Airport planning engineer to airport director
An airport planning engineer already meets 37% of what the airport director role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.
65/ 100
1 How much of what an airport director 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 director role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An airport director role treats 9 of its required skills as things an airport planning engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- airport environmental regulations
- apply airport standards and regulations
- comply with legal regulations
- have computer literacy
- identify airport safety hazards
- implement strategic management
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 · What you already bring
Of the 9 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 planning engineer 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 9 the airport director role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 20 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 implement improvements in airport operations required
- still to learn negotiate sales contracts required
- still to learn provide assistance to airport users 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 show diplomacy required
- optional, not held implement airport emergency plans optional
- optional, not held implement sales strategies optional
- optional, not held implement marketing strategies optional
- still to learn supervise maintenance activities in airports required
- still to learn manage staff required
- optional, not held prepare airport annual budget optional
- optional, not held apply business acumen optional
- optional, not held apply strategic thinking optional
- optional, not held plan event marketing for promotional campaigns 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 airport operating environment required
- still to learn maintain inventory of airport operations required
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 airport operating environment study this
- 02 ensure public safety and security practise this
- 03 follow ethical code of conduct in transport services 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 airport environmental regulations knowledge
- already held apply airport standards and regulations skill
- already held comply with legal regulations skill
- already held have computer literacy skill
- already held identify airport safety hazards 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
7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held implement airport emergency plans optional
- optional, not held implement sales strategies optional
- optional, not held prepare airport annual budget optional
- optional, not held apply business acumen optional
- optional, not held apply strategic thinking optional
- optional, not held implement marketing strategies optional
- optional, not held plan event marketing for promotional campaigns optional
17 held skills the airport director role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role compare contractors' bids skill
- not needed by the target role compile airport certification manuals skill
- not needed by the target role conduct airport environmental studies skill
- not needed by the target role create a work atmosphere of continuous improvement skill
- not needed by the target role create an airport master plan skill
- not needed by the target role design customised maps skill
- not needed by the target role direct airport subcontractors 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 interact with airport stakeholders 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
1 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 operating environment required
Other moves recorded from airport planning engineer
Common questions about this move
Can an airport planning engineer become an airport director?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An airport planning engineer already covers 37% of what an airport director is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 9 of which the airport director role treats as required.
What skills does an airport planning engineer need to become an airport director?
13 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is airport operating environment.
How hard is the move from airport planning engineer to airport director?
Its learning distance is 65 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.