Airline Partners Manager

Aer Lingus; Dublin; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Aer Lingus seeks an Airline Partners Manager to lead a portfolio of global airline partnerships, developing strategic relationships with partner airlines and ensuring maximum commercial value. The role involves negotiating terms, managing complex projects, and aligning with Aer Lingus and IAG strategies to grow the business.

You will liaise with cross-functional teams, prepare executive briefings, and drive initiatives to optimise profitability and long-term revenue growth.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent.
• Strong commercial and business understanding.
• Proven track record delivering large/complex projects.
• Experience negotiating with third parties and suppliers.
• Programme management or planning experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead a portfolio of large/complex airline partnerships and manage strategic relationships.
• Negotiate commercial terms and manage contractual compliance with partners.
• Lead or support cross-functional project teams to deliver airline initiatives.
• Analyse partner traffic to support contract negotiations and decisions.
• Prepare decks/briefing papers for C-level on partnerships.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Negotiation

Financial analysis

Team leadership

Cross-cultural collaboration

Influence and consultation

Conflict resolution

English fluency

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Job description

Your role

The Airline Partners Manager leads a portfolio of global airline partnerships developing and managing strategic relationships with 32 of Aer Lingus’s 37 partner airlines, including key codeshare partners and all interline-only partners. The role is responsible for ensuring that Aer Lingus maximises commercial value, meets its contractual requirements and exploits long-term growth opportunities. Proactively manages partners to optimise profitability, including the selection, scope and detail of commercial arrangements. Success in the role directly influences Aer Lingus' ability to offer more choice to customers, expand its global reach, strengthen Dublin's position as a leading North Atlantic hub, and deliver sustainable revenue growth.

• To support the development of Aer Lingus partnership strategy, ensuring all airline partner developments are consistent with both the Aer Lingus and IAG strategy.
• To maintain partner relationships including contractual compliance and dispute resolution.
• To lead or support complex commercial negotiations with existing and potential partners.
• To lead and deliver airline partner projects and initiatives, ensuring solutions are designed to meet customer needs, effectively controlled and achieves Aer Lingus’s business objectives.
• To manage large cross-functional project teams.
• Identify and implement ways to improve airline partner processes and performance.
• To ensure effective stakeholder engagement throughout the development process.
• Define, instruct, interpret and, when required, undertake analyses of partner traffic to support decisions during new and existing contract negotiations.
• Ad –hoc preparation of decks and briefing papers for C-level on partnerships.
• Establish relationships with key decision makers across Aer Lingus and in partner airlines.
• Manage, track, amend and update commercial contracts with Aer Lingus Partners (such as Special Prorate, Codeshare, Disruption, and Commissions).

Your Qualifications And Key Criteria

To be considered for the role of Airline Partner Manager, candidates must meet the following:

• Degree or equivalent.
• Sound commercial and business understanding.
• Proven record of delivering of a portfolio of large/complex projects.
• Successful management of multiple and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Experience of negotiating with or working with 3rd parties and suppliers.
• Programme management or planning experience.
• Broad understanding of the airline industry.
• Understands how Aer Lingus’s strategy relates to the development of airline partners.
• Analytical and comfortable with financial data. Excellent ability to extract clear and actionable insights, conclusions & actions from data.
• Able to develop, motivate and lead teams, often when not the expert.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship management skills.
• Demonstrates strong influencing and consultation skills.
• Effective stakeholder management to Board level.
• Skilled at working across cultures and organisational hierarchies.
• Effective conflict resolution skills and experience of resolving project risks or conflicts.
• Able to manage conflicting priorities and multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Self-starter, high level of enthusiasm, energy and resilience.
• Draw parallels from outside the airline industry.
• Fluent in English, both written and spoken.
• Eligible to live and work in the EU.

Closing Date: 19th October 2026.

At Aer Lingus, we embrace diversity and believe in providing equal opportunities to all qualified individuals. We are dedicated to cultivating an inclusive and respectful work environment that values employees' unique backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We do not discriminate based on race, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, or any other protected status. If you have any questions or require any accommodations to support you in your application, please contact us at [e-mail]

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working in an Alliance environment.
• Experience of establishing and managing contracts.
• Formal negotiation training or experience of contract negotiation and management.

Division / Department

Undefined - Undefined