Associate Operations Analyst in the Analytics Pipeline Program at Southwest Airlines

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Information Session on Wednesday 9/13 & thank you for all the interest and questions both to the original post and during the Information Session.? These information sessions are only available live. In this article, I will do my best to cover the program highlights and answer the most frequent questions –

Our program is called the Analytics Pipeline Program and it is designed to do just that, provide a pipeline of highly trained analytical talent to the Operational Departments here at Southwest Airlines.? You are hired as an Associate Analyst which is the title for the entry level role for analytical work here at Southwest.? In this program you join a class that will learn and grow together, we will teach you the hard and soft skills necessary to be successful at Southwest.? To build on what you are learning throughout the program you will have work consisting of recurring deliverables, group projects and individual projects where you are exposed to work across multiple Departments.? The position will post as Associate Operations Analyst.? We are hiring for Class 4 and Class 5 of the program with start dates in January 2024 and June 2024 respectively.? Each class will consist of a Team of 8 people.? During the program you are a full time Southwest Employee with all the associated benefits.? Upon completion of the program you will fill an open position on one of our Partner Teams in one of our Operational Departments.

When will the job go live and how long will it be up?? The job posting will open on September 18th.? Positions at Southwest Airlines are highly competitive and always will be – This is an AMAZING company to work for!!? Being an entry level position and not requiring any previous airline experience - this competition for this role is even greater - we get hundreds of applicants within hours each time we open the position – be ready to apply first thing when it goes live.? I cannot guarantee how long the posting will be open for applications.?

Who is the ideal candidate for this position?? The ideal program participant is an analytical thinker who takes great pride and ownership in their work and has a bias for discipline and hard work.? They are a lifelong learner, have natural curiosity and are truly a great Team Player – one of those people everyone enjoys being around and working with.? They are someone who wants to build their career at Southwest Airlines.

Do I need to be a student or recent graduate to qualify for this position?? No this is not a requirement.? This is an entry level position and is ideal for someone ready to start their analytical career journey at Southwest Airlines as an Associate Analyst.

What is the compensation for this role?? We do have compensation transparency in our job postings and the base compensation for this role is 65K plus other benefits including flight benefits and 401K matching.? Everyone joining the program will come in at the same salary base regardless of prior experience or higher education level.? I know people will tell you to always negotiate, you won’t get what you don’t ask for – however, for this role, we do not negotiate as it is entry level and we are providing the same training experience to everyone.? Come in, work hard, prove yourself and it will pay off.

This is Step 1 of an Analytics career journey at Southwest Airlines.? Upon completion of this rigorous 16-18 month program you will move to a Step 2 position in an Operational Department which includes a compensation step up as well.

Am I guaranteed a position upon completion of the Analytics Pipeline Program?? Yes, upon completion of the Analytics Pipeline Program you will move to your permanent role filling an open position on an Operational Team.? In order to achieve this, you must meet all the expectations of the program throughout the 16-18 months.? It is not an easy program and I am not going to pretend that it is.? It takes hard work, discipline, and dedication.? As Southwest invests in your early learning journey, you must step up to the challenge and do your part.? Quite honestly, everyone is not cut out for analytical work in this dynamic airline industry, we face difficult and complex challenges and you must be able to connect the dots across multiple perspectives and see the bigger picture.? To succeed you must commit to, believe in and buy into the process.? You must engage and put in the hard work.?

Will my role after program completion be in Network Planning?? No, your placement after the Analytics Pipeline Program will not be in Network Planning.? While this position will be hired under the Network Planning umbrella and we will always partner with Network Planning, the permanent placement at the end of the 16-18 months is not in Network Planning - it will be in other Operational Departments.? What the program will do for you is introduce you to the people and processes in Network Planning.? The schedule is our core product and understanding how it is built is a key piece of information to understand and take with you as you move to Operational Teams to help develop their strategies and plans.? This is why we layer the learning of the program in NP and the schedule.? If your ultimate career aspiration is to be in Network Planning, this initial role provides hands on experience in that space which you can leverage when that career step comes.

Is this a remote position? No this is not a remote opportunity, the position is onsite in Dallas, TX – the expectation is to be in the office M-F regular office business hours.? I do need to emphasis that this is a fast-paced rigorous program and each participant is expected to keep up and meet all work deadlines which sometimes mean investing time outside of the normal work hours.

I’m looking for a Technology role, I’m looking for a Data Science role, I’m looking for a xxxxxxx role, ?… Can you connect me to someone in that Department at Southwest Airlines?? This role is not a Technology or coding position and this is not a Data Science position.? I am also not the right person to connect you to those positions, that would be a full time job all by itself ?….? But I do have great news for you and can point you in the right direction …….? At Southwest we have a Talent Acquisition Team who does exactly this.? The Talent Acquisition Team specializes in matching the right Talent to the right role.? Setting up a profile, watching the postings & consistently participating in TA events is the best way to stay informed on all available opportunities here at Southwest.

I am ready for a career change and would like to join Southwest, is this role the right place to start?? This could be the right role if analytics aligns with your education and experience and if is the type of work you like best.? You will not be good at this role if you do not have a passion for this type of work.? As Analysts we study numbers and information all day every day providing the stories and insights to help our Company make the best decisions.? I LUV this work – but I also know it is not right for everyone.? If this is the type of work you like but your current experience doesn’t have an obvious connection, be sure to include a cover letter to outline how your experience aligns to the role.

Does this position provide sponsorship?? We are not able to sponsor for this position and unfortunately this includes the student eligibility which give individuals some extended time to work in the US after completion of schooling.? We can not make exceptions for this entry level role so please apply only if you meet the work eligibility requirements.

?Why should I want to work for Southwest Airlines? What makes this role so special? First of all I need to say up front that I am very bias and won't apologize for that - I just want you to know that straight away before you read further - I believe that Southwest Airlines is hands down the best Company to work for and I am blessed to be part of the Team that helps connects people to things that are important in their life. I work alongside incredible people every single day as we combine efforts to bring reliable air service to millions of Customers.

Since we are in Football season and since I grew up in a football family, I will use a sport story and analogy to try and describe my passion for this Company, this Industry, and this Analytics Pipeline Program.

I can't claim this analogy - I have to give credit where credit is due, I learned this from a great Coach and Mentor to many, Coach Atkinson who just retired from Marcus High School in Flower Mound, TX which was the last step in a great High School Coaching career but I suspect not the last of his Coaching and Mentoring!

Here goes - I hope I give it justice ......

WE PLAY FOOTBALL - WE DON'T PLAY BASKETBALL!

Imagine you and 4 your friends were to play a pick up game of basketball against a pretty talented Team - what are your odds of winning? Probably not very good.

Now imagine that it is you, plus 3 of your friend, plus LeBron James ... well that changes things doesn't it? Now, no matter who you are playing against, you probably have a pretty good chance of winning - - your strategy will be simple - - get the ball to LeBron. One Super Star on your Team changes the whole outlook doesn't it? Your odds of winning are pretty good.

Now let's change the game - now we are playing Football. Again, against a talented team, you and your friends don't have very good odds to win.

Playing out the same scenario - it is you and your team of friends and now add any Football Super Star you want.

What are your odds of winning now? Your odds don't change much do they? You still don't have much of a chance to win.

Let's say you added the greatest quarterback in the world - without a receiver, who will he throw to? ... without an offensive line will he even get a chance to throw the ball?

You could go through each position - putting a Super Star in that position play out what would happen; still not a winning scenario. In the end one Super Star individual alone doesn't change your chances of winning.

To be successful in football, you must have an entire team all taking care of business, everyone coming out and performing in the position they are responsible for and knowing and trusting the others on your Team will do the same. Everyone has a role to play. Everyone is key to success.

Here at Southwest Airlines, WE PLAY FOOTBALL - WE DON'T PLAY BASKETBALL. To be successful, we must have an entire team all taking care of business, everyone coming out and performing in the position they are responsible for and knowing and trusting the others on our Team will do the same. Everyone has a role to play. Everyone is key to success.

I absolutely LUV being on this amazing Team. I LUV the people I get to work with every single day. I LUV the part I play in the success of the Company. I LUV the unique challenge of the industry, there is never a dull moment and never a lack of work to be done. We are ALWAYS striving to do better and be better. We will never arrive, we will always strive for more.

I LUV leading this program because I truly believe if you completely commit to everything offered, it can change your life and change the trajectory of your career here at Southwest. In the program you start learning the very first day and we hope this instills in you the power of continual learning. In the program we work super hard and we hope this instills the power of hard work and locking arms and working hard alongside your Team. In the program we help you build your network and we hope to instill the power of collaboration and Teamwork. In the program we expose you to different work from different perspectives and we hope to instill in you deep appreciation for everyone's role.

My hope for you as you grow through the Analytics Pipeline Program and beyond is that you find career long passion and purpose here at Southwest Airlines - I know that I have!

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