Head of IFP Design

About the business
Sagentia is a leading global regulatory, science and technology consultancy. It excels in research and development, safety and regulatory services, and technical programme delivery. The business has five practices operating internationally across the highly regulated markets of aviation, medical, defence, consumer, food and beverage, and industrial.

Sagentia Aviation are proven aviation experts who deliver full lifecycle support across complex airspace, air traffic management and aerodrome system projects.
We provide the skills and capacity to support and manage regulation, safeguarding and certification within airspace, technical safety and communication, navigation and surveillance systems.
We have an enviable track record of success as a small consultancy within the aviation sector. You can read more on our website: Aviation Expert insights (https://sagentia.com/aviation-expert-insights/?types%5B0%5D=case-study&types%5B1%5D=news&practice=6).

The role

We are seeking a Head of Instrument Flight Procedure (IFP) Design to lead the overall end-to-end IFP design pipeline as a market-facing vertical, with accountability for driving business performance from initial lead generation and opportunity development through bidding, project delivery, and the recognition of good quality revenue.

The role collaborates closely with the wider team to support and enable opportunities, ensuring a consistent and effective approach to business growth, customer engagement, and successful delivery outcomes.

This is a great opportunity for the right individual who will be the focal point for our IFP capability and the primary contact internally and externally for this business.
We are seeking a proven manager in IFP with an established aviation network and knowledge of procedure design and related aviation ecosystem, capable of managing a team, driving growth and delivery.

Key Responsibilities

The principal responsibilities of the role include:
- Planning and delivery of the complete procedure design pipeline aligned with business needs and cycle, maintaining customer relationships information and enterprise resource planning data and forecasting.
- Ownership of the overall technical capability, it’s maintenance and strategy to meet the needs of the business
- Assurance of project management and delivery of financial performance.
- Resource management across bids and projects to meet overall organisational goals.
- Plans for maintenance and development of capability across the team; management of direct reports and intra- and cross-team engagement.
The key performance characteristics of the role are focussed on business performance through the full opportunity and project pipeline. Key measures include maximisation of revenue for available team capacity, growth in the order book and delivering on contract commitments.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

- Technical credibility: CAA Authorised Procedure Designer with previous experience working within an Authorised Procedure Design Organisation (APDO). Up-to-date understanding of flight procedure regulations with a deep understanding of technical challenges and trends.
- Collaboration: An effective manager and team player, able to harmonise team performance within and across organisational boundaries. Able to identify and capitalise on cross-selling opportunities, demonstrating the integrated value proposition across capability domains.
- Commercial acumen: Demonstrable experience in a business-oriented role in the UK aviation sector (e.g. sales, business development, operations management) with good understanding of commercial quality and terms.
- Strategy development: Strategic thinker with proven ability to synthesise new business strategies and deliver a long-term growth plan, identifying market opportunities and potential for service expansion.
- Communication: Excellent communication, presentation and negotiation skills. Confident and credible presenting to and influencing senior stakeholders internal and external to the organisation.
- Degree qualified or calibre, ideally in a related aviation discipline.
- Relevant professional qualifications for your area of expertise.
- Relevant software capability to manage work deliverables.

Benefits

We offer a comprehensive salary and benefits package