Senior Manager Network Development in Reading

WELCOME TO SITA At SITA, we keep airports moving, airlines flying smoothly, and borders open. Our technology and communication innovations power the success of the global air travel industry. You’ll find us in 95% of international airports, working closely with over 2,500 transportation and government clients. Each partnership brings unique challenges, and we thrive on delivering fresh solutions and cutting‑edge tech to keep operations running like clockwork. We’re proud to be recognized as a Great Place to Work® by 79% of our employees and certified in most of our growing locations. Here, we feel empowered, supported, and inspired to grow. Are you ready to love your job? The adventure begins right here, with you, at SITA.

About The Role & Team At the heart of SITA's expertise, the Network Engineering team of the Communication & Data Exchange department develops, maintains and supports SITA’s network SD‑WAN and WAN backbone infrastructure solutions. We’re looking for a Network team manager to keep enhancing our exceptional service level. You have both technical network skills and strong people and managerial skills, giving you the ability to lead your team with a shared vision, provide clear work organization, and keep control of your projects’ progress and risks. Reporting to the T&E CDE portfolio CTO, you will be part of the T&E CDE management team which is in charge of developing solutions for the CDE portfolio. This role may require occasional travel to ensure alignment and effective communication with stakeholders.

What You’ll Do

• Prepare the future of SITA networks, ensuring the use of efficient and modern technology.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to gather requirements and define project scope and timeline, providing regular updates and gathering feedback for continuous improvement.
• Lead the engineering budgeting, planning, execution, and delivery of the portfolio, managing projects and ensuring they align with strategic goals.
• Monitor project progress, identifying and addressing issues or risks to keep the project on track.
• Foster a collaborative environment by coordinating cross‑functional team engineers (WAN, SD‑WAN, SSE…).
• Implement and promote best practices in Agile methodologies and a DevOps mindset (e.g. CI / CD, automation).
• Ensure thorough quality assurance processes are in place to meet product standards and customer expectations.
• Ensure proper life cycle of current solutions and address technical debt.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive documentation for all project phases, ensuring knowledge transfer and continuity.
• Manage performance, develop talent and keep skilled staff motivated.
• Lead, mentor and coach your team members to foster knowledge sharing, growth, learning, accountability and team spirit.
• Report on the progress of the network portfolio initiatives and projects.
• Act as product owner for your area, manage a backlog and prioritise initiatives to improve key metrics.
• Lead and manage selection and maintenance of infrastructure vendors and partners to support the organization's goals.
• Respect SITA’s methodologies, standards, practices, policies and culture.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or equivalent preferably in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics or similar.
• At least 10 years of experience in a Network and Security Engineering environment.
• Technical skills on: Networks, SD‑WAN, Network Security and Software‑defined networks.
• Ability to define high‑level designs for significant systems & applications with inputs from relevant experts.
• Proven experience in project management.
• Proven experience in people management.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, capable of engaging with diverse stakeholders.
• Proven experience in product management.
• Ability to think critically and strategically, balancing technical and business needs effectively.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining high‑quality standards.
• Strong organisational skills, with a focus on detail and results‑driven outcomes.

NICE‑TO‑HAVE

• Certifications in project management (e.g. PMP, Agile) or relevant technical areas.
• Experience with WAN, SD‑WAN and Network Security providers.
• Knowledge of DevOps practices and cloud technologies (e.g. Azure).

What We Offer We operate in 200 countries and speak 60 different languages and cultures. We’re proud of our inclusive environment. 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 personalised 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 programmes designed to help you thrive. From LinkedIn Learning, Microsoft’s Enterprise Skills Initiative, and Airport Council International to specialised solutions like Pluralsight for tech 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. 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.