Network Strategy Manager

At easyJet our purpose is to make low cost travel easy – connecting people to what they value using Europe’s best airline network, great value fares, and friendly service. Our Network team is at the core of that purpose - defining which of our routes will connect the maximum number of customers to the unbounded joy of travel, driving the performance of easyJet, and maximising the huge opportunity that comes with having a fleet of >350 aircraft and thousands of talented colleagues who are passionate about serving our passengers every day.

This role sits in the Network Strategy sub-team, which oversees network-wide strategy issues and the longer-term development of easyJet’s network. It is responsible for the deployment of capacity across the network primarily with a time horizon of 12-18 months to 5 years from operation. It sets the vision for the network, translates this into an allocation of aircraft by base, and supports the implementation of the network vision downstream by our team of network and airport development managers. The team owns the top-down view of easyJet’s network across all bases, defining the network and investment of capacity to deliver long term profitability, whilst building a coherent strategy to compete with major competitors and defining easyJet’s destination strategies.

The team regularly interfaces with a wide range of functions across the business, including Operations, Scheduling, People and Strategy; providing an excellent opportunity to work alongside a core range of stakeholders and learn how easyJet plans and delivers its flying.

The Network Strategy Manager reports to the Head of Network Strategy, and is responsible for driving the development and delivery of the overall network strategy. This includes involvement in a range of activities which might include the 5 year / annual aircraft allocation cycles, definition of the destination strategy, development of competitor strategies, and driving ad-hoc network strategy projects and involvement in strategic projects for the broader business.

This role has responsibility for developing recommendations to influence senior decision makers on where easyJet should base its aircraft, and defining the longer term vision for the destinations to which easyJet should fly from these bases. The Network Strategy Manager uses a range of key data sources including capacity data, fare data and historic performance data, alongside deep-rooted collaboration with key internal stakeholders, to develop the top-down strategies. The Network Strategy Manager is then instrumental in influencing the relevant network / airport managers and other internal stakeholders to implement and deliver any recommended changes.

The role will also maintain a network-wide view of the evolving competitive landscape, to support colleagues in the network / airport development teams, and might be involved in delivering the network inputs required for ad-hoc strategic projects (e.g. fleet transactions, M&A activity).

How you will do it:

• Supporting the development of the network strategy for the business 5-year plan you will play a pivotal role in running the annual aircraft allocation cycle including owning analysis and business case assessment, and drafting impactful presentations to provide recommendations to decision-makers aligning with the network strategy.
• Defining and implementing a long-term vision of the shape of the network (destination strategy) – influencing route level decision makers (Network Managers) in delivery.
• Drive ad-hoc network strategic projects by conducting analysis and making recommendations. Support strategic projects for the broader business where required.
• Track competition movements across our network, and produce competitor reaction plans where required.

What you will need to do the role:

• Highly numerate with strong analytical skillset – able to build traffic forecasts and understand the key variables in capacity adjustment business cases and drivers of network profitability.
• Open minded individual with ability to think outside of the box and challenge the status quo to solve problems.
• Strategic thinker with ability to consider impact of multiple variables on network performance.
• Highly organised and delivery focussed – able to work on multiple projects or processes simultaneously with flexibility to adapt to a fast-paced changing environment.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills – to present results of analysis, draw out key insights and make recommendations.
• Ability to build relationships and create rapport with a wide range of stakeholder and across multidisciplinary teams to ensure own goals and those of others are delivered.
• Genuine interest and motivation for the airline sector – with a strong grasp of the European short haul competitive landscape and keeps up to date with the latest industry and competitor trends.
• Experience in airline network or strategy department and / or strategy consulting firm would be preferred.
• You will also need to have expert knowledge of MS Excel and ability to communicate impactfully in PowerPoint.
• Finally this role will require someone to be a fluent English speaker.

What you’ll get in return:

• Competitive base salary.
• Up to 20% bonus.
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays, with opportunity to buy 5 additional days leave after 12 months in role.
• BAYE, SAYE & Performance share schemes.
• 7% pension.
• Life Assurance (x4).
• Discounted staff travel scheme with access for friends and family.
• Annual credit for discount on easyJet holidays.
• ‘Work Away’ scheme, allowing you to work abroad for 30 days a year.
• Electric vehicle lease salary sacrifice scheme.
• Access to online learning tools and development programmes.

This is a full time role. The team are typically in the office 3 days a week. There may be some travel required.

At easyJet, we’re not just about making travel affordable, we’re also committed to making wellbeing a rewarding journey for our team through small, healthy steps. We provide the necessary tools and resources, fostering a culture of care and collaboration. We do this the 'easyJet way', embodying our Orange Spirit, promoting accountability for our wellbeing, and looking out for each other. This is our healthy approach, making a difference for all of us.

We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds as part of our ongoing commitment to having a team that truly represents the customers that we serve. You may feel that you don’t meet every single requirement for this role, but we’d still encourage you to submit an application rather than ruling yourself out. And if you need any adjustments or support during the recruitment process, please let us know and we’ll work with you to find a solution.