Managing Director, Commercial Strategy & Network Development

Socket.dev; Westlake (OH); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

CommuteAir is seeking a Managing Director of Commercial Strategy & Network Development to shape the airline's future by evaluating new business models, network scenarios, and fleet options. You will partner on price-out discussions and develop long-range planning horizons for the airline.

The role requires senior-level expertise in route planning, strong analytical and negotiation skills, and a track record of leading strategic initiatives within the airline industry.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in route/network planning at a US-based carrier, authority, or consultancy.
• Ability to articulate a compelling vision and lead initiatives from concept through execution.
• Expertise in airline data sources and growth planning fundamentals.

Responsibilities

• Define and refine strategic direction for new network scenarios from concept to price-out.
• Lead long- to medium-term planning, including route opportunities and fleet options.
• Evaluate profitability across prorate and network structures and negotiate with partners.
• Collaborate with finance to assess feasibility and model accounting implications.
• Lead major strategic projects aligned with business priorities.

Skills

Route planning

Strategic thinking

Analytical skills

Negotiation

Education

Bachelor's or advanced degree in business, economics, aviation, or related field

Tools

Sabre

Amadeus

Zulu Systems

Cirium

OAG

Excel

Power BI

PowerPoint

Job description

Who Are We?

Whether you’re building your time in the sky or your career on the ground, we hope to be your next destination. CommuteAir is striving to be the regional airline that our passengers and employees are looking for. Our role in your career as a regional airline is an important one that we take seriously. Community, mentorship, training, and growth are all part of our DNA – we want to make your vision of a successful career in the aviation industry a reality.

Where Are We Going?

We are a dedicated United Airlines partner operating over 1,600 weekly flights, connecting people and their communities to the world via United’s Global Network. With corporate headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio, we operate a large fleet of Embraer 145 XR aircraft from two Crew hubs in Houston and Washington Dulles, along with maintenance bases in Houston, Washington Dulles, Albany, NY, and Knoxville, TN. We’ve grown significantly over the past 35 years and know that you will too.

Together We Soar

Your success is our success. Community is everything to us at CommuteAir. Our diverse team is here to provide you with the tools you need to succeed. By adopting a data-driven approach, we’re innovating the traditional path to mainline by raising the bar and setting the standard for employee training and development. We offer our team comprehensive benefits, competitive pay, internal advancement programs, and personal access to flight benefits on the Star Alliance network for yourself and your family.

Commitment to Inclusion

CommuteAir is an equal-opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and applicants. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds and experiences.

Artificial Intelligence in Hiring Notice

CommuteAir uses artificial intelligence and automated tools to support parts of our application review and recruiting process, including identifying relevant qualifications and managing candidate communications. These tools assist our recruiting team, but all screening, evaluation, and hiring decisions are made by humans. No AI system independently determines candidate eligibility or makes hiring decisions.

All employment decisions are made by human recruiters and hiring managers.

Applicants who need a reasonable accommodation during any part of the hiring process may contact our recruiting team for assistance.

What the position is

The Managing Director of Commercial Strategy & Network Development plays a pivotal role in CommuteAir’s future success by helping to define the Company’s strategic direction as it expands into “at-risk” flying through rigorous evaluation of new business models, network structures, route opportunities, and fleet options. The Managing Director partners with the Director, Network and Operations Planning to develop, evaluate, and refine alternative schedule and network scenarios from conception through price-out. This position will be directly responsible for the long- to medium-term planning function for the airline.

Essential Functions

• Contribute to thought leadership with respect to the evolving regional air travel landscape, competition, future passenger needs and behavior, and specific use cases for different aircraft technologies


• Work closely with Finance to evaluate the feasibility and profitability of different business models for regional air service, utilizing a variety of aircraft types and spanning both short- and longer-term planning horizons


• Evaluate potential new route opportunities (including prorate and EAS markets) considering multiple factors, including competitive dynamics, demographic and economic drivers, and past and potential traffic and revenue volumes and patterns and make recommendations to the senior leadership team


• Contribute to prorate negotiations with major airline partners and the development of EAS bids, considering all sources of potential revenue and a detailed understanding of CommuteAir’s costs


• Regularly evaluate prorate flying flight- and route-level profitability and make recommendations for schedule adjustments


• Proactively identify, lead, and support other strategic projects based on business priorities and emerging opportunities

General requirements & qualifications

• Minimum of five (5) years’ experience in route/network planning at a US-based mainline or regional (Part 121 or Part 135) carrier, airport authority, and/or consultancy


• Demonstrated ability to develop and articulate a compelling vision, challenge conventional approaches, and proactively lead initiatives from concept through execution with minimal direction


• Demonstrated expertise in airline industry, demographic, business, and emerging mobility data sources, including:

a) Expert in the use and evaluation of airline industry data, including US government and GDS-derived data sources

b) Experience utilizing Zip code-level demographic and business data sources for planning purposes.

• Familiarity with emerging data sources used to estimate market size, such as mobile device location data.


• Prior experience planning and negotiating prorate agreements with major carriers.


• Expert user of airline network forecasting models and scheduling software (e.g., Sabre, Amadeus, Zulu Systems, etc.), as well as airline industry data interfaces (e.g., Cirium, OAG)


• Must be able to independently create detailed new route forecasts/pro formas from modeled output and negotiate financial incentives with communities and airport authorities


• Prior experience evaluating alternative network structures and aircraft types, from conception and design through price-out; experience evaluating and utilizing aircraft manufacturer cost information is a plus


• Solid understanding of airline cost structures and allocation methodologies, with an emphasis on route profitability analysis and decision-making


• Excellent technical skills, including being an advanced user of the Microsoft suite of products, with particular emphasis on Excel, Power BI, and PowerPoint


• Bachelor's or advanced degree in business, economics, aviation, or related field, or equivalent work experience


• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills


• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team

Physical Requirements

Sedentary Work:

Exerting up to 10 lbs. of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body, sedentary work involves sitting most of the time and walking /standing occasionally

Visual Acuity

Includes inspection, close assembly, clerical administrative; This is a minimal standard for use with those whose work deals largely with preparing and analyzing data and figures, accounting, computer, extensive reading.

Environmental Conditions

Inside environmental conditions; protection from weather conditions but not necessarily from temperature changes.

ADA Compliance

CommuteAir is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and a workplace that is inclusive and accessible to all individuals. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and applicable laws, CommuteAir ensure reasonable accommodations are available to qualified individuals with disabilities throughout the hiring process and during employment. Our goal is to foster a respectful, inclusive environment that supports accessibility and equity.

The above constitutes the general expectations of the role and should not be considered all inclusive. While some things may change as the position evolves, we expect every Commute Air employee to act in the best interest of the company, our employees, and our passengers