In 1996, 22-year-old James Bailey, eager to be of service to his country, enlisted in the United States Air Force — and it was here that he discovered his passion for the field of communication technology… and dancing.
Throughout the course of his 20-year military career, James cultivated an interest in, and eventually a passion for, two wildly different things: the science of effective technological communication and the art of dancing.
By day, James was a focused military professional, doing work in areas like IT project management, cybersecurity, training, service desk and net warfare systems. At night he was learning many different genres of dance alongside a certified dance instructor, eventually competing in and winning several dance competitions. It was a hobby that drew out his creative side, and he loved it.
In 2016, after retiring from the Air Force, James worked as a contractor for five years in IT project management. One day, a friend of his reached out with an exciting opportunity: he wanted James to join him at H-E-B Digital.
Excited by the prospect of a new career challenge, and having heard only good things about the company, James accepted. “The thing that struck a chord with me was how well H-E-B takes care of Texas, and I wanted to be a part of that mission.”
Now, as the Lead Program Manager of Foundational Technology for H-E-B’s Digital business, James says the projects he gets to work on remind him of what he was tasked with during his military career. For James, a typical day on the job consists of brainstorming, problem solving, planning and rebuilding alongside many talented Digital Partners. It’s exciting work, and he loves the fact that working for H-E-B gives him a sense of purpose and mission, like that of being in the military. Now, he gets to use his skillset in communication technology to build tools that help H-E-B feed Texas.
Currently, his team is working on replacing the service desk platform that our Partners use to submit help tickets with a more upgraded and user-friendly version. “It’s like taking a ‘91 Mustang with manual windows and just replacing it with a 2022 Mustang, complete with all the bells and whistles. Everyone loves a classic, just not when it comes to technology — and that brand new Mustang is going to get you where you need to go fast.” He’s working hard alongside his team to bring this enhanced technology to every Partner as quickly as possible.
We thank James for his service to our country, and we are grateful for the skill and the heart he brings to H-E-B Digital and our mission. We’re proud to have him on our Digital team.
Interested in putting your skills to work to help Take Care of Texas? We want to hear from you! Click the button below to view H-E-B Digital opportunities.
