Lead the Supplier Management Customer Operations team at Airbus Americas in Herndon, Virginia. In this full-time, on-site professional role, you will manage regional customer and supplier portfolios, resolve operational issues, and guide a multicultural team while traveling up to 40%.
Requirements
Master’s degree in Engineering, Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, or Quality Management.
Minimum of 8 years of technical aviation experience focused on aftermarket, MRO, or airline operations.
At least 4-5 years in a team management or supervisory role.
Fluent in English (written and spoken); French, Spanish, or German are a plus.
Authorized to work in the US.
Skills & Responsibilities
Supplier and contract management: Oversee strategic regional customers and SFE suppliers, ensuring adherence to Airbus support requirements and driving supplier improvement plans.
Customer operations leadership: Act as the first level of escalation for complex customer queries, interfacing and negotiating with suppliers to resolve issues promptly.
Team development and strategy: Coach and guide local team members, track KPIs, analyze market perception, and lead continuous improvement projects.
Cross-functional collaboration: Partner with internal Airbus stakeholders, regional customer services, and senior management to align regional needs with global strategies.
Potential transition routes: People from airline operations, supply chain management, or aerospace program management roles may bring relevant leadership and aviation skills, alongside meeting the mandatory 8 years of technical aviation experience and supervisory background.
Job description
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Job Description:
Position Summary:
The jobholder leads the Supplier Management Customer Operations team within the Airbus Americas Customer Services organization. He/She manages a customer and supplier portfolio and overall relationships within the Supplier Management Supplier Furnished Equipment OEMs scope. The team focuses on resolving daily operational supplier-related topics escalated by Operators across North and Latin America. The scope is the Airbus Legacy and A220 aftermarket product support contractual framework.
Key Responsibilities:
Customer Operations support (40%)
Manage an allocation of strategic regional Customers and ensure resolution of customer queries related to supplier management for equipment, cabin and engine suppliers within lead time targets
Qualify and record queries in Customer Relationship Management tools.
Manage the customer relationship for key customers with respect to supplier management, including communications on: supplier improvement plans, supplier performance KPIs, Rating results, SIM commitments, and CSIP improvement plan
Create a network with customer-facing counterparts at Airbus (CSD, Satair, Field Reps, etc.) to ensure airline supplier management needs are captured and addressed
Ensure Roles and Responsibilities are clearly communicated and applied with other Airbus Customer Services Business Units
Support tripartite meetings as required
Conduct regular visits to Customers, also with the team as required
Supplier management (30%)
Manage an allocation of SFE suppliers.
Ensure suppliers adhere to Airbus Supplier support requirements (GCP, SSC and SPSA)
Organize supplier meetings locally in the Americas and regular management meetings, as needed
Contribute to the development of the long-term supplier improvement plan managed by SOx commodity teams by providing recommendations based on recurrent regional customer issues
Develop specific regional improvement plans where required
Ensure supplier follow-up towards airlines for low rating scores and negative comments
Provide executive briefs on supplier operational topics for airline senior management meetings (SMM, ERM)
Contribute to briefs for supplier senior management meetings (ASM)
Actively share customer pain points within the SO organization to ensure the voice of the customer is incorporated into future SSC template and negotiation
Team lead and Strategic activities 30%
Lead weekly team look ahead meetings with the team to review operational risks and track resolution progress
Act as the First level of escalation for the team in order to resolve complex Customer queries by interfacing and negotiating with the supplier stakeholders when cases/tickets are not progressing
Develop relationship and contribute to continuous improvement on ways of working within SO with the Aftermarket Supplier Management team SOM (contract management) and Aftermarket Supply Chain Operations SOP (spares/repairs performance and recovery management)
Contribute to weekly/monthly supplier reports. Analyze the reports and submit to management a weekly/monthly consolidated but comprehensive review of the suppliers activity
Actively engage with the other functions in Airbus Americas Customer Services
Propose and lead improvement projects within the context of the supplier management - operations team related to customer feedback (CSIP, transactional feedback,...) and process improvement
Lead the team contribution to the regional Airbus and Aviation Industry events and conferences with airlines and suppliers as required (SIM, AMC, MRO, ACPC, SPSA, large-audience training)
Analyze CSIP results to define team action plans and provide recommendations for the global SO organization
Report on market perception using insights from the American Supplier Rating, CSIP, customer visits, and market demand analysis
Prepare analytical insights from annual Americas Supplier Rating survey results for the regional webinar
Track Tech Request/Salesforce activity and monitor OnTime Delivery KPIs to identify trends and corrective actions
Consolidate performance data and provide relevant reporting inputs for internal monthly, quarterly and yearly management reviews such as MOR, MBR, and AAP forums
Act as the Deputy for the Head of Supplier Management Americas on Customer Operations topics
Additional Responsibilities:
As a team leader, the jobholder is expected to support management by:
Coaching and guiding the training and professional development of local team members
Contributing to best practices and FAQs for customer queries, and recommending process improvements within supplier management and related Airbus departments
Developing self-service documentation and tools to support customer training and self-sufficiency
Qualified Experience / Skills / Training:
Education:
Master’s degree in Engineering, Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, or Quality Management.
Experience:
Mandatory: Minimum of 8 years of technical aviation experience with a focus on aftermarket, MRO, or Airline operations
At least 4-5 years in a team management or supervisory role
Airline or OEM background is preferred
Communication Skills (Spoken, Written, Influencing, Proficiency in Other Languages):
Fluent in English, written and spoken
French, Spanish or German are a plus
Unique Position Details/ Required skills and competencies
Knowledge, Skills, Demonstrated Capabilities:
Required Core Competencies:
Airline business & operations, customer support, and supplier/contract management
Proactive, autonomous, and collaborative team player with strong customer relationship management
Cross-cultural communication, executive presentation, and negotiation skills
Ability to work under high pressure and tight deadlines
Conflict management
Proven management, leadership, and team development capabilities in multicultural organizations
Contract law and negotiation skills
Supply chain and supplier management experience
High resilience, flexibility, and operational efficiency
Travel Required:
40% Domestic and International
Eligibility:
Authorized to Work in the US
Clearance:
None
Decision Making, Complexity:
This role is key to understanding customer needs across North and Latin America and driving the satisfaction of our customers.
North American customers require exceptionally high responsiveness and support availability. Given the scale of major US carriers (Delta, United, and American Airlines are the three largest globally by market value, revenue, and fleet size), this position demands high-level focus and executive attention and active participation in the North America In Service Core team led by the Airbus Customer Support Director.
The relationship with Latin American Operators needs to be further developed. This will require engagement and time investment to enhance the collaboration with the Airbus Customer Services team based in Miami.
Organizational information:
Subordinate employees (FTE headcount)
Transnational team headquartered in Herndon, VA, vast and diverse region in terms of customer profiles
Number of customers: 15 airlines in North America, 65 lessors, 28 MROs and 19 customers in Latin Americas
Number of countries: all North America + Latin America region
Airlines fleet: 2400+ Airbus aircraft; 800+ in firm backlog
Number of Airbus suppliers: 45% of Level 1 Suppliers Headquarters based in the US
Number of Airbus Supplier Product Support Agreements: 140 Legacy Supplier Support Conditions and General Conditions of Purchase, 18 A220 Supplier Product Support Agreements
Direct Reports:
6 Customer Operations based in Herndon and management of 2 FTEs in Airbus Canada under Service Letter Agreement.
This job requires an awareness of any potential compliance risks and a commitment to act with integrity, as the foundation for the Company’s success, reputation and sustainable growth.
Company: Airbus Americas Customer Services, Inc.
Employment Type: US - Direct Hire
Experience Level: Professional
Remote Type: On-site
Job Family: Material Support & services ------ Job Posting End Date: 11.17.2026
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