Airport director to airport planning engineer
An airport director already meets 36% of what the airport planning engineer role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
65.4/ 100
1 How much of what an airport planning engineer 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 planning engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An airport planning engineer role treats 7 of its required skills as things an airport director already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply airport standards and regulations
- comply with legal regulations
- have computer literacy
- implement strategic management
- use different communication channels
- work in an aviation team
What stands in the way is 12 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 9 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An airport planning engineer 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 airport environmental regulations engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held implement strategic management communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held identify airport safety hazards information skills
- already held apply airport standards and regulations assisting and caring
- already held work in an aviation team communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held comply with legal regulations assisting and caring
All 9 carried skills, including the 7 the airport planning engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 17 missing skills fall into 5 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 direct airport subcontractors required
- still to learn interact with airport stakeholders required
- still to learn compare contractors' bids required
- still to learn design customised maps required
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- optional, not held promote environmental awareness optional
- still to learn monitor aviation growth trends required
- still to learn compile airport certification manuals required
- still to learn execute feasibility study required
- optional, not held conduct airport environmental studies optional
- still to learn create an airport master plan required
- still to learn manage airport development resources required
- still to learn manage budgets required
- optional, not held create a work atmosphere of continuous improvement optional
- still to learn geological factors in airport construction required
- still to learn land use for airport planning required
- optional, not held utilise computer-aided software engineering tools optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an airport planning engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 geological factors in airport construction study this
- 02 land use for airport planning study this
- 03 monitor aviation growth trends 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 9 skills that carry over
- already held apply airport standards and regulations skill
- already held comply with legal regulations skill
- already held have computer literacy skill
- already held implement strategic management skill
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held work in an aviation team skill
- already held write work-related reports skill
- already held airport environmental regulations knowledge
- already held identify airport safety hazards skill
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held conduct airport environmental studies optional
- optional, not held utilise computer-aided software engineering tools optional
- optional, not held create a work atmosphere of continuous improvement optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- optional, not held promote environmental awareness optional
20 held skills the airport planning engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role airport operating environment knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply business acumen skill
- not needed by the target role apply strategic thinking skill
- not needed by the target role build business relationships skill
- not needed by the target role create solutions to problems skill
- not needed by the target role ensure client orientation skill
- not needed by the target role ensure public safety and security skill
- not needed by the target role follow ethical code of conduct in transport services skill
- not needed by the target role implement airport emergency plans skill
- not needed by the target role implement improvements in airport operations skill
- not needed by the target role implement marketing strategies skill
- not needed by the target role implement sales strategies skill
- not needed by the target role maintain inventory of airport operations skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate sales contracts skill
- not needed by the target role plan event marketing for promotional campaigns skill
- not needed by the target role prepare airport annual budget skill
- not needed by the target role provide assistance to airport users skill
- not needed by the target role show diplomacy skill
- not needed by the target role supervise maintenance activities in airports skill
2 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 geological factors in airport construction required
- still to learn land use for airport planning required
Common questions about this move
Can an airport director become an airport planning engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An airport director already covers 36% of what an airport planning engineer is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 7 of which the airport planning engineer role treats as required.
What skills does an airport director need to become an airport planning engineer?
12 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is geological factors in airport construction.
How hard is the move from airport director to airport planning engineer?
Its learning distance is 65.4 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.