Job Description

International Airport of Heraklion, Crete S.A. is currently looking for a:

Emergency Planning Manager

Role responsibilities:

• Develops the Aerodrome Emergency Plan based on International and Local regulations and best practices.
• Ensures that the Aerodrome Emergency Plan is a structured and user-friendly document that incorporates the particularities and needs of the site, the company and the available resources in terms of personnel, equipment and local facilities.
• Plans and conducts consultation sessions with all entities involved to ensure that responses, roles and responsibilities are clearly defined.
• Ensures that the Aerodrome processes and procedures and those of the Stakeholders are aligned and/or identifies gaps that need to be addressed.
• Develops and implements training plans for the first responders and all other involved entities according to role and level of responsibility and engagement.
• Plans exercises of smaller and larger scale, during which the processes and procedures will be tested for their effectiveness while issues that arise are identified and documented.
• Amends, adjusts and improves the procedures and relevant documents to ensure compliance and conformity to the business objectives and the scope of the Emergency Plan.
• Contacts research and identifies systems or other technological solutions that can support and assist during an emergency, crisis or contingency situation such as use of drones, means of instant communication, etc.
• Works closely with the Business Continuity Manager to identify gaps or areas of concern, streamline processes and procedures and prepares plans to maintain or resume operations after an emergency.
• Creates a list of the most probable emergency-situation scenarios based on the geography of the surrounding area, the type of operations, the prevailing weather conditions and the capacity of the responding agencies and works on exercise scenarios to familiarize, train and raise the awareness of the responders to ensure the highest level of preparedness.
• Collaborates with all departments of the Operations team to develop training material and tabletop exercises targeting the responses of the respective departments and ways of improving them.
• Ensures that all Operations teams understand not only their roles but those of the other departments and are ready to support as and when necessary.
• Participates in the establishment of a strong stakeholder relationship.
• Serves as a liaison between airport management, airlines, regulatory agencies, and state authorities to ensure all entities are well prepared and have clear understanding of how to respond during an emergency.
• Establishes the Aerodrome Emergency Planning Working Group with the participation of all the main stakeholders and which will be responsible to assess the emergency response strategy, policy and procedures.
• Conducts debriefing sessions following an emergency exercise or actual emergency to collect feedback and identify areas of improvement.
• Develops a corrective actions plan and implements it accordingly.
• Supports, manages and/or takes the lead during emergency situations to ensure the Emergency Plan is being followed and all actions are coordinated in order to reinstate normal operations of the airport.
• Represents the Company in International forums, gains knowledge and expertise in emergency planning and management and proposes new processes, procedures, technologies that will support the handling of an emergency and the best business continuity methods.
• Develops a disabled aircraft removal plan / identifies the optimum solution based on data related to the airport traffic, aircraft mix and risk assessment results.

Requirements:

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in airport management, aviation operations, emergency and business continuity planning or related roles, with demonstrated leadership and project management skills.
• Strong understanding of airport operations, emergency, contingency and business continuity planning and handling, regulatory requirements, and industry best practices, with knowledge of European aviation regulations and standards.
• Proficient in developing manuals, documents and training material for the aerodrome personnel, stakeholders and other third parties.
• Proficiency Diploma in English

Competencies:

• Excellent communication, negotiation and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build consensus and drive collaboration among diverse stakeholders.
• Strong mindset with the ability to act and react fast to an evolving environment, adopt new technologies and develop data-driven strategies and solutions that will support any emergency and enhance the airport’s resilience.