Concessions Program Manager - Aviation Department

City of Phoenix; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 93,000 - 137,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension plan

401(a) & 457 plans

Medical plans

Wellness incentive

Dental insurance

Paid time off

Tuition reimbursement

Paid parental leave

Bus pass

Job summary

City of Phoenix Aviation Department is seeking a Concessions Program Manager for Phoenix Sky Harbor. You will lead the concessions portfolio across Food & Beverage, Retail, and Passenger Services, directing staff and coordinating with tenants and stakeholders.

Ideal candidate will have strong negotiation, contract management, and regulatory knowledge, with proven ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced airport environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, Project Management, or related field.
• Five years of professional experience in program and project management.
• Experience in government/public sector preferred.
• Working extended and irregular hours may be required.

Responsibilities

• Oversee concession contracts across food & beverage, retail, and passenger services, ensuring compliance and optimizing revenue.
• Conduct research and provide recommendations to support commercial development of airport concessions.
• Administer concession leases by monitoring performance and resolving issues.
• Draft proposals and lease documents to align with procurement and airport requirements.
• Develop budgets and plans to support concession program operations and revenue goals.
• Deliver presentations to City officials, airport boards, tenants, and executives.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Communication

Collaboration

Operational agility

Industry knowledge

Analytical thinking

Diplomacy

Education

Bachelor's degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, Project Management, or related field

Tools

SAP Lease

Exigis

Job description

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

Over 51 million passengers traveled through Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) in 2025, one of the busiest airports in the country in the nation's 5th largest city. Phoenix Sky Harbor is the commercial air service airport and the largest of three airports in the Phoenix Airport System (Phoenix Sky Harbor, Deer Valley, and Goodyear airports), which is managed and operated by the City of Phoenix Aviation Department. Phoenix Sky Harbor serves more than 142,000 daily passengers with over 1,300 flights per day, served by 24 airlines with nonstop air service to over 140 destinations, including 25 international markets. Phoenix Sky Harbor has a total economic impact of more than $44.3 billion per year.

About This Position

The City of Phoenix Aviation Department is seeking a results driven professional to serve as the Concessions Program Manager within the Business and Properties Division at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. This role supports the development, execution, administration, compliance oversight, and stakeholder coordination for the airport's Concessions Program, which includes Food & Beverage, Retail, and Passenger Services. The position manages staff by providing leadership, direction, training, mentoring, and development opportunities. Responsibilities include researching and identifying new revenue opportunities; analyzing lease terms; assessing space needs; and evaluating tenant requests.

The Concessions Program Manager will engage with corporate level tenants, present proposals on customer and tenant issues, and lead lease negotiations. The role oversees team compliance with contracts, agreements, leases, and permits, and prepares written reports and presentation materials for various audiences. It also provides recommendations and serves as project owner for Tenant Improvement Projects within the assigned section, and conducts benchmarking with other large commercial airports.

This is a professional supervisory position requiring independent judgment, excellent interpersonal skills, the ability to maintain professionalism and diplomacy at all times, business writing and presentation skills, critical thinking, financial and statistical data interpretation, and experience in contract leasing negotiation. The selected candidate will be required to operate in a fast-paced airport business environment, handling a variety of projects concurrently and engaging with tenants extensively.

Core Job Duties

• Oversee concession contracts, including food and beverage, retail, and passenger services, ensuring compliance with agreement terms and optimizing revenue opportunities.
• Conduct research and provide recommendations to support the commercial development of airport concessions.
• Administer and ensure compliance with concession lease agreements by monitoring operator performance and resolving issues.
• Assist with drafting proposals and lease documents, helping ensure accuracy and alignment with procurement and airport requirements.
• Assist the Concessions Superintendent with writing the concessions contract scope of work for procurements.
• Recommend evaluation criteria for proposals to division leadership and support the competitive selection process.
• Develop and recommend plans and budgets to support concession program operations and revenue goals.
• Monitor and analyze sales reports, financial performance, and revenue trends to identify risks, opportunities, and areas for improvement.
• Conduct research and provide recommendations to support the commercial development and long-term planning of airport concessions.
• Deliver presentations to City officials, airport boards, airport tenants, department executives and senior leadership, and community groups regarding airport concessions programs.
• Working extended and irregular hours outside of Monday - Friday 7 am to 6 pm, including nights, weekends, and holidays, may be required based on airport event activity and/or emergency airport events. This may equate to more than 40 hours in a workweek without additional compensation.

IDEAL CANDIDATE

• Stakeholder Engagement & Relationship Building
  • Demonstrated ability to cultivate and maintain strong relationships with internal teams, external stakeholders, tenants, concessionaires, customers, and governmental agencies.
  • Skilled in navigating diverse interests and maintaining trust in a complex, high visibility environment.
• Communication Excellence
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey complex information clearly and effectively at all organizational levels.
  • Ability to develop clear, concise, and compelling reports and presentations tailored for diverse audiences, including executive leadership and elected officials.
• Collaboration & Consensus Building
  • Ability to work cross-functionally and align diverse interests to develop consensus on complex issues.
  • Demonstrated success in facilitating discussions that balance stakeholder needs with organizational goals.
• Operational Agility
  • Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and respond effectively to changing conditions, while maintaining program momentum in a dynamic airport environment.
  • Ability to lead, motivate, and coordinate cross functional teams while fostering collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Industry & Regulatory Expertise
  • Experience with the strategic development of competitive requests for proposals processes necessary to implement a concessions program.
  • In-depth knowledge of FAA policies, principles, and regulatory procedures regarding airport concessions and non‑aeronautical revenue programs.
  • Knowledge of airport concessions development, negotiations, procurement processes, and contract management.
• Analytical Thinking & Data-Driven Business Acumen
  • Strong analytical skills with a data-driven approach to evaluating financial performance, identifying trends, and supporting strategic decision making.
  • Proficiency in research methods, benchmarking, and applying insights to enhance program performance and commercial outcomes.
• Diplomacy and Discretion
  • Ability to exercise tact, discretion, and sound judgment when handling sensitive and confidential matters.
  • Skilled at navigating complex issues with professionalism and maintaining positive working relationships.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain professional relationships with concessions tenants, legal counsel, and internal department team.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret, apply, and explain federal, state, and local laws, ordinances, code, rules, regulations, and policies related to the leasing of Airport property, buildings, terminal spaces, and airline and airport operations.

SALARY

Pay Range: $92,726.40 to $137,009.60 annually.
Hiring Range: $92,726.40 to $124,259.20 annually.

Pay Range Explanation

• Pay range is the entire compensation range for the position classification.
• Hiring range is an estimate of where you can receive an offer. The actual salary offer will carefully consider a wide range of factors, including your skills, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, training, and internal equity.

Benefits

• Traditional pension with employer and employee contributions, click here for more details: Pension Information.
• 401(a) and 457 plans with employer contributions.
• Choice of generous medical HMO, PPO, or HSA/HDHP plans.
• Medical enrollment includes a monthly $150 City contribution to a Post-Employment Health Plan.
• Wellness incentive of up to $720 annually.
• Dental, vision, and life insurance options.
• Employer paid long-term disability.
• Free Bus/light rail pass.
• Tuition reimbursement program up to $6,500 per year.
• Paid time off includes 13.5 paid holidays, 12 vacation days, and 15 sick days and personal leave days.
• Paid Parental Leave for eligible employees up to 480 hours (12 weeks) of paid leave for the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child during a 12-month period.
• Federal Student Loan Forgiveness offered through Savi.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, Project Management, or a related field.
• Five years of professional experience in program and project management, preferably within a government or public sector environment.
• Other combinations of experience and education that meet the minimum requirements may be substituted.
• Working conditions:
  • Working extended and irregular hours outside of Monday - Friday 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM, including nights, weekends, and holidays may be required based on airport event activity and/or emergency airport events.
• All finalists for positions are subject to a criminal background check applicable to the department or position.
• The following list is not all inclusive but are TSA general factors for disqualification of employment for working at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Other factors will be assessed that may also lead to disqualification. Qualified candidates should consider these factors when applying. Aviation Employment Disqualifiers.
• Some positions require the use of personal or City vehicles on City business. Individuals must be physically capable of operating the vehicles safely, possess a valid driver's license and have an acceptable driving record. Use of a personal vehicle for City business will be prohibited if the employee is not authorized to drive a City vehicle or if the employee does not have personal insurance coverage.
• For information regarding pre-screening and driving positions, click here.
• The City job description can be found here.

Preferred Qualifications

• Three years of professional experience in airport property management, Concession program management, or tenant relations within a medium or large hub commercial airport environment, or airport affairs with an airline.
• Two years of experience involving decision making responsibility for projects or programs.
• Two years of supervisory experience, including hiring, training, performance evaluation, and disciplinary actions.
• Experience working with the SAP lease management system and Exigis software.
• Experience with researching, identifying and developing new revenue opportunities.
• Experience working with elected officials and senior management and executive staff.
• Experience creating concessions master planning and visioning for medium or large hub airports.
• Experience managing concessions tenant agreements with various rent calculations and coordination.
• Experience negotiating, drafting, and administering lease agreements with concessions or aviation-related tenants.
• Experience with airport concessions development, negotiations, procurement processes, and contract management.
• Experience preparing annual operational budget estimates, including expenditure forecasting and financial analysis.
• Master's degree in airport or aviation management, public or business administration, economics, or a related field.
• Aviation industry credentials, including but not limited to Airport Certified Employee (ACE) credentials, Certified Member (CM) credentials, Accredited Airport Executive (AAE) credentials, U.S. Airport Professional Program (USAP) designation, or any other aviation industry credentials.

Recruitment DATES

Recruitment closes September 15, 2026. All materials must be received by 11:59 p.m. on this date.
This is a position-based recruitment and will not result in any ongoing eligibility list. This recruitment and any selection processes resulting from this recruitment may be used to fill other related vacancies within the organization now or in the near future.

REFERENCE

Program Manager, JC:08600, ID# 62527, 09/02/2026, USM, GO, Benefits:007

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