General Manager - Ground Support
A Ground Support Operation based at Cape Town International Airport is recruiting for a General Manager - Ground Support.
The Role
Effective and efficient leadership of all Ground Handling, Passenger Handling, Cleaning and Coordination of Cargo hauling functions on a 24-hour operation at Cape Town International Airport (CPT). Provide strong Leadership to all operational teams to ensure the overall objective of Safe, Efficient, Reliable and on-time operational goals is achieved and associated revenue.
Main Accountabilities
- Participating as a member of the Senior Leadership team that is accountable for the development and implementation of operational and administrative strategies, policies and procedures to a required company standard
- Ensuring that the station’s operations is run in a safe and secure, efficient, professional manner to enhance our brand with reference to pax, ramp, load control, baggage sortation, aircraft cleaning and related support activities
- Ensuring service delivery to customer airlines in accordance with service level agreements and agreed budgetary guidelines
- Establish and maintaining sound client relationships by continuous interactions, operational meetings and liaison with client personnel in the respective operational disciplines
- Manage the total Ground Handling Operation in the most efficient way possible whilst adhering to all company safety and quality standards, policies and guidelines
- Ensure that the most suitable employees who are fit for purpose and capable of meeting company standards are selected through the recruitment processes
- Manage and lead the workforce to ensure a high level of motivation is always maintained
- A visionary leader dedicated to building an operational management team capable of meeting demands on a day-to-day basis
- Collaborate with the Ground Support Equipment (GSE) team to execute comprehensive maintenance and repair programs, ensuring all fleet assets are fully operational and meet stringent serviceability standards
- Effective planning and coordination of GSE to meet normal day-to-day operations and peak period demand
- Lead dynamic staff briefings to champion Safety/Security, Staff Morale and updates on New Business, Airport and Company developments etc.
- Coordinate with fellow station managers to standardise safety protocols and share critical operational insights, ensuring all sites consistently meet or exceed performance and compliance benchmarks
- Manage Budget targets and achievement of KPI’s and SLA’s by enhancing operational profitability
- Drive procurement excellence by implementing robust supplier vetting processes and providing expert oversight to Stock Controllers to guarantee quality, compliance, and supply chain integrity
- Safe and secure high-quality operations meeting International Standards and beyond
- Build and maintain good customer relations
- Efficient and effective roster scheduling of Operational employees
- Participate with identifying operational training needs and ensure all required training is scheduled accordingly
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to track key performance indicators (KPIs) and implement improvements in reporting processes through automation and standardisation
- Accountable for the overall financial performance of the station and the achievement of associated revenue and expense budgets and participating in the station’s financial reporting process
- Ensure that departmental performance complies with Senior Management directives and statutory regulations
- Continuously enhancing performance improvements in line with maintaining the highest levels of Safety
- Adhere and promote safety and security policies to all personnel and ensure necessary human and financial resources are in place to achieve safety objectives and performance standards
Minimum Requirements
- South African Citizen
- Relevant Business/Commercial qualification with reference to Aviation will be advantageous
- Minimum of 8 years Ground Handling experience at a senior management level with local and international airlines
- Exceptional leadership abilities with reference to emotional intelligence, judgement and consistency in relation to work practices and team engagement
- Ability to work and lead in a diverse work environment
- Strong interpersonal and Communication skills
- Strong understanding of ground handling, passenger, ramp environment, procedures and processes
- Strong Problem-solving skills – be able to solve operational issues and airline requests
- Financially and commercially competent
- Experience with proven success in managing a multi-faceted operation in a culturally challenging environment
- Ability to work under pressure and cope with conflicting priorities and deadlines
- Ability to develop a good working relationship with other airport stakeholders
Benefits
How to Apply
Interested candidates who meet the above requirements are invited to submit their CV online or to nico@aviationlink.co.za for consideration.
Only candidates who meet the minimum requirements and have relevant experience will be considered. Please consider your application unsuccessful if you have not received feedback within 7 days of applying.