Flight Crew Manager

British Airways PLC; Greater London; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Staff travel benefits

Discounted airfares

Career progression opportunities

Job summary

British Airways is seeking a Flight Crew Manager to lead a large pilot team and drive safe, efficient operations across Flight Operations. You’ll manage performance, wellbeing and complex people matters in a high-stakes environment.

You'll work to promote safety, inclusion and continuous improvement while maintaining strong relationships with pilot communities and wider operational teams. This role emphasizes leadership, coaching, and a calm, principled approach.

Qualifications

• Experience of people management in an airline context or similar operational role - Essential
• Experienced people manager of large, diverse operational team - Essential
• Experience of managing/supporting Trade Union relationships - Essential
• Proficient in using IT Systems including Office 365 - Essential
• Able to hold an airside pass - Essential
• Strong working knowledge of corporate policies - Desirable
• Strong working knowledge of BA Operations Manuals - Desirable

Responsibilities

• Leading and managing a large team of pilots, supporting them across all aspects of their role and career journey
• Promoting a strong culture of safety, wellbeing and inclusion, ensuring pilots feel supported and engaged
• Managing complex people matters, including performance, attendance, and operational issues, in line with business needs
• Acting as a key point of contact between the pilot community and wider Flight Operations teams on people-related matters
• Supporting pilots following operational incidents or personal challenges, providing appropriate guidance and care
• Overseeing and delivering key people processes, including return-to-work discussions, absences reviews and policy application
• Ensuring compliance with safety, regulatory and corporate policies, including fitness to operate and training requirements
• Driving operational effectiveness by supporting improvements to procedures, safety standards and day-to-day operations

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Communication

Calm under pressure

Coaching and development

Judgement and decision-making

Conflict management

Organisation and prioritisation

Tools

Office 365

Job description

A career without limits

As the nation's flag carrier, we take great pride in connecting Britain with the world and the world with Britain.

It's something we've been doing for over 100 years, ever since we launched the world's first international scheduled air service between London and Paris.

This originality has been in our blood since day one. It's the spirit we share with the people that fly with us, our partners, and our colleagues.

So, whether you are a reassuring voice on the end of a phone, a smile at the door, under a wing keeping the turbines spinning or landing us gently in far-flung places, a job at British Airways is yours to make.

We know great things can happen when you're inspired to think big and bring your ambition to work every day, which is why, at British Airways the sky is never the limit.

The role: Flight Crew Manager

At British Airways, delivering a safe and reliable operation doesn't stop at planning - it depends on strong, supportive leadership across our Flight Operations community. Our Flight Crew Managers play a vital role in creating an environment where our pilots can perform at their best, ensuring every flight is underpinned by safety, professionalism, and operational excellence.

As a Flight Crew Manager, you'll lead and support a large team of around 200 pilots, managing performance and navigating complex people matters, while promoting a culture of safety, inclusion and continuous improvement. Through strong relationships, empathy, sound judgement and a calm, resilient approach, you'll help ensure our operation runs efficiently while fostering a motivated and high-performing pilot community.

Work pattern:

There is a limited amount of shift-based work as part of this role. The role requires, on average, one weekend of work per 10 weeks and one week of early starts (0600-1400) or late finishes (1400-2200) per 10 weeks.

The working pattern is otherwise flexible, with 4 days in a BA location (Waterside, CRCor LGW, depending on fleet) as standard. Shift based roles attract an additional allowance.

What you’ll do:

• Leading and managing a large team of pilots, supporting them across all aspects of their role and career journey

• Promoting a strong culture of safety, wellbeing and inclusion, ensuring pilots feel supported and engaged

• Managing complex people matters, including performance, attendance, and operational issues, in line with business needs

• Acting as a key point of contact between the pilot community and wider Flight Operations teams on people-related matters

• Supporting pilots following operational incidents or personal challenges, providing appropriate guidance and care

• Overseeing and delivering key people processes, including return-to-work discussions, absences reviews and policy application

• Ensuring compliance with safety, regulatory and corporate policies, including fitness to operate and training requirements

• Driving operational effectiveness by supporting improvements to procedures, safety standards and day-to-day operations

What you’ll bring to British Airways:

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build trust and influence a large, diverse pilot community

• A resilient and calm approach, with the confidence to manage complex situations and perform under pressure

• Proven ability to coach, develop and motivate colleagues to deliver high performance

• Sound judgement and decision-making skills, with the ability to balance people needs with operational priorities

• The confidence to handle challenging conversations and manage conflict effectively

• A flexible, organised mindset, able to prioritise and adapt quickly in an operationally critical environment

Your experience:

• Experience of people management in an airline context or similar operational role - Essential

• Experienced people manager of large, diverse operational team - Essential

• Experience of managing/supporting Trade Union relationships - Essential

• Proficient in using IT Systems including Office 365 - Essential

• Able to hold an airside pass - Essential

• Strong working knowledge of corporate policies - Desirable

• Strong working knowledge of Bidline Rules and MOA - Desirable

• Strong working knowledge of BA Operations Manuals - Desirable

What we offer:

• We believe that all the people who work with us should feel valued for the part they play. It's one of the reasons our rewards go far beyond a competitive salary.

• From the day you join us, you'll get access to brilliant staff travel benefits including unlimited basic and premium standby tickets on British Airways flights.

• You’ll also receive up to 30 discounted Hotline' airfares per year for yourself, friends, and family.

• At British Airways you'll have the chance to take on new challenges and move forward in a way that feels right for you. We encourage all those who work for us to consider opportunities right across our business to help you develop and progress.

• We never stand still, and we don't expect our people to either.

Inclusion & Diversity

At British Airways we all have a part to play in creating an inclusive place to work. Diverse representation among our people is really important to us and we recognise that all our colleagues are uniquely different and bring their own originality, creativity and identity to work.

Inclusion and diversity is a key driver of innovation and we're committed to creating a culture where everyone feels that they can be themselves. We're looking for people from all backgrounds and cultures to join us and be a part of our journey to become a Better BA as we continue to connect Britain with the world and the world with Britain.