Airport Operations Manager

Birmingham Airport; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Birmingham Airport is seeking an experienced Airport Operations Manager to lead 24/7 operations, overseeing Terminal and ACC teams, coordinating emergency responses and ensuring safe, secure and efficient service.

You will maintain strong relationships with airlines and partners, drive continuous improvement, manage rostering and performance, and deliver outstanding customer experiences across all touchpoints, facilities and operations.

Qualifications

• Experience in busy operational aviation environments.
• Ability to lead emergency responses or critical incidents.
• Strong leadership and people-management background.
• Ability to build effective relationships with airlines, handlers and control authorities.
• Familiarity with ACC tools and operational systems like AODB/CCTV.
• Track record of delivering high-quality customer service in fast-paced settings.

Responsibilities

• Operational Leadership — Lead 24/7 airport operations, ensuring safe, secure and efficient service delivery.
• Emergency Response — Coordinate and direct the airport’s response to all emergency incidents, ensuring effective deployment of teams.
• Stakeholder Communication — Provide timely operational updates to Executive and Senior Management Teams.
• Airfield & Engineering Oversight — Allocate aircraft stands safely and manage out-of-hours engineering support and critical decision-making.
• Team Leadership — Lead Terminal and ACC teams, ensuring rostering, performance management and continuous improvement.
• Customer & Terminal Management — Oversee all customer touchpoints, ensuring smooth passenger flows and high service standards.

Skills

Airport operations

Emergency management

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Operational systems knowledge

Customer service

Tools

AODB

CCTV

Door control

Fire alarm systems

Job description

The Airport Operations Manager (AOM) is the single point of contact for all airport operations across the site. You will lead the safe, secure and efficient running of the airport, making critical operational decisions and coordinating emergency responses. As the senior duty leader, you will manage Terminal and Airport Control Centre (ACC) teams, maintain strong relationships with airlines and partners, and ensure excellent service delivery across all customer touchpoints.

Key Responsibilities

• Operational Leadership — Lead 24/7 airport operations, ensuring safe, secure and efficient service delivery.
• Emergency Response — Coordinate and direct the airport’s response to all emergency incidents, ensuring effective deployment of teams.
• Stakeholder Communication — Provide timely operational updates to Executive and Senior Management Teams.
• Airfield & Engineering Oversight — Allocate aircraft stands safely and manage out‑of‑hours engineering support and critical decision‑making.
• Team Leadership — Lead Terminal and ACC teams, ensuring effective rostering, performance management and a culture of continuous improvement.
• Customer & Terminal Management — Oversee all customer touchpoints, ensuring smooth passenger flows, efficient use of facilities and high service standards.

Experience Required

• Airport or Airline Operations — Proven experience in a busy operational aviation environment.
• Emergency & Incident Management — Experience leading emergency responses or critical operational incidents.
• Leadership & People Management — Strong background in leading teams, managing performance and driving engagement.
• Stakeholder & Partner Management — Ability to build effective relationships with airlines, handlers and control authorities.
• Operational Systems Knowledge — Familiarity with AODB, CCTV, door control, fire alarm systems and other ACC tools.
• Customer Service Delivery — Experience delivering high‑quality customer service in a fast‑paced environment.