Service Delivery Shift Leader in Manchester

Dnata is one of the world’s largest air and travel services providers. We provide a comprehensive range of inflight catering, onboard retail, supply chain and logistics services at all major and regional airports across the UK. Dnata Catering provides expertly crafted inflight catering services, delivering fresh and high-quality meals at major and regional airports across the UK. As the leading Halal caterer in the UK, we also provide tailored experiences to meet each customer’s unique needs. We’re a leader in VIP catering, offering bespoke inflight to private and charter clients.

The Service Delivery Shift Leader is responsible for leading frontline operational teams to deliver safe, secure, compliant, and efficient services within a transport environment. The role ensures that daily schedules, customer requirements, safety standards, regulatory obligations, and service performance targets are met across the shift.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, motivate, and support operational colleagues throughout the shift, ensuring duties are allocated clearly and completed to the required standard.
• Monitor daily work schedules, flight or transport movements, turnaround activity, and operational priorities.
• Take prompt corrective action when delays, disruptions, resource gaps, equipment issues, or service failures occur.
• Ensure all activities are carried out in line with company procedures, health and safety requirements, aviation security rules, transport regulations, and local airport or site instructions.
• Maintain effective communication with internal teams, airline or transport partners, customer service teams, suppliers, and management.
• Conduct shift briefings, handovers, toolbox talks, and operational updates to ensure colleagues understand priorities, risks, and performance expectations.
• Support incident reporting, hazard identification, near-miss escalation, and follow-up actions to maintain a safe working environment.
• Ensure vehicles, equipment, radios, systems, and operational documentation are used correctly and any defects are reported promptly.
• Promote excellent customer service, ensuring issues are dealt with professionally and escalated when they cannot be resolved at shift level.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• The post holder must demonstrate a strong commitment to safety, security, and compliance at all times.
• Experience in aviation, transport, logistics, ground handling operations, or a similar fast-paced service environment.
• Ability to lead a team during busy, time-critical, and safety-sensitive operations.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to provide clear instructions and effective shift handovers.
• Good understanding of health and safety, security, compliance, and operational procedures.
• Confident problem-solving skills with the ability to remain calm under pressure.
• Good organisational skills, with the ability to manage priorities, resources, and changing operational demands.
• Customer-focused approach with a commitment to delivering reliable and professional service.
• Basic IT literacy, including the ability to use operational systems, email, reporting tools, and shift documentation.
• Flexible approach to working hours, including early starts, late finishes, weekends, and public holidays where required.

Key Performance Measures

• Shift tasks completed safely, accurately, and on time.
• Compliance checks, briefings, reports, and handovers completed to the required standard.
• Operational disruption managed effectively with timely escalation.
• Team attendance, productivity, conduct, and service standards maintained.
• Customer, airline, transport partner, and stakeholder expectations supported professionally.
• Safety hazards, equipment defects, and incidents reported and followed up appropriately.

Working Conditions

This role operates in a shift-based aviation and transport environment where priorities can change quickly due to flight schedules, vehicle movements, weather, operational disruption, or customer requirements. The post holder may be required to work airside.

Benefits

What's in it for you?

• An opportunity to be part of the Emirates global family.
• Free breakfast, lunch and dinner on site.
• Free tea and coffee.
• Simply health Plan.
• Refer a Friend Scheme.
• Discounted gym membership at over 2000 gyms nationwide.
• Cycle to Work Scheme.
• Opportunity to enhance your learning through our inhouse apprenticeship programme.

If you're invited to interview, please let us know if there are any adjustments we can make to ensure you're cleared for take-off and able to perform at your best. We’re committed to making the recruitment journey as smooth and inclusive as possible.