Senior Manager Crew Planning (United Arab Emirates) Abu Dhabi

Requirements

Requires a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and at least 10 years of experience in airline crew planning, including 5 years in a leadership role. Proficiency in Jeppesen Roster Optimizer and a deep understanding of aviation regulatory frameworks are essential.

Job Summary

Job Description
At Etihad, our people are at the heart of delivering safe, reliable, and world-class operations. As Senior Manager Crew Planning, you will provide strategic leadership for the planning and optimisation of pilot and cabin crew resources, ensuring our roster and leave planning frameworks support safe, compliant, fatigue-aware, and cost-effective airline operations.
Leading high-performing planning teams through subordinate managers, you will shape the future of crew planning by developing innovative planning strategies, driving continuous optimisation, and leveraging technology to enhance both operational performance and crew experience. Working closely with operational leaders across the business, you will balance safety, regulatory compliance, productivity, operational resilience, and crew wellbeing while delivering industry-leading planning capability that supports one of the world’s fastest-growing airlines.
Accountabilities
Lead the strategic direction of pilot and cabin crew roster and leave planning, ensuring safe, compliant, efficient, and operationally resilient planning outcomes across the airline.
Define, govern, and continuously enhance crew planning standards, methodologies, optimisation frameworks, and planning policies that improve planning quality while balancing operational efficiency and crew wellbeing.
Provide strategic oversight of the Jeppesen Roster Optimizer, ensuring effective system governance, configuration, optimisation, change control, and continuous enhancement of the airline’s core crew planning platform.
Ensure full compliance with GCAA regulatory requirements while embedding Fatigue Risk Management (FRMS) principles into roster construction, planning methodologies, and operational decision-making.
Lead, develop, and build capability across the Crew Planning management team, fostering strong leadership, succession planning, accountability, and consistent planning standards across multiple teams.
Partner with stakeholders across Crew Resources, Flight Operations, Safety, and other business functions to translate strategic, operational, and regulatory requirements into effective crew planning frameworks and optimisation strategies.
Act as the organisation’s senior subject matter expert for crew planning, representing the function across the business and providing strategic guidance on roster optimisation, planning methodologies, regulatory compliance, and operational best practice.
Drive innovation and continuous improvement through industry benchmarking, emerging technologies, data-driven analysis, and optimisation initiatives that enhance crew wellbeing, operational performance, productivity, and planning capability.
Communicate complex planning strategies, optimisation concepts, and system capabilities clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences, influencing senior stakeholders and building understanding across diverse operational groups.
Balance safety, regulatory compliance, operational delivery, productivity, commercial priorities, and crew wellbeing by leading strategic planning decisions, negotiating effective outcomes, and ensuring planning solutions deliver sustainable value for both the business and its people.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Operations Management, Engineering, Business, or a related discipline. A postgraduate qualification is preferred.
Minimum of 10 years’ experience within airline crew planning, rostering, or airline operations.
Minimum of 5 years’ experience leading airline crew planning teams, including managing managers and delivering results through multi-layered leadership structures.
Advanced knowledge of airline crew resource planning, roster optimisation principles, workforce planning methodologies, and enterprise crew planning systems, including Jeppesen Roster Optimizer or equivalent.
Strong understanding of GCAA or equivalent regulatory frameworks, Fatigue Risk Management Systems (FRMS), human performance principles, and airline industry best practices.
Demonstrated experience leading pilot and/or cabin crew planning functions, developing planning strategies, delivering system enhancements, optimisation initiatives, and measurable productivity improvements within a complex airline environment.
System training in Jeppesen Roster Optimizer or an equivalent enterprise crew planning platform.
Fatigue Risk Management/Human Factors training and leadership development qualifications are desirable.
Additional Information
Etihad Airways is more than the UAE’s national airline – we’re shaping the future of global aviation. From our hub in Abu Dhabi, we connect people across continents and cultures, while driving our “Journey 2030” ambition to double our fleet, expand our network and grow our people for a new era of excellence. Join us and become part of a vision where the world is your workplace and extraordinary experiences take flight.
To learn more visit www.etihad.com
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Division: Operations & Guest Experience

Responsibilities

Lead the strategic direction and optimization of pilot and cabin crew roster and leave planning to ensure safe and cost-effective operations. Oversee the Jeppesen Roster Optimizer and ensure full compliance with GCAA regulatory requirements and fatigue risk management principles.

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