Director, Senior Attorney

Intro

Are you ready to explore a world of possibilities, both at work and during your time off? Join our American Airlines family, and you’ll travel the world, grow your expertise and become the best version of you. As you embark on a new journey, you’ll tackle challenges with flexibility and grace, learning new skills and advancing your career while having the time of your life. Feel free to enrich both your personal and work life and hop on board!

Why you'll love this job

As a key member of the American Airlines in house legal team, the Director, Senior Attorney – Labor Arbitrations will serve as a dedicated advocate in labor arbitrations under the Railway Labor Act. This role will entail handling labor arbitrations end to end—grievance and case evaluation, strategy development, evidence and witness preparation, hearing presentation, and post hearing briefing—under the various System Board provisions of the Collective Bargaining Agreements between AA and its Unions.

What you'll do

As noted above, this list is intended to reflect the current job but there may be additional essential functions (and certainly non-essential job functions) that are not referenced.  Management will modify the job or require other tasks be performed whenever it is deemed appropriate to do so, observing, of course, any legal obligations including any collective bargaining obligations.

• Serves as lead counsel for system boards of adjustment and RLA arbitration proceedings for all relevant represented groups
• Develops comprehensive case strategy, including evaluating merits, identifying legal risks, developing issue framing and arbitration themes, and advising internal clients on recommended case posture
• Prepares and presents arbitration cases from case preparation through post-hearing briefing  
• Partners closely with Labor Relations, People Business Partners, and operational leadership to  align arbitration strategy with broader labor‑management goals, including reliability, profitability, accountability, and market‑competitive labor solutions
• Offers counsel on contract interpretation, grievance handling, and discipline, ensuring decisions are consistent with collective bargaining agreements and arbitration precedent and advises on contract interpretation issues, grievance trends, and potential negotiation implications
• Advises on grievance resolution strategies and participates in select collective‑bargaining strategy discussions, providing legal analysis of proposed changes, historical precedents, and arbitration risk
• Stays current on arbitration awards, labor law developments, and industry trends, and ensures internal stakeholders understand their operational implications
• Educates internal stakeholders on contractual standards, arbitration exposure, evidentiary requirements, and documentation best practices
• Drives continuous improvement in grievance handling, case assessment, and arbitration preparation workflows
• Contributes to policy updates, training modules, and best practice materials to improve consistency and documentation quality across departments
• Oversees and manages outside counsel on some matters requiring external representation, ensuring alignment with AA legal strategy and cost effective performance

All you'll need for success

Minimum Qualifications- Education & Prior Job Experience

• Demonstrates the highest level of ethics and integrity
• Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school, excellent academic record, and active member in good standing in at least one State bar
• At least five (5) years of successful experience practicing labor and/or employment law, preferably at a national law firm and/or in-house
• Successful first chair arbitration or trial experience, preferably handling labor arbitrations under the Railway Labor Act
• Experience in collaborating with company executives, including People Business Partners, Labor Relations, and union leadership, in the context of a unionized workforce preferred
• Strong command of employment and labor laws, regulations, and best practices, including experience with collective bargaining agreements
• Strong litigation skills, including direct and cross‑examination, brief writing, and oral advocacy
• Ability to translate complex legal concepts into clear and actionable guidance for non‑lawyer clients
• Ability to thrive under pressure in a fast-paced, changing, and complex environment
• Ability to render persuasive, diplomatic, practical, and legally compliant advice in a timely fashion
• Superior problem solving, analytical, and critical thinking skills, with ability to be highly meticulous and detail-oriented
• Ability to influence through outstanding collaboration and negotiation skills
• Excellent written and oral communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills with ability to interact effectively with all levels and colleagues across internal departments
• Ability to travel independently, including overnight trips of varying duration
• Commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and the ability to build and facilitate long-term relationships at all levels, both internally and externally
  
  • Believes in, promotes, and embodies in daily actions the American Airlines five leadership attributes:Caring – We care about all team members
  • Collaboration – We succeed as a team
  • Development – We build future leaders
  • Results – We drive to be the best
  • Future – We continually challenge the status quo

What you'll get

Feel free to take advantage of all that American Airlines has to offer: 

• Travel Perks: Ready to explore the world? You, your family and your friends can reach 365 destinations on more than 6,800 daily flights across our global network.
• Health Benefits: On day one, you’ll have access to your health, dental, prescription and vision benefits to help you stay well. And that’s just the start, we also offer virtual doctor visits, flexible spending accounts and more. 
• Wellness Programs: We want you to be the best version of yourself – that’s why our wellness programs provide you with all the right tools, resources and support you need.
• 401(k) Program: Available upon hire and, depending on the workgroup, employer contributions to your 401(k) program are available after one year.
• Additional Benefits: Other great benefits include our Employee Assistance Program, pet insurance and discounts on hotels, cars, cruises and more

Feel free to be yourself at American

From the team members we hire to the customers we serve, inclusion and diversity are the foundation of the dynamic workforce at American Airlines. Our 20+ Employee Business Resource Groups are focused on connecting our team members to our customers, suppliers, communities and shareholders, helping team members reach their full potential and creating an inclusive work environment to meet and exceed the needs of our diverse world.

Are you ready to feel a tremendous sense of pride and satisfaction as you do your part to keep the largest airline in the world running smoothly as we care for people on life’s journey? Feel free to be yourself at American.