Director of Operations - Commercial Aviation Training (CAT)

United KingdomOn-site

Responsibilities

Ensure operational readiness to meet current demand—and scale for future training growth.
Drive accountability for performance against EMEA Operations KPIs and success metrics.
Deliver CAPEX allocation for facilities, equipment, and upgrades—ensuring investment is targeted and value-driven.
Optimise asset positioning to maximise utilisation, customer satisfaction, and financial return.
Build robust business cases for capital investments and infrastructure initiatives.
Ensure assets meet or exceed reliability and quality targets; act quickly where performance falls short.
Ensure IT and business systems meet operational needs and align with group strategy.
Ensure wet training delivery meets all regulatory
Build capability, engagement, and succession across operational disciplines.
Champion a strong safety, quality, and continuous improvement culture.
Promote cross-regional collaboration to break down operational silos and share best practices.
Ensure compliance with health and safety, regulatory, legal, and quality standards.

Partner with Sales Leadership on go-to-market priorities and maintain strong relationships with key customer stakeholders.
experience in aviation, training, engineering, or other asset-intensive environments. Strong strategic planning and execution skills, with a track record of delivering results at pace. Proven
experience managing complex supplier ecosystems and high-value capital assets.
Experience in regulated training and/or other safety-critical environments.
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Business, or a related discipline (or equivalent experience).
Advanced or postgraduate qualification is desirable. *

Qualifications 10+ years leading multi-disciplinary teams, with senior operations leadership

We’re seeking a Director of Operations – EMEA to lead the region’s operational strategy and day-to-day execution—building the infrastructure, systems, and teams that enable safe, compliant, and profitable growth.
You’ll oversee core operational functions across our training centres, including training delivery support, asset reliability and lifecycle strategy, supplier management and procurement, IT/business systems, sales strategy support, and talent development.
Working closely with regional and global leaders, you’ll turn growth plans into scalable, high-performing operations that deliver an exceptional customer experience.
Key accountabilities Operational strategy and execution Define and deliver the EMEA operations strategy aligned to business growth plans and global standards.
Embed scalable processes, systems, and governance across the region.
Asset and infrastructure management Own the regional asset strategy for simulators and training devices (acquisition, deployment, upgrades, relocation, and lifecycle optimisation).
Service delivery and performance Enable consistent, high-quality service delivery for internal stakeholders and customers.
Partner with Commercial and Training Centre leaders to identify and deliver growth opportunities.
requirements and supports both current courseware and future development.
People leadership Lead and develop a high-performing regional operations leadership team.