RecordMove

Airport operations officer to airport chief executive

An airport operations officer already meets 48% of what the airport chief executive role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From airport operations officer

Partial match

To airport chief executive

17 You already bring

13 Still to learn

38 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

60.2/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what an airport chief executive is expected to do is already part of an airport operations officer’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 chief executive role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

An airport chief executive role treats 13 of its required skills as things an airport operations officer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

airport environmental regulations
airport operating environment
airport planning
identify airport safety hazards
implement airport emergency plans
implement improvements in airport operations

What stands in the way is 13 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 17 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An airport chief executive role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an airport operations officer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held prepare airport annual budget management skills
already held maintain inventory of airport operations information 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 17 carried skills, including the 13 the airport chief executive role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 21 missing skills fall into 9 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.

Skill to pick up Tier

01 communication, collaboration and creativity 4 required

still to learn direct airport subcontractors required
still to learn interact with airport stakeholders required
still to learn liaise with colleagues required
still to learn liaise with managers required

02 information skills 3 required, 2 supplementary

still to learn monitor airport service performance required
still to learn compile airport certification manuals required
still to learn report airport security incidents required

optional, not held conduct airport environmental studies optional
optional, not held manage airport vehicle licences optional

03 management skills 3 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn coordinate airport environmental policies required
still to learn create an airport master plan required
still to learn consider economic criteria in decision making required

optional, not held manage airport workshops optional

04 engineering, manufacturing and construction 2 required

still to learn airport electrical systems required
still to learn airport lighting equipment required

05 services 1 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn airport safety regulations required

optional, not held visual aid systems in airports optional

06 assisting and caring 1 supplementary

optional, not held comply with regulations on unpaved areas of airports optional

3 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries an airport chief executive role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 17 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held airport environmental regulations knowledge
already held airport operating environment knowledge
already held airport planning knowledge
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 prepare airport annual budget 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 airport standards and regulations skill
already held apply strategic thinking skill
already held maintain inventory of airport operations skill
already held plan event marketing for promotional campaigns skill

The 3 learning areas not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 supplementary

optional, not held ICT security standards optional

08 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 supplementary

optional, not held geostationary satellites optional

09 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 supplementary

optional, not held ensure functionality of airport lighting systems optional

8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held ICT security standards optional
optional, not held comply with regulations on unpaved areas of airports optional
optional, not held conduct airport environmental studies optional
optional, not held ensure functionality of airport lighting systems optional
optional, not held geostationary satellites optional
optional, not held manage airport vehicle licences optional
optional, not held manage airport workshops optional
optional, not held visual aid systems in airports optional

46 held skills the airport chief executive role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role address potential aerodrome hazards skill
not needed by the target role address problems critically skill
not needed by the target role adopt a relaxed posture skill
not needed by the target role air traffic control operations knowledge
not needed by the target role anticipate installation maintenance skill
not needed by the target role apply business acumen skill
not needed by the target role communicate verbal instructions skill
not needed by the target role comply with legal regulations skill
not needed by the target role comply with specifications of aerodrome manual skill
not needed by the target role comply with wildlife hazard management programmes skill
not needed by the target role conduct airport security screening skill
not needed by the target role conduct safe aircraft marshalling skill
not needed by the target role create solutions to problems skill
not needed by the target role dangers of marshalling activity knowledge
not needed by the target role ensure adherence to aerodrome procedures 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 execute working instructions skill
not needed by the target role follow ethical code of conduct in transport services skill
not needed by the target role have computer literacy skill
not needed by the target role have spatial awareness skill
not needed by the target role implement airside safety procedures skill
not needed by the target role implement airside vehicle control provisions 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 implement strategic management skill
not needed by the target role inspect airfield facilities skill
not needed by the target role inspect airside area facilities skill
not needed by the target role instructions of aerodrome operations knowledge
not needed by the target role investigate aircraft accidents skill
not needed by the target role leasing process knowledge
not needed by the target role listen actively skill
not needed by the target role maintain aerodrome equipment skill
not needed by the target role manage aircraft parking areas skill
not needed by the target role manage car park operations skill
not needed by the target role manage obstacle control skill
not needed by the target role manage removal of disabled aircraft skill
not needed by the target role mark differences in colours skill
not needed by the target role monitor aviation meteorology skill
not needed by the target role negotiate sales contracts skill

6 further entries not listed here

6 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier

still to learn airport electrical systems required
still to learn airport lighting equipment required
still to learn airport safety regulations required
optional, not held ICT security standards optional
optional, not held geostationary satellites optional
optional, not held visual aid systems in airports optional

Index

Other moves recorded from airport operations officer

Full index of moves from airport operations officer

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can an airport operations officer become an airport chief executive?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. An airport operations officer already covers 48% of what an airport chief executive is expected to do: 17 skills carry over, 13 of which the airport chief executive role treats as required.

What skills does an airport operations officer need to become an airport chief executive?

13 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is monitor airport service performance.

How hard is the move from airport operations officer to airport chief executive?

Its learning distance is 60.2 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

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.