Airport director to airport operations officer
An airport director already meets 34% of what the airport operations officer role asks for. The move turns on 27 required skills not yet in the profile.
76.3/ 100
1 How much of what an airport operations officer is expected to do is already part of an airport director’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 operations officer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An airport operations officer role treats 9 of its required skills as things an airport director already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- airport environmental regulations
- apply airport standards and regulations
- create solutions to problems
- identify airport safety hazards
- implement airport emergency plans
- implement improvements in airport operations
What stands in the way is 27 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 28 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An airport operations officer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an airport director background worth leading with.
- already held maintain inventory of airport operations information skills
- already held prepare airport annual budget management skills
- already held implement airport emergency plans communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held supervise maintenance activities in airports management skills
- already held implement improvements in airport operations communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held provide assistance to airport users communication, collaboration and creativity
All 28 carried skills, including the 9 the airport operations officer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 35 missing skills fall into 10 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 inspect airfield facilities required
- still to learn inspect airside area facilities required
- still to learn manage obstacle control required
- still to learn investigate aircraft accidents required
- still to learn manage car park operations required
- still to learn supervise security at manned access gates required
- still to learn monitor aviation meteorology required
- still to learn perform risk analysis required
- optional, not held have spatial awareness optional
- still to learn conduct safe aircraft marshalling required
- still to learn address potential aerodrome hazards required
- still to learn comply with specifications of aerodrome manual required
- still to learn comply with wildlife hazard management programmes required
- still to learn conduct airport security screening required
- still to learn ensure adherence to aerodrome procedures required
- still to learn implement airside safety procedures required
- still to learn implement airside vehicle control provisions required
- still to learn prepare notices to airmen for pilots required
- still to learn communicate verbal instructions required
- still to learn execute working instructions required
- optional, not held adopt a relaxed posture optional
- optional, not held address problems critically optional
- optional, not held listen actively optional
- still to learn manage aircraft parking areas required
- still to learn manage removal of disabled aircraft required
- still to learn anticipate installation maintenance required
- optional, not held tolerate stress optional
- still to learn instructions of aerodrome operations required
- still to learn dangers of marshalling activity required
- optional, not held air traffic control operations optional
- still to learn maintain aerodrome equipment required
4 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an airport operations officer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 conduct safe aircraft marshalling practise this
- 02 implement airside vehicle control provisions practise this
- 03 inspect airfield facilities 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 28 skills that carry over
- already held airport environmental regulations knowledge
- already held apply airport standards and regulations skill
- already held create solutions to problems skill
- already held identify airport safety hazards skill
- already held implement airport emergency plans skill
- already held implement improvements in airport operations skill
- already held manage staff skill
- already held provide assistance to airport users skill
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held airport operating environment knowledge
- already held apply business acumen skill
- already held apply strategic thinking skill
- already held comply with legal regulations skill
- already held ensure client orientation skill
- already held ensure public safety and security skill
- already held follow ethical code of conduct in transport services skill
- already held have computer literacy skill
- already held implement marketing strategies skill
- already held implement sales strategies skill
- already held implement strategic management skill
- already held maintain inventory of airport operations skill
- already held negotiate sales contracts skill
- already held plan event marketing for promotional campaigns skill
- already held prepare airport annual budget skill
- already held show diplomacy skill
- already held supervise maintenance activities in airports skill
- already held work in an aviation team skill
- already held write work-related reports skill
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn airport planning required
- still to learn operate radio equipment required
- optional, not held leasing process optional
- optional, not held mark differences in colours optional
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held adopt a relaxed posture optional
- optional, not held air traffic control operations optional
- optional, not held tolerate stress optional
- optional, not held address problems critically optional
- optional, not held have spatial awareness optional
- optional, not held leasing process optional
- optional, not held listen actively optional
- optional, not held mark differences in colours optional
1 held skills the airport operations officer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role build business relationships skill
5 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn instructions of aerodrome operations required
- still to learn airport planning required
- still to learn dangers of marshalling activity required
- optional, not held air traffic control operations optional
- optional, not held leasing process optional
Common questions about this move
Can an airport director become an airport operations officer?
Yes, and it is a career change move. An airport director already covers 34% of what an airport operations officer is expected to do: 28 skills carry over, 9 of which the airport operations officer role treats as required.
What skills does an airport director need to become an airport operations officer?
27 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is conduct safe aircraft marshalling.
How hard is the move from airport director to airport operations officer?
Its learning distance is 76.3 out of 100, which is the career change 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.