Threat Assessment Risk Manager at Etihad Airways

Sscirra; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 400,000 - 650,000; Full time

Job summary

Etihad Airways seeks a senior leader to oversee aviation security risk management, integrating geopolitical intelligence and threat assessments into actionable decisions. The role will own the Global Security Risk Register, drive SeMS improvements, and ensure regulatory alignment with GCAA/ICAO/IATA.

You will lead a team across the network, maintain 24/7 threat monitoring, and coordinate with executives and station leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in security or management (preferred).
• Aviation Security Management diploma from ICAO, IATA, or equivalent preferred.
• 5–7 years aviation security experience or related exposure.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end security risk management lifecycle across passenger, cargo, and operations.
• Direct geopolitical intelligence capability to produce strategic outlooks and risk assessments.
• Maintain 24/7 situational awareness of terrorism and emerging threats; issue timely advisories.
• Own and refresh Global Security Risk Register and station/route risk profiles.
• Design risk-based mitigations, validate with regulators, and track residual risk to closure.
• Drive SeMS risk pillar with KPIs, monitoring, and continuous improvement.
• Strengthen regulatory relationships with GCAA, ICAO, IATA, and embassies.

Skills

Aviation security experience

Risk assessment

Geopolitical intelligence

Crisis management

Leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in security/management

Aviation Security Management diploma (ICAO/IATA)

Job description

Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Job Description

Lead Etihad Airways’ aviation security risk management function, delivering an intelligence-led, risk-based posture that safeguards passengers, crew, aircraft and assets across the global network. Integrate geopolitical intelligence, terrorism monitoring and enterprise threat assessment into a single decision-support capability, ensuring the Security Management System (SeMS) remains dynamic, defensible and aligned with GCAA, ICAO Annex 17, IOSA (ISM/17) and IATA standards.

Accountable owner of the Global Security Risk Register and mitigation framework, translating intelligence into actionable measures for the Executive, Network Operations Centre and station leadership.

Accountabilities:

• Lead the security risk management function end-to-end, owning the full risk lifecycle of identification, analysis, evaluation, treatment and monitoring across passenger, cargo, catering, aircraft handling and airspace operations.
• Direct the airline’s geopolitical intelligence capability through the collection, fusion and analysis of open source intel an closed-source intelligence, producing strategic outlooks, station risk profiles and airspace/overflight assessments for existing and prospective destinations.
• Maintain 24/7 situational awareness of terrorism and emerging threats, tracking insurgency, insider threat, cyber-physical and unlawful interference indicators, and issuing timely advisories to the Executive and Network Operations Centre.
• Own and continuously refresh the Global Security Risk Register, station registers and route/high-profile flight assessments, applying structured risk methodologies to keep the enterprise view current and defensible.
• Design proportionate, risk-based mitigations and contingency measures, validating implementation with stations, GHAs and regulators, and tracking residual risk through to closure.
• Drive the risk pillar of Etihad’s Security Management System (SeMS), embedding KPIs, performance monitoring, corrective action and continuous improvement across the network.
• Strengthen regulatory and stakeholder relationships with GCAA, foreign CAAs, ICAO, IATA, embassies and industry peers to enhance shared intelligence and coordinated response.
• Provide crisis and on-call capability in support of the 24/7 TAC model during security incidents, contingency activations and elevated threat states.
• Lead, develop and calibrate the Risk team, embedding a culture of accountability, analytical rigour and security-first behaviour across the function.

Qualifications

• Preferred 5 to 7 yrs Aviation security experience, with exposure to Threat /Risk Assessment activity.
• Possess a bachelor’s degree from a recognized university, preferably in the field of security or management.
• Preferred Aviation Security Management diploma, preferably from ICAO, IATA, or any other industry-recognized learning institution.