Ground Services Manager

Key Responsibilities:

Team Leadership:

• Lead, mentor, and develop the ground operations team, fostering a positive culture of accountability, teamwork and continuous improvement.
• Provide guidance and support to the team members, ensuring they have the required resources and learning, training and development opportunities to perform their roles effectively.
• Foster a positive team culture by effective communication, empowerment of all team members to work independently and efficiently, recognizing and valuing their contributions and identify and resolve conflicts before they aggravate.

Stakeholder Management:

• Serve as the primary point of contact for the Novartis booking agents, providing personalized assistance and ensuring their needs are met before and after flights.
• Maintain strong communication channels with all JAPAT internal stakeholders to coordinate ground services and address any operational issues or concerns.
• Cooperation with the Nominated Person Flight Operations (NPFO) to liaise on all processes between both entities as well as with the Nominated Person Safety and Compliance (NPSC) for all safety related matters and to address non compliances and/or root cause analysis (CAPAs).

Vendor Coordination:

• Liaise with ground support vendors, including Fixed Base Operators (FBOs), fueling companies, and deicing providers, to ensure timely and efficient service delivery.

Pre-flight and Post-flight Operations:

• Oversee the JAPAT pre-flight and post-flight processes, to ensure a smooth and enjoyable travel experience for passengers and follow up on all service-related deviations (in close collaboration with the NPFO and the Cabin Attendant Manager).

Process Improvement:

• Identify opportunities for process improvement and implement strategies to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of ground service operations as well as develop and monitor metrics to measure the performance of ground services and identify areas for improvement.

Essential Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Aviation Management, Business Administration, or a related field

• Experience in aviation operations, with a strong understanding of ground handling procedures and regulations as well as aviation safety regulations and best practices

• Proven leadership experience, with the ability to effectively lead and develop a team of aviation professionals

• Excellent communication skills and ability to interact professionally with internal and external stakeholders at all levels

• Strong service mindset, with a focus on delivering exceptional customer service and ensuring passenger satisfaction paired with a can-do-attitude and effective problem-solving skills

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite and aviation-specific software systems

• Flexibility to work irregular hours, including evenings, weekends (as needed) and willingness to travel occasionally for training and professional development opportunities

• Proficiency in English (written and spoken), knowledge of German is a plus

Desirable Requirements:

• Business aviation and flight dispatch background

Why Novartis?

Our purpose is to reimagine medicine to improve and extend people’s lives and our vision is to become the most valued and trusted medicines company in the world. How can we achieve this? With our people. It is our associates that drive us each day to reach our ambitions. Be a part of this mission and join us! Learn more here: https://www.novartis.com/about/strategy/people-and-culture

You’ll receive:

You can find everything you need to know about our benefits and rewards in the Novartis Life Handbook. Thrive Together (novartis.com)

Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion:

Novartis is committed to building an outstanding, inclusive work environment and diverse teams representative of the patients and communities we serve.

Accessibility and accommodation

Novartis is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to all individuals. If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the recruitment process, or in order to receive more detailed information about the essential functions of a position, please send an e-mail to diversity.inclusion_ch@novartis.com and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Please include the job requisition number in your message.

Join our Novartis Network:

If this role is not suitable to your experience or career goals but you wish to stay connected to hear more about Novartis and our career opportunities, join the Novartis Network here: https://talentnetwork.novartis.com/network