AQUILA
Service Delivery Director
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About Aquila ATMS
At Aquila Air Traffic Management Services (ATMS), we are dedicated to creating a workplace where innovation, collaboration, and excellence thrives. As a joint venture between NATS and Thales, we combine the expertise of leading air traffic control services and global systems integration to deliver cutting-edge solutions in air traffic management.
Join us in shaping the future of air traffic management, and together, we will elevate aviation safety and efficiency worldwide!
The Role
We are looking for a Service Delivery Director to join our team on a permanent basis. This role provides an opportunity to contribute to the organisation’s goals and support the work of the wider team. In this position, you will help deliver key activities that support effective operations, continuous improvement, and positive outcomes for customers, colleagues, and stakeholders.
Your core responsibilities will include:
- Operating as a member of the Aquila Executive Team, contributing to organisation-wide strategy, governance, risk management and business planning.
- Leading Aquila's Service Delivery Directorate and ensuring delivery of contractual commitments, service levels and operational performance.
- Providing leadership for a large, geographically dispersed engineering and service workforce.
- Building and maintaining trusted relationships with MOD, defence and civil customers, suppliers and shareholders.
- Driving operational excellence through robust performance management, risk oversight and continuous improvement.
- Ensuring the highest standards of safety, quality, compliance and assurance.
- Shaping strategic plans, investment priorities and operational capability for the future.
- Sponsoring transformation initiatives, new technologies and AI-enabled ways of working that improve efficiency and customer outcomes.
- Developing capability, succession and talent across the Directorate while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
This is a hands-on role where you’ll contribute to meaningful work and play a part in helping the organisation achieve its objectives.
About You
You’re a Service Delivery professional who contributes positively to your team and the wider organisation. You work collaboratively, adapt to different situations, and bring sound judgement to your work. You communicate clearly, build effective working relationships, and approach challenges with a practical, solutions-focused mindset.
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To be successful in this role, you’ll bring:
- Experience in senior leadership roles, with the ability to set strategic direction, lead large and diverse teams and deliver operational performance in a complex, regulated or safety related environment.
- Knowledge of service delivery management, operational performance, contract delivery, safety assurance and customer relationship management within a regulated or safety related environment.
- Experience in leading geographically dispersed engineering, operational or technical service teams and managing complex contractual service arrangements.
- The ability to build high-performing teams, influence senior stakeholders, resolve complex issues, manage risk and deliver sustainable performance improvement.
You also:
- Promote Aquila’s Just Culture, reporting incidents, safety non compliance, or potential issues in an appropriate and timely manner.
- Consistently demonstrate behaviours aligned with Aquila’s core values and leadership behaviours in all actions and decisions.
What We're Looking For
Essential Criteria
- Senior leadership experience in service operations or field service engineering in a safety-focused, asset-intensive industry, such as aviation, critical national infrastructure or public utilities.
- Proven ability of delivering contractual performance, service level commitments and operational excellence within a regulated or safety-related organisation.
- Strong stakeholder management skills with experience engaging executive teams, Boards, customers, suppliers and strategic partners.
- Ability to lead organisational transformation, continuous improvement and technology-enabled change while maintaining operational resilience and customer confidence.
- Experience operating at Executive Team level, contributing to strategy, governance, business planning and risk management.
- Demonstrable willingness and ability to engage at all levels of the organisation, taking a hands-on, practical approach when required to unblock issues, support colleagues and ensure outcomes are delivered.
Desirable Criteria
- Experience leading large-scale service transformation programmes involving digital technologies, automation, data-driven decision making and AI-enabled ways of working.
- Degree-level qualification (or equivalent professional experience) in engineering, operations, business management or a related discipline.
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If you don’t meet every requirement but feel you have relevant experience, we’d still like to hear from you.
Benefits
Core Benefits
- 201 hours (approx. 27 days) annual leave + 1 Company Day to be used at Christmas (Excluding Bank Holidays) - Prorated for part time contracts
- Time off to volunteer (up to 3 days per annum)
- Company Pension Plan (Aquila contribution = employee contribution + 1%, up to 7%)
- Life Assurance (2x basic salary or up to 8x if in the pension scheme)
- Income Protection
- Employee Assistance Programme with 24/7 support and counselling
- Company paid Private Medical Insurance (Couple cover)
- Variable Compensation Plan (discretionary bonus)
- Employee Assistance Programme
Flexible Benefits
Through Aquila’s flexible benefits platform, you can tailor your package, including:
- Healthcare Cash Plan options
- Additional PMI cover
- Buy or sell annual leave
- Cycle to Work scheme
- Discounts at high street retailers
Family, Wellbeing & Lifestyle
- Enhanced Maternity pay
- Enhanced Paternity leave & pay
- Enhanced Occupational Sick pay
- Mental Health First Aiders
- Recognition through Altair Award
- Employee referral bonus
Security Clearance Statement
Due to the nature of the work that we do, many of our roles are subject to security restrictions. This role requires you to be a UK National and achieve Security Clearance (SC) without any caveats. It would be advantageous if currently held, however, if not currently held, it is a requirement that the successful applicant undergo, achieve, and maintain SC Clearance prior to commencing employment. If approved by the MOD, a dual national from a Non-ITAR country may be considered. Please visit the UKSV website for further guidance - United Kingdom Security Vetting – GOV.UK.
Equal Opportunities, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Aquila ATMS is an equal opportunities employer committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. Applications are welcomed from suitably qualified candidates from all backgrounds. Employment decisions are made fairly and without discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, marriage or civil partnership, or any other characteristic protected by law.
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