Ground Operations Training Manager
Application Deadline: 13 May 2026
Department: Training and Capability
Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time
Location: Brize Norton
Compensation: £51,458 - £57,175 / year
Description
We are seeking an experienced and proactive Ground Operations Training Manager to lead and govern all Ground Operations training within a highly regulated aviation environment.
Reporting to the Head of Training & Capability, this role has full ownership of Ground Operations training strategy, governance, delivery coordination, and regulatory compliance. You will act as the central point of contact for internal stakeholders and key external partners, including Thales UK, ensuring training programmes are compliant, effective, and future-ready.
Why AirTanker? AirTanker is a vital part of the UK’s defence capability, delivering air-to-air refuelling and air transport services to the RAF and MOD. We operate at the intersection of military precision and commercial innovation. As the Ground Operations Training Manager, you will play a critical role in ensuring safe, compliant and effective ground operations across the organisation. By leading training governance, coordinating delivery with internal teams and external partners, and maintaining regulatory compliance, you will directly contribute to operational readiness, safety performance and the ongoing competence of Ground Operations staff.
What’s in it for you?
- Leadership & Influence: Operate as the organisational authority for Ground Operations training, giving you visibility and influence across senior leadership, operational teams and external regulators while shaping training standards and governance.
- Regulatory & Assurance Exposure: Gain significant experience managing regulatory compliance in a UK CAA-regulated environment, leading audits, compliance reviews and governance forums that directly support organisational assurance and safety outcomes.
- Strategic Contribution: Play a key role in identifying future training and capability requirements, contributing to long-term workforce competence, resilience and continuous improvement within Ground Operations.
- Comprehensive Benefits: Including private medical insurance, bonus scheme, EV scheme, contributory pension, and more.
- Adventure & Belonging: Battlefield tours, adventure training, and family fun days.
What you’ll be doing
- Leading and governing all Ground Operations training activities, ensuring full compliance with UK CAA regulatory requirements.
- Acting as custodian of the Company Operations Manual – Part D3, maintaining accurate and audit-ready training documentation.
- Chairing and owning the bi-monthly Ground Operations Training Governance Meeting, managing actions and representing training at wider forums.
- Serving as the organisational lead for internal compliance reviews and external audits, including UK CAA audits.
- Working closely with Thales UK, Babcock, VTS and internal teams to coordinate theoretical, CBT, AIMS, OJT and SME-delivered training.
- Identifying future training and capability needs, commissioning or integrating new training solutions where required.
- Overseeing training systems and records (including PaperBox CBT and EVOKE), producing expiry reports and compliance metrics.
- Managing the annual Ground Operations Training budget.
- Producing accurate monthly training statistics, reports and governance outputs for senior stakeholders.
- Supporting Competency Assurance Programme (CAP) activity and the Ground Operations shadowing programme.
What you’ll bring
- Extensive experience managing training programmes in a highly regulated environment (aviation preferred).
- Strong knowledge of training governance, compliance, auditing and documentation control.
- Experience working with learning management systems (LMS), CBT platforms and Microsoft Office.
- The ability to interpret and apply UK CAA regulatory requirements.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder‑management skills across multiple organisations.
- Strong organisational skills with a high attention to detail.
- Confidence influencing senior stakeholders and external partners.
- A proactive, continuous-improvement mindset with strong analytical skills.
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