Senior Operations Manager – Terminal and Passenger Services

Edinburgh Airport; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

32 days holiday

Annual discretionary bonus

Private healthcare

Employee Assistance Programme

Free car parking on site

Job summary

Edinburgh Airport is seeking an inspirational leader to head Terminal Operations, ensuring safe, resilient and efficient passenger services on a day-to-day basis. You will drive service quality, manage key partners and shape the medium- and long-term operating strategy for a seamless passenger journey.

You will lead UK-wide accessibility initiatives, optimise flow and wayfinding, and collaborate with commercial teams to grow premium services while ensuring compliance and strong incident response

Qualifications

• Counter Terrorist Check required; must have lived in the UK for the last 3 consecutive years
• Experience in Hospitality, Travel and Tourism or related discipline
• Clean driving license valid in the UK and ability to obtain Airfield Driving License
• Deep understanding of Airport operations with a track record in operations and customer service
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Strong self-organisation and ability to work independently
• Excellent team player capable of leading and motivating
• Passion for delivering an outstanding passenger experience, including those with disabilities or additional needs
• Ability to filter information, see the bigger picture and focus on priorities

Responsibilities

• Inspirational team leadership: empower a high-performing team and oversee delivery from key operational partners
• Passenger experience and airline partnership: manage end-to-end terminal experience and service-level commitments
• Accessibility leadership: improve services for customers with reduced mobility and additional needs
• Safety, resilience and incident command: lead safety standards, emergency preparedness and post-incident investigations
• Passenger services and partner performance: hold third-party providers to KPIs and quality standards
• Wayfinding and passenger flow: advance signage, digital information and operational flow
• Disruption and passenger welfare: coordinate cross-partner response during disruptions
• Transformation and project leadership: lead operational change initiatives and stakeholder alignment
• Arrivals and UK Border Force performance: optimise arrivals operations with agencies
• Premium services and commercial growth: develop VIP/concierge offerings with commercial teams
• Executive influence and performance reporting: provide data-driven insights to senior leadership
• Insight-led problem solving: use frontline data to drive improvements

Skills

Hospitality industry experience

Airport operations knowledge

Staff leadership

Stakeholder management

Customer service excellence

Safety and security awareness

Education

Degree level or equivalent (desirable)

Job description

Our mission is simple and ambitious: happy passengers, travelling safely and on time. In this high-impact leadership role, you will shape how that mission is delivered every day—setting the standard for an outstanding terminal experience and creating smarter, more innovative ways for millions of passengers to journey through Edinburgh Airport.

Reporting to the Head of Terminal Operations, you will lead the terminal and passenger services operation, combining visible operational leadership with strategic influence. You will inspire high-performing teams, champion exceptional service and ensure a safe, resilient and efficient airport environment.

You will have end-to-end accountability for Service Delivery, Passenger Operations and Airport Service Agents, ensuring the passenger journey is safe, seamless and responsive in both normal operations and times of disruption. You will also set clear expectations for critical service partners delivering accessibility assistance, cleaning, trolleys and wider terminal support.

Beyond day-to-day performance, you will shape the medium- and long-term direction of terminal operations. Working across the airport and with external partners, you will turn insight into action—improving operational flow, accessibility, wayfinding, service quality and commercial opportunity while influencing major projects and future airport development. You can learn more about Our Future here .

This role will work predominantly on site, Monday – Friday however there will be a requirement of on-call working and response in times of any incidents.

You can find out more about the team here

About the Recruitment Process

The recruitment process for this role will be comprised of 2 stages. The first stage will be a Teams call with our Head of Terminal Operations and a member of our operational team, to discuss your background, experience and interest in the role. For successful candidates, the second stage interview will be in person, with a task or presentation to be confirmed upon invite to interview, followed with some values and competency based questions. Please note, this is a shortened job description for advertising purposes, and the full job description will be shared with candidates who are selected for interview or upon request.

Please note, depending on the volume of applications, the recruitment process for this role may change. Due to the number of applications we expect to receive for this role, we reserve the right to close this advert earlier than the listed closing date to ensure we’re able to effectively manage interest.

We are committed to supporting diverse ways of thinking and working, so if you require adjustments in the recruitment process, please let us know on your application. You can find out more about our interview process here.

What you’ll be doing

• Inspirational team leadership: Empower and manage a high-performing team while driving an inclusive culture and overseeing delivery from key operational partners.
• Passenger experience and airline partnership: Manage the end-to-end terminal experience by collaborating with airlines to remove friction and ensure service-level commitments are met.
• Accessibility leadership: Champion an inclusive airport experience by utilising passenger data to continually improve services for customers with reduced mobility and additional needs.
• Safety, resilience and incident command: Maintain uncompromising safety standards by leading emergency preparedness, response, and post-incident investigations.
• Passenger services and partner performance: Manage the performance of terminal facilities and services by holding third-party providers accountable to defined KPIs and quality standards.
• Wayfinding and passenger flow: Evolve the airport’s wayfinding strategy by combining signage, digital information, and operational flow to create more intuitive passenger journeys.
• Disruption and passenger welfare: Lead a coordinated, cross-partner response during disruptions to provide passengers with essential support and welfare in compliance with UK regulations.
• Transformation and project leadership: Serve as the subject‑matter expert for operational change initiatives, influencing stakeholders to ensure projects are ready for implementation.
• Arrivals and UK Border Force performance: Partner with immigration and customs agencies to optimise arrivals operations, ensuring both capacity and service quality are protected.
• Premium services and commercial growth: Develop and refine premium offerings – such as VIP and concierge services – in collaboration with commercial teams to drive revenue and quality.
• Executive influence and performance reporting: Act as the authoritative voice for terminal operations by delivering data‑driven insights and strategic recommendations to senior leadership.
• Insight‑led problem solving: Utilise frontline data and cross‑functional expertise to proactively resolve complex challenges and drive sustainable operational improvements.

What we’re looking for

To apply for this role, you’ll need

• This role requires the successful candidate to obtain a Counter Terrorist Check, so you must have been living in the UK for the last 3 consecutive years

  Skills and experience

• Significant experience in Hospitality, Travel and Tourism or a related discipline. A degree level or equivalent qualification is not essential but would be desirable
• A clean driving license, current and valid for driving in the United Kingdom and the ability to obtain and maintain an Airfield Driving License
• Deep understanding of Airport operations, evidenced by significant experience in both operations and customer service
• Exemplary inter‑personal and communication skills
• Exemplary self organisation skills, including the ability to self direct
• Excellent team‑worker with the ability to work constructively in and between different team, and to lead and motivate others, including the ability to challenge and change behaviours
• A passion for delivering an excellent passenger experience, including considering those with hidden disabilities or additional needs
• Ability to filter information, see the bigger picture and determine where to focus

The following items are not essential for the role but would be nice to have

• Good knowledge of life safety systems, fire strategy and evacuation arrangements
• Project management experience, leading workstreams and developing executive level updates

What we’ll offer you

• Pension scheme- employer contributions can be up to 7%
• 32 days holiday, based on full time roles, increasing with service
• Annual discretionary bonus
• Supporting your health and wellbeing- private healthcare after 1 years’ service, access to our Employee Assistance Programme and occupational health services
• Free car parking on site and when you go on holiday
• We offer a range of other benefits, find out more here

Why EDI?

We are Edinburgh Airport, where Scotland meets the world. The success of the airport comes down to our people, and you can help us deliver even more big days for our passengers and colleagues. The development of your career is important to us, and we’ll support and encourage this every step of the way. We offer in‑house and external training, both role specific and based on your objectives.

As a business we’re driven by our values – they’re at the core of our culture and everything we do. We will ask questions based on our values during your interview, as we’re looking for people who will demonstrate these values day‑in, day‑out.

As a Disability Confident Leader, we are committed to ensuring applicants with a disability can participate fully in our recruitment process. Please let us know in your application form if you require any adjustments, such as parking arrangements or alternative methods of communication .

We work with Inclusive Employers, who are a leading organisation for employers committed to prioritising inclusion. We are supported by them through leadership workshops, a variety of resources and webinars, demonstrating our commitment to an inclusive workplace and ensuring all our employees feel valued. This partnership is part of our wider Diversity and Inclusion strategy, and you can find out more here .

We give colleagues the opportunity to engage with different people and projects, within our business and beyond. You can get involved in a variety of different employee groups , including Diversity, STEM, Wellbeing, or create your own community – it’s important to us that you can share your interests and be yourself at work.