pace; serves as role model for how to handle change by maintaining composure and performance level under pressure or when

experiencing challenges.

• Problem-solving and Decision Making - Identifies and understands issues, problems, and opportunities; obtains and compares information from

different sources to draw conclusions, develops and evaluates alternatives and solutions, solves problems, and chooses a course of action.

• Professional Demeanor - Exhibits behavioral styles that convey confidence and command respect from others; makes a good first impression and

represents the company in alignment with its values.

• Strategy Development - Develops business plans by exploring and systematically evaluating opportunities with the greatest potential for producing

positive results; ensures successful preparation and execution of business plans through effective planning, organizing, and on-going evaluation

processes.

Managing Execution

• Building a Successful Team - Uses an effective interpersonal style to build a cohesive team; inspires and sustains team cohesion and

engagement by focusing the team on its mission and importance to the organization.

• Strategy Execution – Ensures successful execution across of business plans designed to maximize customer satisfaction, profitability, and market

share through effective planning, organizing, and on-going evaluation processes.

• Driving for Results - Sets high standards of performance for self and/or others; assumes responsibility for work objectives; initiates, focuses, and

monitors the efforts of self and/or others toward the accomplishment goals; proactively takes action and goes beyond what is required.

Building Relationships

• Customer Relationships - Develops and sustains relationships based on an understanding of customer/stakeholder needs and actions consistent

with the company’s service standards.

• Global Mindset - Supports employees and business partners with diverse styles, abilities, motivations, and/or cultural perspectives; utilizes

differences to drive innovation, engagement and enhance business results; and ensures employees are given the opportunity to contribute to their

full potential.

• Strategic Partnerships - Develops collaborative relationships with fellow employees and business partners by making them feel valued,

appreciated, and included; explores partnership opportunities with other people in and outside the organization; influences and leverages corporate

and continental shared services and/or discipline leaders (e.g., HR, Sales & Marketing, Finance, Revenue Management) to achieve objectives;

maintains effective external relations with government, business and industry in respective countries; performs effectively as a liaison between

locations, disciplines, and corporate to ensure needed resources are received and corporate strategies are understood and executed.

Generating Talent and Organizational Capability

• Developing Others - Plans and supports the development of others’ skills and capabilities so that they can fulfill current or future job/role

responsibilities more effectively; provides high visibility to individuals with potential; offers challenging assignments that build confidence and

credibility and provides such individuals with a personal vision for their future.

• Organizational Capability - Evaluates and adapts the structure of assignments and work processes to best fit the needs and/or support the goals

of an organizational unit.

Learning and Applying Professional Expertise

• Business Acumen - Understands and utilizes business information to manage everyday operations and generate innovative solutions to approach

business and administrative challenges.

• Technical Acumen - Understands and utilizes professional skills and knowledge in a specific functional area to conduct and manage everyday

business operations and generate innovative solutions to approach function-specific work challenges.

o Technical Intelligence: knowledge and ability to identify technological opportunities and threats that could affect the future growth

and survival of the business.

o Technology Life Cycle: knowledge of the Life Cycle of technologies and how applications, infrastructure, and processes relate to

these timelines.

o IT Systems: Knowledge of IT systems supporting the business including benefits, requirements, costs, justification, and operations.

o IT Resources: The ability to secure and manage IT resources to achieve business objectives (e.g., contracts, vendor relationships,

financial accountability, portfolio management, information and resource planning) and measure project impact.

• Continuous Learning - Actively identifies new areas for learning; regularly creates and takes advantage of learning opportunities; uses newly

gained knowledge and skill on the job and learns through their application.

• Strategy Knowledge - Understanding and utilizing professional skills and knowledge in a specific functional area to conduct and manage business

operations and generate innovative solutions to approach function-specific strategic work challenges.

• Basic Competencies - Fundamental competencies required for accomplishing basic work activities.

o Basic Computer Skills - Uses basic computer hardware and software (e.g., personal computers, word processing software, Internet

browsers, etc.).

o Mathematical Reasoning - Adds, subtracts, multiplies, or divides quickly, correctly, and in a way that allows one to solve work-related

issues.

o Oral Comprehension - Listens to and understands information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

o Reading Comprehension - Understands written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

o Writing - Communicates effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

At Marriott International, we are dedicated to being an equal opportunity employer, welcoming all and providing access to opportunity. We actively foster an environment where the unique backgrounds of our associates are valued and celebrated. Our greatest strength lies in the rich blend of culture, talent, and experiences of our associates.  We are committed to non-discrimination on any protected basis, including disability, veteran status, or other basis protected by applicable law. 

Notification to Applicants: Canada Regional Office takes seriously its obligations under provincial human rights and accessibility legislation (such as the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, the Accessibility for Manitobans Act, and Nova Scotia Accessibility Act). We are happy to provide accommodations to job applicants needing assistance. If you require an accommodation in relation to this job posting, our online application or an interview, please call 905-366-5227 or email [email protected] and a member of our Human Resources team will respond to your request. Please note that this phone number and email are only for those individuals who would like to request an accessibility accommodation as part of the recruiting process.

This posting is for an existing vacancy.