SM Alliances & Joint Ventures (Cargo)

Etihad; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

Etihad Airways seeks a Senior Manager, Alliances & Joint Ventures to shape global partnership strategy and drive governance of strategic alliances and JV relations from Abu Dhabi. You will optimize contracts, oversee performance metrics, and collaborate across commercial, legal, and operations to maximize value.

You will lead negotiations, business case development, and cross-functional programs to expand loyalty, marketing, and passenger initiatives while ensuring regulatory and operational

Qualifications

• Masters or bachelor's degree in business, Economics, Aviation Management, or related field.
• 10-12 years of experience in Alliances, Network, Revenue Management, Sales, Marketing, or similar commercial roles within an airline.
• Proven experience in managing complex airline partnerships, joint ventures, or large-scale commercial programs.
• Demonstrated success in leading negotiations, developing business cases, and managing cross-functional initiatives.
• Strong commercial and analytical acumen with the ability to interpret complex data and translate insights into strategic actions.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills with ability to influence and collaborate across diverse teams and seniority levels.
• Strong project management capabilities with ability to lead multiple initiatives simultaneously.

Responsibilities

• Develop and drive long term strategies for alliances and joint ventures to enhance network competitiveness and deliver sustainable commercial value.
• Lead strategic discussions with partner airlines on block space and interline expansions, joint venture collaboration and other broader commercial cooperation.
• Drive the partnership enabled revenue performance across a portfolio exceeding $200M, ensuring network reach, contractual compliance, SPA optimization, and commercial outcomes.
• Oversee the development, maintenance, and governance of all partnership agreements, including Interline & SPA contracts, block space agreements and joint venture arrangements.
• Ensure regulatory, commercial, and operational compliance across all partnership activities.
• Lead the end-to-end development and implementation of new or expanded interline, codeshare and joint venture partnerships, including business case development, project governance, system implementation, stakeholder alignment, and joint communications.
• Oversee tracking, analysis, and reporting of partnership enabled revenue and performance metrics, ensuring insights are regularly communicated to senior leadership.
• Identify opportunities to expand partnership value across loyalty, marketing, passenger, procurement, customer experience, and operational collaboration.
• Provide senior level recommendations on partnership performance, risks, and strategic opportunities.
• Mentor, guide and educate junior team members, fostering a culture of analytical discipline, commercial thinking, and collaborative problem solving.
• Represent the airline in senior level partner meetings, external steering committees, and industry forums, as required.
• Champion alliance and JV strategy across the organization, ensuring strong cross functional alignment and engagement.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Project management

Data analysis

Cross-functional leadership

Communication

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in business, Economics, Aviation Management, or related field

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

WACD

Job description

The Senior Manager, Alliances & Joint Ventures plays a pivotal role in shaping and driving Etihad’s global partnership strategy. This position leads the development, optimization, and governance of strategic partnerships and joint venture relationships to maximize commercial value, enhance network competitiveness, improve competitive position and provide seamless delivery across partner carriers. The role requires a blend of strategic thinking, commercial acumen, cross functional leadership, and strong relationship management skills.

• Develop and drive long term strategies for alliances and joint ventures to enhance network competitiveness and deliver sustainable commercial value.
• Lead strategic discussions with partner airlines on block space and interline expansions, joint venture collaboration and other broader commercial cooperation.
• Drive the partnership enabled revenue performance across a portfolio exceeding $200M, ensuring network reach, contractual compliance, SPA optimization, and commercial outcomes.
• Oversee the development, maintenance, and governance of all partnership agreements, including Interline & SPA contracts, block space agreements and joint venture arrangements.
• Ensure regulatory, commercial, and operational compliance across all partnership activities.
• Lead the end-to-end development and implementation of new or expanded interline, codeshare and joint venture partnerships, including business case development, project governance, system implementation, stakeholder alignment, and joint communications.
• Oversee tracking, analysis, and reporting of partnership enabled revenue and performance metrics, ensuring insights are regularly communicated to senior leadership.
• Identify opportunities to expand partnership value across loyalty, marketing, passenger, procurement, customer experience, and operational collaboration.
• Provide senior level recommendations on partnership performance, risks, and strategic opportunities.
• Mentor, guide and educate junior team members, fostering a culture of analytical discipline, commercial thinking, and collaborative problem solving.
• Represent the airline in senior level partner meetings, external steering committees, and industry forums, as required.
• Champion alliance and JV strategy across the organization, ensuring strong cross functional alignment and engagement.
• Represent the airline in senior level partner meetings, external steering committees, and industry forums, as required.
• Champion alliance and JV strategy across the organization, ensuring strong cross functional alignment and engagement.

Job Description

The Senior Manager, Alliances & Joint Ventures plays a pivotal role in shaping and driving Etihad’s global partnership strategy. This position leads the development, optimization, and governance of strategic partnerships and joint venture relationships to maximize commercial value, enhance network competitiveness, improve competitive position and provide seamless delivery across partner carriers. The role requires a blend of strategic thinking, commercial acumen, cross functional leadership, and strong relationship management skills.

• Develop and drive long term strategies for alliances and joint ventures to enhance network competitiveness and deliver sustainable commercial value.
• Lead strategic discussions with partner airlines on block space and interline expansions, joint venture collaboration and other broader commercial cooperation.
• Drive the partnership enabled revenue performance across a portfolio exceeding $200M, ensuring network reach, contractual compliance, SPA optimization, and commercial outcomes.
• Oversee the development, maintenance, and governance of all partnership agreements, including Interline & SPA contracts, block space agreements and joint venture arrangements.
• Ensure regulatory, commercial, and operational compliance across all partnership activities.
• Lead the end-to-end development and implementation of new or expanded interline, codeshare and joint venture partnerships, including business case development, project governance, system implementation, stakeholder alignment, and joint communications.
• Oversee tracking, analysis, and reporting of partnership enabled revenue and performance metrics, ensuring insights are regularly communicated to senior leadership.
• Identify opportunities to expand partnership value across loyalty, marketing, passenger, procurement, customer experience, and operational collaboration.
• Provide senior level recommendations on partnership performance, risks, and strategic opportunities.
• Mentor, guide and educate junior team members, fostering a culture of analytical discipline, commercial thinking, and collaborative problem solving.
• Represent the airline in senior level partner meetings, external steering committees, and industry forums, as required.
• Champion alliance and JV strategy across the organization, ensuring strong cross functional alignment and engagement.
• Represent the airline in senior level partner meetings, external steering committees, and industry forums, as required.
• Champion alliance and JV strategy across the organization, ensuring strong cross functional alignment and engagement.

Qualifications

• Masters or bachelor's degree in business, Economics, Aviation Management, or related field.
• 10 - 12 years of experience in areas of Alliances, Network, Revenue Management, Sales, Marketing, or similar commercial roles within an airline.
• Proven experience in managing complex airline partnerships, joint ventures, or large‑scale commercial programs.
• Demonstrated success in leading negotiations, developing business cases, and managing cross‑functional initiatives.
• Strong commercial and analytical acumen with the ability to interpret complex data and translate insights into strategic actions.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills with ability to influence and collaborate across diverse teams and seniority levels.
• Strong project management capabilities with ability to lead multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• High level of professionalism, diplomacy and cultural awareness when working with global partners.
• Advanced understanding of data management systems (e.g. WACD), Excel and PowerPoint required.

Additional Information

Etihad Airways is more than the UAE’s national airline - we’re shaping the future of global aviation. From our hub in Abu Dhabi, we connect people across continents and cultures, while driving our “Journey 2030” ambition to double our fleet, expand our network and grow our people for a new era of excellence. Join us and become part of a vision where the world is your workplace and extraordinary experiences take flight.

To learn more visit www.etihad.com

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