We’re easyJet, one of Europe’s most recognisable airline brands – and one of the largest, with over 1,000 routes across 35 countries. Every year, tens of millions of passengers choose us for reliable, great value travel. powered by a complex, large scale operation that runs like clockwork thanks to the exceptional teams behind the scenes.
At the heart of that operation is Operational Planning – a key function that keeps our network resilient, efficient and ready to deliver against ambitious commercial growth targets. We are now looking for a Senior Operational Planning Manager to lead this high impact team, drive operational readiness and ensure that our fleet, schedule and resource planning align with operational constraints and strategic goals.
Your Mission
As Senior Operational Planning Manager, you will be a driving force in our Operations Strategy & Planning function. Reporting to the Head of Operational Planning, you’ll lead a team that works cross functionally to translate commercial ambitions into operational reality. Ensuring that our schedules, fleet growth and regulatory compliance are operationally robust from day one.
You’ll be responsible for ensuring that operational stakeholders are equipped with the data, insights and planning tools they need to maintain performance and resilience, even in the face of disruption, regulatory change or new market entry. This is a high visibility, hands on leadership role that sits at the intersection of network planning, crew and fleet operations and schedule design.
What You’ll Be Doing
· Lead Operational Planning- Oversee the daily operations of the planning team, coaching analysts and managers to deliver planning outputs that keep the operation running smoothly and efficiently.
· Network Implementation & Readiness- Act as the operational lead for multi-year schedule and network growth planning, ensuring that all operational enablers (crew, fleet, maintenance, airfields) are aligned and ready to deliver.
· Operational Feasibility & Efficiency- Evaluate commercial scheduling proposals through an operational lens, identifying risks and constraints (e.g., slot windows, crew duty time, turnaround feasibility) and recommending optimisation strategies.
· Cross-Functional Coordination- Partner with Crewing, Flight Ops, Engineering and Airports to align planning assumptions, validate growth opportunities and ensure all jurisdictions and AOCs are adequately resourced.
· Scenario Planning & Simulation- Build and guide the use of simulation models to assess operational resilience, optimise crew establishment and mitigate disruption.
· Governance & Continuous Improvement- Own operational schedule governance processes and embed operational data into decision-making frameworks for planning and risk assessment.
· Tooling & Technology- Champion the integration of operational data with planning systems to enhance modelling accuracy and decision speed.
What You’ll Bring
· A degree in mathematics, engineering, operational research or another quantitative field.
· Proven operational leadership in a complex, high frequency, multi base environment (aviation preferred).
· Deep understanding of airline operations, including crew planning, fleet growth, flight time limitations and network design.
· Ability to drive end to end operational alignment across departments while balancing cost, performance and resilience.
· Practical experience with planning systems and databases (e.g. MS SQL) and advanced Excel modelling skills.
· Experience leading teams through complex, time sensitive planning cycles with multiple stakeholders and constraints.
· Strong communication skills to present operational risks and trade-offs to senior stakeholders clearly and persuasively.
