Airport planning engineer to airport chief executive
An airport planning engineer already meets 29% of what the airport chief executive role asks for. The move turns on 18 required skills not yet in the profile.
75.3/ 100
1 How much of what an airport chief executive is expected to do is already part of an airport planning engineer’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 this move works
An airport chief executive role treats 8 of its required skills as things an airport planning engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- airport environmental regulations
- compile airport certification manuals
- create an airport master plan
- direct airport subcontractors
- identify airport safety hazards
- interact with airport stakeholders
What stands in the way is 18 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 10 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 planning engineer background worth leading with.
- already held compile airport certification manuals information skills
- already held create an airport master plan management skills
- already held direct airport subcontractors communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held conduct airport environmental studies information skills
- already held interact with airport stakeholders communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held airport environmental regulations engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 10 carried skills, including the 8 the airport chief executive role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 28 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 implement airport emergency plans required
- still to learn implement improvements in airport operations required
- still to learn provide assistance to airport users required
- still to learn liaise with colleagues required
- still to learn liaise with managers required
- still to learn show diplomacy required
- still to learn coordinate airport environmental policies required
- still to learn prepare airport annual budget required
- still to learn supervise maintenance activities in airports required
- still to learn consider economic criteria in decision making required
- still to learn manage staff required
- optional, not held manage airport workshops optional
- optional, not held apply strategic thinking optional
- optional, not held plan event marketing for promotional campaigns optional
- still to learn airport electrical systems required
- still to learn airport lighting equipment required
- still to learn airport planning required
- still to learn monitor airport service performance required
- still to learn report airport security incidents required
- optional, not held maintain inventory of airport operations optional
- optional, not held manage airport vehicle licences optional
- still to learn airport safety regulations required
- optional, not held visual aid systems in airports optional
- still to learn airport operating environment required
4 further areas in the appendix
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.
- 01 monitor airport service performance practise this
- 02 airport electrical systems study this
- 03 airport lighting equipment study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 10 skills that carry over
- already held airport environmental regulations knowledge
- already held compile airport certification manuals skill
- already held create an airport master plan skill
- already held direct airport subcontractors skill
- already held identify airport safety hazards skill
- already held interact with airport stakeholders 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 conduct airport environmental studies skill
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held comply with regulations on unpaved areas of airports optional
- optional, not held ICT security standards optional
- optional, not held geostationary satellites optional
- optional, not held ensure functionality of airport lighting systems optional
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held ICT security standards optional
- optional, not held comply with regulations on unpaved areas of airports optional
- optional, not held ensure functionality of airport lighting systems optional
- optional, not held geostationary satellites optional
- optional, not held maintain inventory of airport operations 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
- optional, not held apply strategic thinking optional
- optional, not held plan event marketing for promotional campaigns optional
16 held skills the airport chief executive role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role compare contractors' bids skill
- not needed by the target role comply with legal regulations skill
- not needed by the target role create a work atmosphere of continuous improvement skill
- not needed by the target role design customised maps skill
- not needed by the target role execute feasibility study skill
- not needed by the target role geological factors in airport construction knowledge
- not needed by the target role have computer literacy skill
- not needed by the target role implement strategic management skill
- not needed by the target role land use for airport planning knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage airport development resources skill
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
- not needed by the target role monitor aviation growth trends skill
- not needed by the target role promote environmental awareness skill
- not needed by the target role utilise computer-aided software engineering tools skill
- not needed by the target role work in an aviation team skill
8 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 airport electrical systems required
- still to learn airport lighting equipment required
- still to learn airport operating environment required
- still to learn airport planning 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
Common questions about this move
Can an airport planning engineer become an airport chief executive?
Yes, and it is a career change move. An airport planning engineer already covers 29% of what an airport chief executive is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 8 of which the airport chief executive role treats as required.
What skills does an airport planning engineer need to become an airport chief executive?
18 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 10 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 planning engineer to airport chief executive?
Its learning distance is 75.3 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.