Strategic Capacity Manager

Description

Please note that this role does not meet Home Office criteria for Heathrow to offer visa sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route. Applicants must already hold the right to work in the UK.

Please note that Heathrow would consider sponsoring a Skilled Worker visa for a successful candidate from outside the UK for this role. 

This role will require both leadership and technical capability; a highly knowledgeable senior manager in the aviation business, this person will have responsibility for Heathrow’s capacity baseline. 

The capacity team acts as the guardian of the Heathrow capacity plan and is the source and centre of excellence for all Heathrow’s capacity planning. This role provides functional leadership in the assessment of current capacity at Heathrow and determining the capacity requirements to meet forecast demand across all areas of the business in various strategic scenarios. The role works in collaboration with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders often at a senior level including, but not limited to, Airport Operations, Forecasting, Masterplanning, Finance, Sustainability, Airline Business Development internally; and externally with Shareholders, Airlines, Handlers and other Airports to drive optimal utilisation of capacity at Heathrow and therefore supporting and assuring business and operational plans. 

The role focuses on longer-term strategic capacity planning; supporting business case and investment case development and assurance of operational plans.

Responsibilities

• • Define and analyse airport operations to understand current and future capacity needs.
  • Interpret forecasts and flight schedules to identify infrastructure and process requirements.
  • Deliver the annual Demand & Capacity Review and present outcomes to senior leaders.
  • Ensure clear understanding of capacity issues across Heathrow’s operational and asset areas.
  • Collaborate with internal teams and external stakeholders to shape effective business solutions.
  • Lead communication of findings, recommendations and influence decision‑making.
  • Manage third‑party contracts (consultants, surveys, IT modelling systems) up to ~£250k per year.
  • Brief, manage and coordinate consultant work to ensure quality outputs.
  • Define and maintain Heathrow capacity planning standards with stakeholder alignment.
  • Provide assurance across capacity‑related programmes, including analysis and design challenge.
  • Lead and develop a team of analysts to enhance Heathrow’s modelling capability.
  • Drive new tools and methods to improve quality and cost‑effectiveness.
  • Promote the value of analytical capacity work internally and externally, including conferences.
  • Champion consistent use of data and assumptions and ensure team access to Heathrow datasets.

Qualifications

• Educated to Degree or Masters
• Highly Numerate
• Experience of leading people and projects in a customer focused environment
• Strong communication, with a broad range of people, at different levels