Airport chief executive to airport director
An airport chief executive already meets 55% of what the airport director role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
48.3/ 100
1 How much of what an airport director is expected to do is already part of an airport chief executive’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the airport director role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An airport director role treats 12 of its required skills as things an airport chief executive already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- airport environmental regulations
- airport operating environment
- apply airport standards and regulations
- identify airport safety hazards
- implement improvements in airport operations
- maintain inventory of airport operations
What stands in the way is 10 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 16 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An airport director role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an airport chief executive background worth leading with.
- already held maintain inventory of airport operations information skills
- already held prepare airport annual budget management skills
- already held supervise maintenance activities in airports management skills
- already held implement airport emergency plans communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held implement improvements in airport operations communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held provide assistance to airport users communication, collaboration and creativity
All 16 carried skills, including the 12 the airport director role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 13 missing skills fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn negotiate sales contracts required
- still to learn work in an aviation team required
- still to learn build business relationships required
- still to learn create solutions to problems required
- still to learn ensure client orientation required
- still to learn implement strategic management required
- optional, not held implement sales strategies optional
- optional, not held implement marketing strategies optional
- still to learn ensure public safety and security required
- still to learn follow ethical code of conduct in transport services required
- still to learn comply with legal regulations required
- still to learn have computer literacy required
- optional, not held apply business acumen optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an airport director role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 ensure public safety and security practise this
- 02 follow ethical code of conduct in transport services practise this
- 03 negotiate sales contracts practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 16 skills that carry over
- already held airport environmental regulations knowledge
- already held airport operating environment knowledge
- already held apply airport standards and regulations skill
- already held identify airport safety hazards skill
- already held implement improvements in airport operations skill
- already held maintain inventory of airport operations skill
- already held manage staff skill
- already held provide assistance to airport users skill
- already held show diplomacy skill
- already held supervise maintenance activities in airports skill
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held write work-related reports skill
- already held apply strategic thinking skill
- already held implement airport emergency plans skill
- already held plan event marketing for promotional campaigns skill
- already held prepare airport annual budget skill
3 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held implement sales strategies optional
- optional, not held apply business acumen optional
- optional, not held implement marketing strategies optional
22 held skills the airport director role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role ICT security standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role airport electrical systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role airport lighting equipment knowledge
- not needed by the target role airport planning knowledge
- not needed by the target role airport safety regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role compile airport certification manuals skill
- not needed by the target role comply with regulations on unpaved areas of airports skill
- not needed by the target role conduct airport environmental studies skill
- not needed by the target role consider economic criteria in decision making skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate airport environmental policies skill
- not needed by the target role create an airport master plan skill
- not needed by the target role direct airport subcontractors skill
- not needed by the target role ensure functionality of airport lighting systems skill
- not needed by the target role geostationary satellites knowledge
- not needed by the target role interact with airport stakeholders skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with colleagues skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with managers skill
- not needed by the target role manage airport vehicle licences skill
- not needed by the target role manage airport workshops skill
- not needed by the target role monitor airport service performance skill
- not needed by the target role report airport security incidents skill
- not needed by the target role visual aid systems in airports knowledge
Common questions about this move
Can an airport chief executive become an airport director?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An airport chief executive already covers 55% of what an airport director is expected to do: 16 skills carry over, 12 of which the airport director role treats as required.
What skills does an airport chief executive need to become an airport director?
10 required skills are missing, plus 3 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is ensure public safety and security.
How hard is the move from airport chief executive to airport director?
Its learning distance is 48.3 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.