IT Project Manager (m/f/d)

Halian; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 300,000 - 420,000; Full time

Job summary

Halian in Abu Dhabi seeks a Technical IT Project Manager with Flight Operations and Crew Management expertise to lead cross-functional teams through design, build, test and deployment of critical IT applications and infrastructure changes that support safe, efficient airline operations.

You will own end-to-end delivery, manage governance, release and stakeholder communication, and ensure alignment with ITIL principles and regulatory requirements in a highly agile environment.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5+ years of Project Management experience in airline or aviation technology sector.
• Strong knowledge of Flight Operations systems (e.g., Lido, Jeppesen, AIRCOM) and Crew Management systems.
• Familiarity with aviation regulatory requirements and risk management practices.
• Ability to quickly learn and adapt to new business and technical domains.

Responsibilities

• Own the planning, execution, monitoring and closure of IT projects within Flight Operations and Crew Operations.
• Collaborate with enterprise architects, software/infrastructure teams, and vendors to deliver scalable solutions.
• Manage scope, dependencies and risks; proactively remove blockers to protect critical operations.
• Lead governance, release management and change communications to stakeholders and CABs.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Communication

Aviation domain knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT/Engineering

Tools

Jira

Confluence

MS Project

ServiceNow

Smartsheet

Azure DevOps

Job description

We are seeking a highly skilled and delivery-focused Technical IT Project Manager specializing in Flight Operations and Crew Management domains. In this role, you will lead cross-functional teams to design, build, test, and deploy critical IT applications and infrastructure changes that support safe, efficient, and reliable airline operations.

Key Responsibilities

1. Project Delivery & Lifecycle Management

End-to-End Project Execution

• Own the planning, execution, monitoring, and closure of IT projects within Flight Operations (such as flight planning, weight and balance, fuel optimization, and operational systems) and Crew Operations (such as crew scheduling, rostering, tracking, and fatigue management).
• Ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and meet agreed business objectives.

Technical Roadmap Alignment

• Translate business and operational requirements into clear technical deliverables.
• Collaborate closely with enterprise architects, software development teams, infrastructure teams, and third-party vendors to deliver scalable and sustainable solutions.

Scope, Dependency & Risk Management

• Manage project scope and priorities while identifying technical and operational dependencies.
• Proactively mitigate risks and remove blockers to ensure smooth project execution without impacting critical operational activities.

2. Governance, Release & Deployment Management

Release Governance

• Ensure all system changes comply with organizational governance standards, cybersecurity policies, data protection requirements, and applicable aviation regulations.

Environment & Release Management

• Manage the progression of software changes through development, testing, User Acceptance Testing (UAT), pre-production, and production environments.
• Verify testing completion, deployment readiness, rollback procedures, and post-deployment validation activities.

Change Management

• Prepare comprehensive change requests and release documentation.
• Present deployments and risk assessments to Change Advisory Boards (CABs) or equivalent governance forums.
• Ensure appropriate stakeholder approvals are obtained prior to production implementation.

3. Stakeholder Management & Communication

Business and Technology Partnership

• Serve as the primary point of contact between technical teams, including DevOps, software engineering, data engineering, infrastructure, and cybersecurity teams, and operational departments such as Flight Operations, Crew Scheduling, and Network Planning.

Executive Reporting

• Develop and present project status updates, budget reporting, key milestones, risks, issues, and mitigation plans to leadership teams and steering committees.
• Facilitate decision-making and alignment across multiple stakeholder groups.

Required Skills & Qualifications

Domain Expertise

• Minimum 5+ years of Project Management experience within the airline, aviation, or aviation technology sector.
• Strong understanding of Flight Operations systems (e.g., Lido, Jeppesen, AIRCOM, or similar operational platforms) and/or Crew Management systems (e.g., AIMS, Jeppesen Crew Management, or equivalent solutions).
• Familiarity with aviation operational requirements, including crew duty regulations, flight operations processes, and operational disruption management.
• Demonstrated ability to learn and adapt to new business and technical domains.

IT Technical Knowledge

• Strong understanding of modern technology architectures, including:
  • Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or similar)
  • Microservices architecture
  • API integrations
  • Enterprise application integrations
  • Data platforms and pipelines
• Familiarity with:
  • CI/CD pipelines
  • Automated testing frameworks
  • Database technologies (SQL and NoSQL)
  • Application lifecycle management practices
• Experience implementing cybersecurity controls, compliance requirements, and data protection standards.

Governance & Process

• Proven experience managing structured deployment and release processes across multiple environments.
• Strong knowledge of IT Service Management (ITSM) frameworks, particularly ITIL, covering change, release, incident, and problem management.
• Proficiency with project and collaboration tools such as:
  • Jira
  • Confluence
  • Microsoft Project
  • ServiceNow
  • Smartsheet
  • Azure DevOps

Leadership & Interpersonal Skills

• Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and negotiation skills.
• Ability to build consensus and drive alignment across business and technology teams with differing priorities.
• Strong problem-solving and crisis management capabilities, maintaining composure under pressure during critical operational or technical incidents.
• Relevant certifications such as PMP, PRINCE2, Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), PMI-ACP, SAFe, or equivalent are highly desirable.

Preferred Attributes

• Experience delivering large-scale operationally critical systems within a highly regulated environment.
• Strong understanding of software delivery governance and release management best practices.
• Ability to balance operational priorities with technical implementation requirements while maintaining service stability and business continuity.