Director of Systems

Job Summary

The Director of Systems leads the vision, strategy, and execution of ALH's commercial technology ecosystem covering all systems that enable efficient distribution, marketing, reservations, sales, and guest engagement across the group.

This role ensures that ALH's systems evolve in step with business needs integrating owned, built, and purchased platforms into a cohesive, future-ready architecture that supports data integrity, commercial performance, and seamless guest experiences. The Director will define and implement a multi-year systems roadmap, identifying technologies that empower Commercial, Marketing, and Reservations teams to make smarter, faster, and more informed decisions.

Balancing strategic foresight with operational leadership, the Director of Systems will collaborate closely with Revenue & Data, Sales & Reservations, Marketing, and IT to ensure technology directly advances ALH's commercial and customer goals. This leader will also champion digital transformation reimagining processes, improving workflows, and enabling innovation across the business.

Key Responsibilities

1. Systems Strategy & Roadmap Development

• Develop and lead a long-term systems roadmap that balances near-term improvements with sustainable, scalable growth.
• Translate commercial and marketing strategies into technology plans that enhance pricing, personalization, loyalty, and guest journey management.
• Develop an ecosystem strategy that integrates owned, built, and purchased systems—leveraging the strengths of each while avoiding redundancy and dependency risks.
• Define principles for when to build versus buy, ensuring interoperability, efficiency, and long-term ROI.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and vendors to ensure ALH stays ahead of hospitality and commercial tech trends.
• Build business cases for new solutions and lead the prioritization of system investments across the group.

2. Technology Governance & Optimization

• Establish policies, standards, and governance frameworks for system management, configuration, and optimization.
• Oversee system integration to ensure accurate data flow, secure transactions, and unified guest experiences across all properties and platforms.
• Partner closely with the Head of Data & Insights to ensure system architectures and integrations support reliable, accessible, and analytics-ready data.
• Work with IT and property teams to ensure compliance with brand, privacy, and cybersecurity standards.

3. Implementation, Enablement & Performance

• Oversee system rollouts, upgrades, and optimization projects to ensure usability, adoption, and measurable impact on performance.
• Partner with business owners to translate functional needs into technical requirements and workflows.
• Drive change management, user training, and support programs that strengthen adoption and engagement.
• Monitor performance, user feedback, and ROI, using insights to continuously improve platform value and usability.

4. Collaboration & Business Partnership

• Act as a strategic partner to Commercial, Marketing, and Reservations teams, ensuring technology decisions directly improve sales efficiency, channel management, and guest experience.
• Collaborate with Revenue & Data to enable clean and consistent data capture across all systems.
• Partner with Finance and Operations to align system capabilities with operational processes and organizational goals.
• Lead cross-functional planning sessions to align system enhancements with commercial and marketing strategies.

5. Vendor, Partner & Innovation Management

• Manage vendor relationships, ensuring strong service levels and continuous product improvement.
• Oversee evaluations, pilots, and implementations of new systems or enhancements.
• Negotiate technology contracts to maximize value and ensure flexibility for future growth.
• Foster a culture of innovation and openness to new solutions that drive efficiency and performance.

6. Performance Monitoring & Continuous Improvement

• Define and track KPIs related to system uptime, utilization, performance, and ROI.
• Measure the business impact of technology on revenue, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.
• Lead regular system reviews to ensure continued alignment with business goals and user needs.
• Identify opportunities to streamline processes, improve integrations, and enhance end-user experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Business, or a related field (MBA preferred).
• Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in system strategy, implementation, or optimization—preferably in hospitality, travel, or commercial operations.
• At least 5 years in a leadership role managing cross-functional technology or systems integration.
• Proven experience developing and executing system roadmaps and multi-year technology strategies.
• Expertise in commercial and hospitality platforms (distribution, reservations, CRM, marketing automation, PMS, and analytics tools).
• Strong understanding of system integration principles across owned, built, and purchased technologies.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to connect technology decisions to business outcomes.
• Adaptable, innovative, and committed to continuous improvement and digital transformation.