Airline & Product Strategy Lead in Manchester

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ABOUT THE ROLE & TEAM As Airline & Product Strategy Lead, you provide the dedicated customer-facing capability at the centre of the partnership between SITA and Manchester Airports Group (MAG). You are the link between MAG, its airline community and SITA's wider product and innovation teams. This is a senior, strategic product partnership role, newly created within the operating model and elevated because of the scale of common-use deployment across the MAG estate. MAG sets the product vision, strategic direction, priorities and desired outcomes. Your role is to help execute that strategy, supporting and helping deliver MAG's airline strategy by working closely with airlines, driving adoption, providing industry insight and translating MAG's strategic objectives into delivery and operational outcomes. In doing so you help accelerate MAG's objectives while ensuring strategic ownership remains firmly with MAG.

This is a role that lives with the airlines day to day, which is why it combines product strategy with real operational understanding. You own the collation of business requirements with the airline community, and it is essential that what is captured reflects how airlines actually operate. Bringing both a product mindset and operational credibility, you close the gap between what airlines say they need and what works in production, reducing rework, improving first-time success and building airline confidence.

You lead the technology conversation across MAG's airline community from the SITA side. Supporting MAG's leadership in areas such as biometrics and digital identity, you help convene and guide the airline technology agenda, connecting airlines, MAG and SITA around a shared view of what comes next for passenger processing.

Within the team, you work closely with the General Manager on strategy, governance and reporting, and with the Project Manager on delivery, change and governance. You partner with the Customer Operations team to make sure airline priorities and stakeholder readiness are reflected in day-to-day service. Beyond the local team, you build strong relationships across the wider SITA organisation, in particular the Airports business unit, and work with those teams continually to find new ways to grow the business with MAG.

You also support delivery of a jointly governed innovation strategy aligned to MAG's objectives, helping shape how the annual Innovation Fund is prioritised and spent through a governed pipeline of proofs of concept, co-innovation and future service evolution. This connects directly to MAG's priority of using technology, data and insight to optimise airport operations and develop products and services that meet passenger needs.

WHAT WILL YOU DO Support and help deliver MAG's airline strategy, working closely with MAG's operational and commercial teams to translate MAG's strategic objectives into delivery and operational outcomes, and to align airlines behind a shared plan. Help accelerate MAG's strategic objectives, supporting growth of the core airports business through long-term airline partnerships and network development, and helping deliver operational excellence across the estate, while ensuring strategic ownership remains with MAG. Lead the airline technology agenda across the estate, supporting MAG's leadership in biometrics and digital identity and connecting airlines, MAG and SITA around future passenger-processing capability. Provide commercial and industry insight that supports MAG's cost and value objectives, including quarterly commercial insights for billing discussions, allocation reviews and benchmarking. Work closely with the General Manager on strategy, governance and reporting, contributing to service reviews, business reviews and forward planning across the estate. Partner with the Project Manager on delivery, change and governance, and with the Customer Operations team to make sure airline priorities and operational readiness are built into day-to-day service. Build and maintain strong relationships across the wider SITA organisation, in particular the Airports business unit, working with these teams continually to identify and pursue opportunities to grow the business with MAG. Support delivery of a jointly governed innovation strategy aligned to MAG's objectives, helping shape how the annual Innovation Fund is prioritised and spent through a governed pipeline of proofs of concept, co-innovation and roadmap initiatives agreed with MAG. Act as the informed point of contact for MAG's airline community, engaging with airlines at station and central level to build trusted, lasting relationships. Lead one-to-one airline engagement sessions and represent the partnership within ITCG, AOC and airline forums alongside MAG. Coordinate and manage airline onboarding and change delivery in line with MAG standards, owning the collation of business requirements and carrying them cleanly through solution design, Model Office validation, live flight proving and post-deployment review. Drive product adoption and self-service utilisation across the MAG estate, anticipating onboarding needs early rather than reacting when a route or handler change is confirmed. Leverage SITA's relationships and experience across other airlines and airports to understand what works elsewhere, and use the data available to help MAG and its airlines make well-informed decisions. Interpret usage, adoption and performance data and turn it into practical recommendations that help MAG better understand passenger needs and shape the products and services that meet them, including monthly airline performance packs and quarterly commercial insights. Connect MAG to SITA's global product roadmap, R&D and wider airline relationships, recognising that many MAG airlines are also SITA customers elsewhere.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE MAG's airline strategy is actively supported and accelerated, with strategic ownership remaining firmly with MAG. Growing product adoption and self-service utilisation across the MAG estate. Airline requirements accurately captured and translated, with higher first-time success and reduced rework on onboarding and change. Trusted, lasting relationships with airlines, evidenced by stronger engagement and satisfaction. Clear commercial and industry insight that supports MAG's cost and allocation objectives. A jointly governed innovation pipeline that turns the Innovation Fund into proven, jointly-agreed outcomes.

Qualifications External WHO YOU ARE A combination of product strategy capability and genuine operational understanding of airlines and ground handlers, able to bridge both worlds in a single role. Proven ability to support and execute a customer's strategy, building alignment across operational and commercial teams and wider stakeholders to reach outcomes that work for all parties. Experience of product adoption, governance and stakeholder management, ideally within an airline, airport or passenger-processing context. Strong business analysis capability, with a track record of collating and translating airline or customer requirements into clear, deliverable outcomes that work in live production. Strong airline stakeholder credibility at operational and central level, with a track record of building trusted, long-term relationships that support network growth. Experience working across a large, matrixed organisation, building relationships that turn internal capability into customer value and business growth. Confident interpreting operational and commercial data, and drawing on wider industry experience, to support evidence-based decisions for MAG and its airline partners. A consultative, partnership-led approach that brings together strategic product thinking and practical operational insight.

MUST HAVE Significant experience in an airline, airport or aviation-technology environment spanning both product/strategy and operational delivery. Demonstrable experience of product adoption, roadmap alignment or product lifecycle in a customer-facing setting. A track record of collating and owning business requirements and translating them into successful delivery in live operational environments. Direct experience of common-use or shared-use passenger-processing environments (CUPPS, CUSS, self-service bag drop, BRS). A track record of leading customer and airline relationships and translating strategy into delivered outcomes. Experience of working with data and analytics to support commercial and operational decisions.

NICE TO HAVE Existing relationships within the UK airline and ground-handling community, particularly across the MAG estate. Familiarity with SITA Flex and shared-use, self-service and airline integration architectures. Awareness of biometrics, digital identity and emerging passenger-processing innovation.

WHAT WE OFFER We're all about diversity. We operate in 200 countries and speak 60 different languages and cultures. We're really proud of our inclusive environment. Our offices are comfortable and fun places to work, and we make sure you get to work from home too. Find out what it's like to join our team and take a step closer to your best life ever. Flex Week: Work from home up to 2 days/week (depending on your team's needs) Flex Day: Make your workday suit your life and plans. Flex-Location: Take up to 30 days a year to work from any location in the world. Employee Wellbeing: We have got you covered with our Employee Assistance Program (EAP), for you and your dependents 24/7, 365 days/year. We also offer Champion Health - a personalized platform that supports a range of wellbeing needs. Professional Development: At SITA, we believe growth fuels innovation. Our learning ecosystem offers access to world-class platforms and programs designed to help you thrive. From LinkedIn Learning, Microsoft's Enterprise Skills Initiative, and Airport Council International - available to all employees - to specialized solutions like Pluralsight for technology upskilling, Harvard Business Publishing for people leadership, Stanford for strategic development and many others, we align learning opportunities with your Development Plan and our business priorities. Your development journey is supported every step of the way. Competitive Benefits: Competitive benefits that make sense with both your local market and employment status. SITA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value a diverse workforce. In support of our Employment Equity Program, we encourage women, aboriginal people, members of visible minorities, and/or persons with disabilities to apply and self-identify in the application process.