Pinnacle - Vice President-Safety

[Minuteman]

Vice President, Safety

For consideration please submit resume to afromowitz@spencerstuart.com

This presents an outstanding opportunity for a progressively minded, flight safety professional to lead the safety function within an exciting, progressively-minded, people-focused, and successful regional airline with tremendous growth potential.

Position Summary

Reporting to the President, the Vice President-Safety at Pinnacle Airlines is responsible for the development, approval, and implementation of all safety-related policies, programs, and initiatives across all aspects of the airline. He/she is responsible for the airline’s adherence to corporate safety policies and industry-wide standards as well as its compliance with all safety-related regulations. The Vice President monitors the airline’s safety performance, reports on such performance to senior management, and addresses issues and deviations promptly.

The Vice President is expected to establish and ensure adherence to the highest levels of safety focus and operation, holding the bar high through action and example.

In so doing, the Vice President interacts closely with all operating dimensions of the carrier – flight operations, in-flight, maintenance, ground operations, and operations control.

Externally, the Vice President also participates in an effective program of liaison with key constituent groups including labor, regulators, government, and aviation-focused agencies.

The Vice President, Safety is based at Pinnacle Airlines headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee.

Major Responsibilities

• Develop, secure approval for, and oversee the Pinnacle Airlines’ safety program, ensuring that the necessary safety program elements have been properly implemented and coordinated throughout the air carrier. Elements of the program include safety incident/accident reporting system; accident/incident investigation; safety audits and inspections; internal evaluation program; operations risk assessment program; routine monitoring and trend analysis programs; and ensuring that adequate safety program management is maintained.
  
  
• Manage and continuously improve operational safety performance across all facets of the airline and its activities.
  
  
• Provide timely and accurate reporting on operating safety results and other special projects and initiatives under his/her direction. Ensure that senior management remains fully informed about the airline’s safety status and concerns.
  
  
• Provide active leadership in the resolution of safety-related issues as they arise, deploying his/her specific expertise and bringing in that of others, inside and outside the company, as needed.
  
  
• Oversee the day-to-day activities of the safety function. Provide strong leadership to the safety team under his/her direction.
  
  
• Liaise effectively with key operating units of the airline, at various levels, including flight operations, in-flight, maintenance, airport operations, and operations control to ensure adherence with company safety policies and federal regulations.
  
  
• Ensure that the airline meets all government safety regulations, corporate safety policies, and industry-wide safety programs and initiatives on an ongoing basis. Address potential deviations immediately.
  
  
• Serve as the primary point of contact with the labor unions representing organized employee groups at Pinnacle Airlines regarding all safety-related matters.
  
  
• Maintain his/her currency on aviation safety related issues through reading, participation in industry events, and ongoing dialogue with industry peers.
  
  
• Serve as the key ambassador for the carrier on all safety-related matters, to organizations such as the Federal Aviation Administration, the Regional Airline Association, the National Transportation Safety Board and various safety-focused non-governmental organizations.
  
  
• Represent Pinnacle Airlines on industry-wide safety-related committees and taskforces at the Regional Airline Association.

CANDIDATE SPECIFICATION

Core Competencies

• Has demonstrated an ability to successfully lead through influence in terms of his/her capacity to get others to see the virtues of a strong safety culture and to adhere to call safety-related policies and regulations without adding unnecessary cost and complexity to the line organization.
  
  
• Balances a strong technical depth in aviation safety with the breadth and purvey of an officer in a large organization. Knows how to “dive deep” on issues of an often technical nature and how to “step back” to see the big picture.
  
  
• A natural networker who leverages his/her orientation in this regard to learn from the best practices and experiences of others going through similar challenges and issues.

Ideal Experience and Qualifications

• Airline or broader aviation industry experience with a minimum of ten years of relevant industry experience and a well established industry network and reputation. This experience could have been gained in supervisory or expert position in one of several contexts:
  
  
  • Part 121 air carrier;
  • Scheduled part 135 air carrier;
  • Military aviation operations;
  • U.S. Government department, board or agency that deals directly with aviation matters (e.g., FAA, TSA)
  
  
• Possesses a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of aviation safety programs, safety standards, and safe aviation operation practices.
  
  
• Has gained his/her operations and safety-related experience through a background in flight operations.
  
  
• A track record of working in a productive and collaborative manner with aviation regulatory authorities with a strong reputation among the aviation safety community.
  
  
• An unblemished record as related to his/her ethical integrity and that of the organizations he/she has served.
  
  
• Comes from an airline/organization with a strong safety culture and an excellent safety track record built on a rigorous approach to safety management.
  
  
• Has worked in environments characterized by a holistic approach to people and organizational culture.
  
  
• Experience working on safety issues with organized labor in a productive, win-win context. Does not bring baggage related to dysfunctional labor relations.
  
  
• Well networked into and respected by the Federal Aviation Administration. Has consistently maintained productive relationships with the FAA.
  
  
• Intimately familiar with government regulations as related to the FAA, TSA, and OHSA.
  
  
• Possesses a FAA Commercial Pilot, Air Transport Pilot, Mechanic or Dispatcher certificate.
  
  
• An undergraduate degree in aviation management, engineering, business, or economics and ideally, an M.B.A. or a graduate degree in aviation/aviation safety.

It seems rare to solicit a Vice President slot in the open, but what the heck! If the job's not for you, at least you know the requirements.

[surreal1221]

No kidding.

What they can't promote from within?

[srleslie]

A lot of things like this are done just to make HR happy. In reality they probably have people already lined up or have hired a headhunter.