Airport Operations Manager London, England
Job description
The Airport Operations Centre or APOC is Heathrow’s control room and is part of the Airport Operations structure. APOC has an extensive overview of Heathrow’s end to end operation, consolidated into one facility and home to all the critical roles, including external stakeholders, required to manage Britain’s busiest airport. APOC’s primary aim is to ensure happy passengers, travel on time, with their bags and this is achieved by utilising information from over 80 systems which are monitored, updated and acted upon by a 24-hour operation. By exploiting technology across the passenger journey APOC is improving the flow of aircraft, passengers and their bags and represents a new way of working. A more informed, more intelligent, more engaged and more proactive airport management model and underpinning “the intelligent airport” ideology.
The Airport Operations Manager (AOM) leads the Heathrow operation. The AOM is based in the control centre, steering the teams and enabling Heathrow to operate to a more dynamic, intelligent and collaborative plan. They act as a final decision maker in the case of issues for which no consensus has been reached. The AOM exploits the intelligence available in APOC, scanning the horizon with early warning indicators, anticipating how emerging information e.g. weather, aircraft flow, asset availability, etc. might impact the subsequent operation. Wherever possible, they course correct the plan, rebalancing demand and capacity, before operational performance deteriorates.
An influential and proactive leader, the AOM considers the bigger picture of Heathrow’s overall performance and leads on the day delivery against key targets e.g. punctuality, passenger experience, safety and compliance. They will be comfortable filtering extensive information in a structured, logical and analytical manner, reaching conclusions and making decisions which are supported by data and facts.
The AOM leads the operation in the event of a planned or dynamic crisis, playing a critical command and control role. This is a high-profile management position demanding sound judgement in leading operations to deliver excellent service and the safe continuity of business.
These skills are essential:
- A valid UK driving licence.
- Good understanding of Heathrow's operational protocols, procedures, policies, and published contingencies including security legislation.
- Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work with impact and influence at a senior level.
- Ability to exercise good judgement and decision making. Capacity to get conclusion out of discussions.
- Excellent understanding of Airport Operations.
- Effective team management and leadership skills.
Ideally, you will also have:
- Experience of managing in a multi-stakeholder environment.
- Strong understanding of a command & control structure and Emergency Orders.
