Head of Customer Operations

AGS Airports; Glasgow; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary package

Annual bonus scheme

25 days holiday + public holidays

Private healthcare

Job summary

Glasgow Airport Limited is seeking a Head of Customer Operations to lead the end-to-end passenger journey, ensuring a safe, efficient and customer-focused operation in the terminal and landside areas.

Reporting to the Managing Director, you will drive service standards, regulatory compliance and continuous improvement, aligning with airline partners and service providers to deliver exceptional passenger experiences and strong operational performance.

Qualifications

• Significant senior operational leadership experience in aviation, transport, or similarly regulated environments.
• Strong stakeholder management, communication and influencing skills.
• Experience delivering customer-focused operations with data-driven improvement.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end passenger journey across terminal and landside operations, ensuring safety, efficiency and customer focus.
• Set and monitor customer service standards, owning the Customer Service Charter.
• Manage relationships with airlines, ground handlers, regulators and service partners to maintain performance.
• Drive risk management, business continuity and resilience for Customer Operations.

Skills

Senior leadership

Stakeholder management

Regulatory compliance

Operational excellence

Education

Degree-level qualification

Job description

We have an exciting opportunity at Glasgow Airport Limited for a Head of Customer Operations to join our Senior Management Team.

This is a permanent, full time role and based at Glasgow Airport.

What we can offer you:

• Competitive salary and benefits package
• Participation in our annual bonus plan
• 25 days annual holiday plus 8 public holidays
• Generous pension contributions
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Private Healthcare
• Flexible Benefit Platform
• Life Assurance Cover
• Free on-site car parking
• Agile/Flexible working, where appropriate for the role

Job Description

The Head of Customer Operations is accountable for the end to end passenger journey within the terminal, leading the delivery of a safe, secure, efficient and customer-focused operation.

Reporting to the Managing Director, the role provides leadership for terminal operations, regulatory compliance, passenger operations contract management, operational airline relationships and continuous improvement, ensuring exceptional service standards and operational performance.

The role uses operational data, customer feedback and performance insight to drive service improvements, strengthen stakeholder relationships and develop a high performing, customer focused culture that places passenger and airline needs at the centre of decision making.

Principle accountabilities

Passenger Journey, Customer Experience & Service Standards

• Lead the end-to-end passenger journey across terminal and landside operations, ensuring a safe, efficient and customer-focused experience.
• Set, monitor and continuously improve customer service standards, including ownership of the Customer Service Charter.
• Use ASQ results, customer feedback, airline feedback and operational performance data to identify improvement opportunities.
• Maintain terminal standards and lead initiatives that enhance customer experience, operational effectiveness and service quality through innovation, technology and process improvement.

Terminal & Landside Operational Delivery

• Provide senior leadership for terminal and landside operations, ensuring safe, compliant and efficient delivery of passenger services.
• Optimise passenger flows, terminal capacity, forecourt operations and passenger processing infrastructure, particularly during peak demand and disruption.
• Work closely with airlines, ground handlers, Border Force and airport partners to maintain high levels of operational performance.
• Ensure operational issues are managed proactively, escalated appropriately and resolved with minimal impact on passengers.

Safety, Security, Environment & Risk

• Promote a strong culture of safety, security and environmental responsibility across Customer Operations.
• Ensure compliance with Health & Safety, Security and Environmental requirements and support the airport's Managing Responsibly and Security Management Systems.
• Maintain effective risk management arrangements, ensuring operational risks are identified, assessed and controlled.
• Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to support a safe and secure operating environment.

Business Continuity, Resilience & Crisis Management

• Maintain and test business continuity, contingency and resilience plans to minimise operational disruption and customer impact.
• Act as a senior operational leader during incidents, emergencies and periods of significant disruption.
• Lead terminal business recovery following operational incidents and ensure lessons learned are translated into operational improvements.
• Oversee seasonal resilience planning and operational preparedness across Customer Operations.

Compliance, Assurance & Governance

• Ensure Customer Operations complies with regulatory requirements, airport policies and operational procedures.
• Maintain the policies, procedures and operating instructions within the Customer Operations remit.
• Establish assurance processes to monitor compliance, identify improvement opportunities and drive corrective actions.
• Provide expert advice to the airport leadership team on customer operations, terminal performance, capacity and service delivery.

Contract & Service Partner Management

• Lead the management of key passenger-facing contracts, including Passengers with Reduced Mobility, cleaning, landside, forecourt and front-of-house services.
• Set clear performance expectations and governance arrangements, holding suppliers accountable for operational and customer outcomes.
• Ensure airport facilities consistently meet presentation, cleanliness and customer service standards.
• Drive improvements in supplier performance, productivity, service quality and value for money.

Asset Stewardship & Airport Development

• Ensure terminal and landside assets are safe, available and fit for purpose.
• Identify operational, maintenance and asset replacement requirements and contribute to capital planning.
• Work closely with Technical Operations and Engineering to maintain passenger-facing facilities.
• Provide operational leadership and customer insight into infrastructure developments and airport investment programmes.

Operational Change & Improvement

• Lead change initiatives that improve customer outcomes, operational performance, productivity and efficiency.
• Define operational requirements for projects and ensure effective entry into service through planning, training and readiness activities.
• Represent Customer Operations on relevant project boards and governance forums.
• Use operational learning, customer insight and performance data to inform future investment and development decisions.

Airline & Stakeholder Management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with airlines, ground handlers, regulators, service partners and other key stakeholders.
• Lead engagement on operational performance, customer service and terminal management matters.
• Represent Glasgow Airport at airline, customer, community and industry forums.
• Ensure customer and operational issues raised by stakeholders are investigated and resolved effectively.
• People, Capability & Leadership
• Provide visible leadership, creating a culture of accountability, collaboration, customer focus and continuous improvement.
• Ensure the function has the capability, competence and resources required to meet operational requirements.
• Lead recruitment, development, succession planning and performance management activities.
• Maintain the operational knowledge and leadership capability required to lead during significant operational events.

Performance & Financial Management

• Deliver Customer Operations objectives within the airport business plan, covering customer, operational, people and financial performance.
• Drive continuous improvement through performance analysis, root cause investigation and corrective action.
• Manage budgets and resources effectively, ensuring value for money while maintaining safety, resilience and service standards.
• Provide clear reporting and assurance to the Managing Director and airport leadership team.

Airport Leadership

• Act as a senior member of the Glasgow Airport leadership team, contributing to airport strategy and business performance.
• Champion the passenger journey and customer perspective in airport-wide decision-making.
• Work closely with AGS Group, Airport Security, AGS Commercial and Technical leaders to deliver integrated airport performance.
• Provide visible leadership across the airport and undertake any additional responsibilities required to support the safe, efficient and successful operation of Glasgow Airport and AGS Airports.

Qualifications and experience

• Comprehensive knowledge of airport operations and relevant aviation, health, safety, security and environmental regulatory requirements, including applicable CAA/EASA requirements.
• Significant senior operational leadership experience, ideally within aviation, transport or another complex, highly regulated and customer-focused environment.
• Proven experience of managing operational disruption, business continuity, risk and assurance, with the ability to make effective decisions under pressure.
• Strong understanding of structured management systems for safety, security and operational governance frameworks.
• Demonstrable experience of leading and transforming customer experience, operational performance and continuous improvement, using data and insight to drive measurable outcomes.
• Strong stakeholder management, communication and influencing skills, with experience working effectively with service partners, regulators and external and internal teams.
• Proven people leadership and commercial capability, including experience of developing teams, managing contracts, budgets and resources and leading operational change.
• A visible, credible and adaptable leader, able to operate with a high degree of autonomy in a dynamic environment while exercising sound judgement and appropriate escalation.
• Degree-level or relevant professional qualification desirable, or equivalent demonstrable senior operational experience.

Framework and boundaries

Leading within a highly regulated safety, security and environmental framework while ensuring all services and facilities are available and operational at the optimum level.

The Head of Customer Operations role has a key influence over the entire Airport Campus and is the key driver for standards, operational excellence and customer service.