Service Delivery Manager (LR09)

AQUILA; Shawbury; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company Pension Plan

Life Assurance

Income Protection

Private Medical Insurance

Annual leave ~27 days

Job summary

Aquila ATMS, a joint venture between NATS and Thales, is seeking a Service Delivery Manager to lead a team of Air Traffic Engineers across MOD sites in Shropshire and Wales, including RAF Shawbury. You will drive safe, compliant delivery of ATM services with a focus on safety-critical operations and stakeholder collaboration.

The role requires leadership, ATM systems knowledge, and the ability to manage resources and budgets while maintaining service availability; SC clearance is required or

Qualifications

• Experience in Air Traffic Management environments.
• Ability to lead engineering teams and manage service delivery.
• Strong stakeholder communication skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and apply risk-based decisions.
• Willingness to obtain UK SC security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver operational and maintenance services across the site and related locations.
• Manage the site-based Operations Maintenance team ensuring qualification and competency.
• Budget and resource planning to meet service requirements.
• Ensure Health & Safety, Quality and regulatory compliance across the area.
• Support lifecycle management of Aquila assets from installation to decommissioning.
• Act as SME and interface with customers and stakeholders.

Skills

ATM/ATMS knowledge

Leadership / management

Resource planning

Safety-critical engineering

Stakeholder communication

Education

Electronic engineering qualification to HNC/BTEC Level 3 or above

Job description

About Aquila ATMS

At Aquila Air Traffic Management Services (ATMS), we are dedicated to creating a workplace where innovation, collaboration, and excellence thrives. As a joint venture between NATS and Thales, we combine the expertise of leading air traffic control services and global systems integration to deliver cutting-edge solutions in air traffic management.

Join us in shaping the future of air traffic management, and together, we will elevate aviation safety and efficiency worldwide!

The Role

We are looking for a Service Delivery Manager to join Aquila in leading a team of Air Traffic Engineers who support Communications, Navigation and Surveillance systems at MOD sites in Shropshire and Wales. Based at RAF Shawbury, you will lead engineering support to a wide range of Air Traffic Management equipment located at RAF Shawbury, RAF Valley, and RAF Aberporth, within Service Operating Area 04 & 07.

This role provides an opportunity to contribute to the organisation’s goals and support the work of the wider team. In this position, you will help deliver key activities that support effective operations, continuous improvement, and positive outcomes for colleagues, customers, and stakeholders.

Your core responsibilities will include:

• Lead the safe and effective delivery of operational and maintenance services across the assigned site and associated locations, ensuring service availability, performance and continuity are maintained in line with contractual, regulatory and operational requirements.

• Lead and manage the site-based Operations Maintenance team, ensuring colleagues are appropriately qualified, competent and authorised, with the required ATSEP/SQEP capability, training and development to deliver safe and effective services.

• Hold accountability for resource and budget management within the area of responsibility, ensuring people, financial and operational resources are effectively planned, prioritised and managed to meet service and business requirements.

• Hold accountability for Health & Safety, Quality and associated processes across the operating area, ensuring compliance with applicable safety regulations and providing appropriate safeguarding of ATC services, including radio, radar and navigation aids within the organisation's remit.

• Support the lifecycle management of Aquila assets, including installation, commissioning, acceptance, testing into service and decommissioning activities, ensuring changes are introduced safely and with appropriate operational and technical assurance.

• Act as a technical Subject Matter Expert and key operational interface, supporting Station Siting Boards, investigating defects and providing advice on technical trade matters and working practices, while maintaining effective relationships with customers and key stakeholders.

This is a hands on role where you’ll contribute to meaningful work and play a part in helping the organisation achieve its objectives.

About You

You’re a Service Deliveryprofessional who contributes positively to your team and the wider organisation. You work collaboratively, adapt to different situations, and bring sound judgement to your work. You communicate clearly, build effective working relationships, and approach challenges with a practical, solutions‑focused mindset.

Candidates must be able to obtain UK SC and operate on ITAR equipment.

To be successful in this role, you’ll bring:

• Relevant experience as a Service Delivery Manager, Engineering Manager or equivalent operational leadership role within Air Traffic Management, aviation, defence or a similarly regulated, safety-critical engineering environment.

• Knowledge of Air Traffic Management systems and operational engineering environments, including communications, radar, navigation aids, information, network and display systems, supported by an appropriate electronic engineering qualification.

• Experience in leading technical teams and managing operational service delivery, including resource planning, maintenance coordination, competency management and maintaining service availability within a safety-critical environment.

• The ability to assess operational and technical issues, prioritise effectively and make sound decisions under pressure, applying a logical and risk-based approach to maintaining and recovering critical services.

• The ability to build effective customer and stakeholder relationships and communicate complex operational or technical information clearly, including with senior stakeholders, customers, suppliers and colleagues with differing levels of technical knowledge.

You also:

• Promote Aquila’s Just Culture, reporting incidents, safety noncompliance, or potential issues in an appropriate and timely manner.

• Consistently demonstrate behaviours aligned with Aquila’s core values and leadership behaviours in all actions and decisions.

Essential Criteria

1. Full, valid UK driving licence (Group B, Manual Gearbox)

2. Colour Perception Vision Standard – CP2

3. Electronic engineering qualification to HNC/BTEC Level 3 or above or equivalent

4. Minimum of 10 years electronic engineering operations experience within Air Traffic Management environment or equivalent engineering domain.

5. Be willing and physically able to climb and work at height

Desirable Criteria

1. Experience in maintenance planning and coordination in a highly regulated, safety critical environment.

2. Experience in Resource and Budget Management

3. Commercial awareness, with an understanding of the impact that service or facility failures can have on customers, together with knowledge of the interdependencies across ATM engineering systems.

If you don’t meet every requirement but feel you have relevant experience, we’d still like to hear from you. This role requires on-call, and occasional weekend working on a rota basis.

Core Benefits

• 218 hours (approx. 27 days) annual leave + 1 Company Day to be used at Christmas (Excluding Bank Holidays).

• Time off to volunteer (up to 3 days per annum)

• Company Pension Plan (Aquila contribution = employee contribution + 1%, up to 7%)

• Life Assurance (2x basic salary or up to 8x if in the pension scheme)

• Income Protection

• Company paid Private Medical Insurance (Couple cover)

• VCP (discretionary bonus)

• Employee Assistance Programme with 24/7 support and counselling

Flexible Benefits

Through Aquila’s flexible benefits platform, you can tailor your package, including:

• Additional Healthcare Cash Plan options

• Additional PMI cover

• Buy or sell annual leave

• Cycle to Work scheme

• Discounts at high street retailers

Family, Wellbeing & Lifestyle

• Enhanced Maternity pay

• Enhanced Paternity leave & pay

• Enhanced Occupational Sick pay

• Mental Health First Aiders

• Recognition through Altair Award

• Employee referral bonus

Security Clearance Statement

Due to the nature of the work that we do, many of our roles are subject to security restrictions. This role requires you to be a UK National and achieve Security Clearance (SC) without any caveats. It would be advantageous if currently held, however, if not currently held, it is a requirement that the successful applicant undergo, achieve, and maintain SC Clearance prior to commencing employment. If approved by the MOD, a dual national from a Non-ITAR country may be considered. Please visit the UKSV website for further guidance- United Kingdom Security Vetting – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Equal Opportunities, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Aquila ATMS is an equal opportunities employer committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. Applications are welcomed from suitably qualified candidates from all backgrounds. Employment decisions are made fairly and without discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, marriage or civil partnership, or any other characteristic protected by law.