Director, Application Development - Platform Apps

JOB SUMMARY:

Come join a dynamic Core Platform Engineering team. Lead the team of dedicated engineers to continue to enhance, evolve and innovate Marriott’s Core Platform, as well as oversee the day to day application development projects for various on property stay experience Mobile/iPad/Tablet applications.

This role is pivotal in delivering seamless, intuitive, and high-performance digital experiences that elevate guest engagement and operational efficiency across our hospitality ecosystem. Directly manages software engineers and project managers. Functions as the technical decision-maker and problem solver to deliver projects on time and on budget. Promotes project quality and manages the application development team to promote satisfaction with all technology teams and business partners by following standard application development tools and processes. Manages continuous improvement program to improve quality, consistency, and client satisfaction.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

Education and Experience

Required

• 10+ years of application development leadership experience that includes:

• Enterprise-scale native mobile application development across multiple platforms with a strong capability in iOS, Android and iPadOS.

• Experience in any of Mobile frameworks like iOS, Android, Flutter, ReactNative, .NET MAUI etc,

• Experience developing apps in Flutter and Dart is preferred.

• Deep understanding of web and mobile architecture patterns, experience with state management solutions, and expertise in implementing offline services and background tasks.

• Experience & understanding of DevOps, CI/CD pipelines, logging, metrics, monitoring, tracing, service mesh, LTM, GTM, SEO etc.

• Experience with public cloud platforms and designing cloud native solutions (e.g. AWS, Azure)

• Strong understanding of API platforms, frontend technologies, back-end services, database and networking components of full stack infrastructure

• Undergraduate/graduate degree or equivalent education + experience

• Direct management of complex budgets in excess of $5M+ annual direct and indirect costs

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

Preferred

• Proven knowledge of Agile methodology; preferably SAFe Agile

• Excellent knowledge of working with dynamic data using services (e.g., JSON, XML, REST APIs etc)

• Nice to have experience with other technologies like Java, Python, GraphQL, Javascript, React, NodeJS, NoSQL, Spring boot, Kafka, Docker, K8s, etc

• Experience with Content Management Systems

• Experience & expertise with microservices architectures, Service Mesh (e.g. Istio), Service discovery, rate limiting, config management etc.

• Experience with mixed onshore and offshore delivery models

• Good process management, negotiating, influencing and problem resolution skills

• Proven ability to effectively prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment

• 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.

• 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

• Self-driven, curious and a fast-learner, and able to work in a fast-paced environment launching new consumer products to market

• Strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills with the ability to coordinate between technical and business teams

• Relevant experience in systems integration and development, package analysis and implementation

• Strong experience and knowledge of what it takes to operate a production platform

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:

• 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

• 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

• Provides project management of business projects

• Oversees effective reporting within application development team

• Leads project reviews with team on application development projects

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

• Monitors 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

• Manages, and improves service level reporting for application development

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

• Assists with 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 ensure client satisfaction

• Works with application development service providers

• 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

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

• Facilitates team and service provider compliance with the agreement

• Validates service levels meet business needs

• Facilitates the definition and enforcement of good service provider contracts

• Supports the IT organization

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

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

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

• Provides input to business/discipline and continent IT budgets

Implementing and Managing Continuous Improvement Program

• Drives adoption of 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

• Responds to issues identified in project surveys or other feedback processes, to continually improve client satisfaction