Senior Manager – GSE CAPEX Procurement

Air India SATS Airport Services Private Limited (AISATS); Gurugram District; On-site; INR 1,500,000 - 2,100,000; Full time

Job summary

Air India SATS Airport Services Private Limited seeks a Senior GSE Capex Procurement leader to drive centralized strategy and policy for capital equipment across domestic and international stations. You will own end-to-end procurement, consolidate requirements, and manage OEM relationships to ensure seamless aircraft induction.

The role demands 12-20 years in aviation GSE procurement, with BE/B.Tech and MBA preferred, and a focus on cost discipline and lifecycle optimization.

Qualifications

• 12-20 years of experience in Aviation GSE procurement
• Bachelor's degree in engineering or equivalent with MBA preferred
• Strong knowledge of procurement lifecycle, policy, and governance

Responsibilities

• Own the centralized GSE Capex procurement strategy and policy.
• Consolidate BU-wise GSE Capex requirements into annual plans.
• Lead end-to-end procurement: RFQ/RFP, techno-commercial eval, negotiation, PO.
• Manage OEMs, domestic manufacturers and authorized dealers for GSE.
• Drive standardization, cost optimization, and adoption of electric/low-emission GSE.
• Structure contracts with exit clauses and penalties; ensure audit-ready processes.
• Coordinate with Station Operations, Finance and Legal to meet aircraft induction timelines.

Skills

Procurement

Capex

Vendor Management

Strategic Sourcing

Contract Negotiation

Education

BE / B.Tech - Mechanical / Electrical / Automobile

MBA / PGDM - Supply Chain / Operations / Finance

Job description

ABOUT AIR INDIA SATS AIRPORT SERVICES PRIVATE LIMITED

AISATS, a leading gateway services provider in India, is a 50-50 joint venture between Air India Limited (a part of the TATA Group) and SATS Ltd., one of the world’s largest providers of air cargo handling services and Asia’s leading airline caterer. 'AISATS' is defined by its people – they are our greatest strength. Their commitment to seamless delivery and customer delight is what enables us to fulfil our brand promise of service excellence. This has been the hallmark of our business for more than a decade. With deep domain knowledge of the aviation ecosystem, we offer end-to-end ground handling services such as passenger and baggage handling, ramp handling, aircraft interior cleaning, load control and flight operations, and cargo handling services for general, perishable, transshipment, express courier and special cargo.

Location: Gurugram

Reports to: Head – Procurement

Team Size: Capex Buyers / Category Managers / Procurement Analysts (as applicable across Business units)

ROLE SCOPE & COMPLEXITY

• Organization-wide ownership of GSE Capex procurement
• Multi-location, multi-BU, 24x7 aviation operations
• High-value Capex contracts with OEMs (domestic & global)
• Interaction with CFO, auditors, airport authorities, OEM principals
• Strong dependency on operational timelines (aircraft induction / GH contract go-live)

JOB PURPOSE

The Senior Manager – GSE CAPEX Procurement is accountable for strategic, centralized, and end-to end procurement of all Ground Support Equipment (GSE) capital assets required for airline operations and ground handling businesses across domestic and international stations.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• GSE CAPEX PROCUREMENT STRATEGY & POLICY OWNERSHIP
• Define and implement centralized GSE Capex procurement strategy aligned with:
• Airline fleet plans (NB / WB / Freighter)
• Ground handling contract lifecycle (award, renewal, exit)
• Organization’s cost, cash flow, and governance objectives
• Convert decentralized GSE buying into policy-driven centralized sourcing.
• Ramp GSE
• Cargo & warehouse GSE
• Drive make-vs-buy-vs-lease decisions in coordination with Finance.
• Act as policy owner for GSE Capex procurement SOPs
• CAPEX DEMAND CONSOLIDATION & PR GOVERNANCE
• Consolidate BU-wise and location-wise GSE Capex requirements into annual and rolling procurement plans.
• Validate PRs for:
• Business justification
• Alignment with approved Capex budgets
• Avoidance of duplicate or premature Capex
• Challenge non-standard or unjustified requests to protect capital discipline.
• Prioritize PRs based on operational criticality and revenue linkage.
• END-TO-END CAPEX PROCUREMENT EXECUTION
• Own the complete procurement lifecycle for all GSE Capex:
• RFQ / RFP structuring
• Techno-commercial evaluation
• Negotiation & commercial closure
• PO / Contract issuance
• Ensure transparent, competitive, and auditable sourcing processes.
• Lead procurement of complex and high-value equipment such as:
• Pushback tractors
• High loaders
• Electric GSE fleets
• Ensure procurement timelines align with aircraft induction and GH SLAs.
• OEM & STRATEGIC VENDOR MANAGEMENT
• Establish long-term strategic relationships with:
• Global GSE OEMs
• Domestic manufacturers
• Authorized dealers and integrators
• Volume-based rebates
• Warranty & extended warranty
• AMC / CMC with uptime guarantees
• Spares price locking and lead time commitments
• Penalties, LDs, and performance guarantees
• Structure multi-year rate contracts and framework agreements.
• Conduct periodic vendor performance reviews and corrective action plans.
• GSE STANDARDIZATION & LIFECYCLE COST OPTIMIZATION
• Drive organization-wide standardization of:
• Specifications
• OEM base
• Reduce total cost of ownership by:
• Rationalizing fleet variety
• Aligning spares and maintenance philosophy
• Promote adoption of:
• Electric / low-emission GSE
• Telematics-enabled equipment
• Work with Engineering to ensure procurement decisions reduce long-term maintenance and downtime costs.
• COMMERCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT & CONTRACT STRUCTURING
• Structure contracts to mitigate risks related to:
• Asset redeployment or resale
• Ensure contracts include:
• Exit clauses
• Coordinate with Legal to ensure strong commercial protection.
• Protect organization from stranded assets post GH contract exit.
• DELIVERY TRACKING & OPERATIONAL COORDINATION
• Track PO-to-delivery and commissioning milestones.
• Proactively escal
• Aircraft induction
• Coordinate with:
• OEM logistics teams
• Station Operations
• Finance for GRN & capitalization
• Ensure procurement enables zero disruption to flight and ramp operations.
• CAPEX FINANCIAL CONTROL & REPORTING
• Track Capex spends vs approved budgets.
• Support Finance with:
• ROI / TCO / payback analysis
• Depreciation alignment with asset & contract life
• Prepare CFO-level MIS and dashboards covering:
• Pending PRs & POs
• Delivery timelines
• Savings achieved
• Support internal, statutory, and management audits.
• STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT & BUSINESS PARTNERING
• Act as single point of ownership for all GSE Capex procurement matters.
• Partner with:
• Ground Operations
• Finance & Legal
• GH Commercial & Bid teams
• Provide Capex inputs for:
• Contract feasibility analysis
• Influence stakeholders to adopt standardized, cost-effective solutions.
• TEAM LEADERSHIP & CAPABILITY BUILDING
• Lead and mentor Capex procurement team members.
• Build strong knowledge in GSE procurement.
• Drive performance culture through clear KRAs and KPIs.
• Ensure strong succession and capability development.
• GSE Capex savings vs benchmark
• PR-to-PO and PO-to-delivery cycle time
• Percentage standardization of GSE fleet
• Budget adherence
• Audit observations (target: zero high-risk findings)
• On-time availability of GSE for operations

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• BE / B. Tech - Mechanical / Electrical / Automobile
• MBA / PGDM - Supply Chain / Operations / Finance (preferred)
• 12-20 years of experience in:
• Aviation GSE procurement OR