ACP Programme Manager

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The ACP Programme Manager will be responsible for planning, coordinating and overseeing the delivery of ANSL's support to Edinburgh Airport's Airspace Change Proposal (ACP), undertaken in accordance with the UK CAA CAP1616 process. The role will provide structured programme leadership across multiple concurrent operational, engineering, documentation and human factors workstreams required to define, assure and implement proposed airspace and procedure changes.

Working closely with Edinburgh Airport Limited and external stakeholders (including NATS, regulators and specialist suppliers), the Programme Manager will establish and maintain robust governance, planning, risk and assurance controls to ensure that all exploratory, preparatory and delivery activities are coordinated, compliant and aligned to the master programme. The postholder will act as the central point of integration across subject matter experts, ensuring that operational readiness, safety assurance, training, engineering change, and documentation updates are delivered in a controlled and auditable manner.

This is a part-time role, delivered on an approximately 2.5 days per week basis, requiring strong prioritisation, autonomy and efficient coordination of stakeholders to ensure progress is maintained within the available capacity. The role does not require detailed technical air traffic control design expertise; however, knowledge of the aviation or air navigation services environment, airspace change programmes, safety management systems and regulated operational change is highly desirable. Strong programme governance, stakeholder management and cross-functional coordination skills are essential.

Responsibilities

Programme Governance and Control

• Establish and maintain the integrated programme plan and schedule across all ACP workstreams through to implementation (target Q1 2029).
• Manage planning, budget oversight, risk and issue registers, dependencies, and change control in accordance with ANSL governance standards.
• Provide regular progress, status and risk reporting to Edinburgh Airport Limited and ANSL leadership.
• Coordinate bi-weekly or agreed programme meetings with stakeholders and maintain clear decision and action tracking.

Stakeholder and Supplier Coordination

• Act as the primary coordination point between ANSL, Edinburgh Airport Limited, NATS, regulators, engineering teams and third-party consultants.
• Facilitate workshops, reviews and stakeholder engagements to support design validation, safety assurance and operational readiness.
• Liaise with internal and external subject matter experts to ensure consistent understanding of scope, priorities and delivery expectations.

Air Traffic Control Operations Support

• Coordinate operational inputs into system definition, procedure design and safety activities.
• Support simulator exercises, design reviews and regulator engagement activities.
• Oversee definition of requirements for simulator changes, equipment upgrades and operational readiness.
• Support testing, gap analysis and validation of CONOPs and capacity assumptions.
• Ensure RNAV Final Approach Implementation is delivered ahead of the wider airspace change programme.

Engineering and Technical Change Coordination

• Coordinate identification and definition of required system and asset changes across engineering domains.
• Oversee supplier engagement strategies and track safety case development and assurance artefacts.
• Support development of asset replacement and simulator upgrade plans aligned to ACP requirements.

Documentation and Compliance

• Manage the review and update of all affected operational and regulatory documentation, including AIP, MATS Part 2, local procedures, safety cases, licences and training materials.
• Ensure documentation updates are complete, traceable and aligned to regulatory submission timelines.

Human Factors and Training

• Oversee the human factors management of change activities, including assessment of current and future operational models.
• Coordinate training strategy development, tool selection, and procurement of specialist consultancy support where required.
• Ensure Unit Competency Scheme updates and training preparedness activities are delivered prior to operational transition.

General

• Ensure compliance with ANSL Safety Management System and quality processes.
• Maintain comprehensive documentation and audit trails across all programme activities.
• Proactively identify and mitigate risks to safety, schedule and operational performance.
• Support forward planning and definition of scope for future years of the ACP programme

Skills and Experience Required

• Educated to degree level or equivalent.
• Prince 2 Practitioner, Agile, PMP, Six Sigma qualified or equivalent.
• Formal training or certification in programme management (e.g., MSP or equivalent) is desirable.
• Awareness or training in aviation safety management systems (SMS) or safety assurance methodologies is desirable.
• Human Factors or operational change management training is desirable.
• Significant PM experience in an aviation or engineering environment
• Solid technical background with experience managing complex multi-functional projects.
• Experience of working within a highly regulated industry is desirable.
• Knowledge of the aviation and air traffic industry is desirable.
• Experience delivering programmes within an ANSP, airport, ATM/ATC technology or airspace change environment is highly desirable.
• Experience coordinating multiple concurrent workstreams and subject matter experts in a matrix organisation.
• Experience managing supplier and third-party delivery performance against contractual commitments and acceptance criteria.
• Experience supporting operational or safety-critical system transitions into live service (e.g., cutovers, trials, shadow operations, or regulatory approvals).
• Experience working with regulators or certification bodies and supporting assurance or compliance submissions.
• Experience planning and delivering change affecting operational staff, including training or human factors considerations.

Competencies

• Highly competent communicator including written communications.
• Strong influencing skills, capable of working with and challenging internal and external senior managers and directors.
• Experience producing monthly reports relating to project deliverables
• Experience developing stakeholder relationships.
• Pro-active approach, able to identify areas of need and to manage outputs.
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail being able to work under pressure to deadlines and prioritize activities.
• Experience to include interpretation of contracts, implementation of project controls, contract correspondence and close out of projects.
• Experience in programme creation, analysis, interpretation and reporting.
• A strong analyst able to quickly identify priorities in complex situations.
• Strong IT skills.
• Confident with ability to influence and persuade customers.
• Self-motivated with the ability to take ownership to work autonomously and use own initiative.
• Good understanding of commercial principles and their relevance to the respective tasks and projects.
• Demonstrates strong safety mindset and appreciation of risk management within safety-critical operational environments.
• Able to translate technical and regulatory requirements into clear, actionable plans for non-technical stakeholders.
• Comfortable facilitating workshops and cross-discipline reviews with operational, engineering and regulatory participants.
• Skilled at prioritising and focusing effort within a part-time or resource-constrained delivery model.
• Resilient and pragmatic, with the ability to manage ambiguity and evolving regulatory or operational requirements.
• Maintains accurate documentation and audit trails suitable for assurance and regulatory scrutiny.