Job Description

Brisbane or Sydney | Permanent Full-Time

We’re the airline that dares to be different, bold, down-to-earth and built around giving our guests real choice. Safety is our backbone, service is our heartbeat, and our people are our superpower.

At Virgin Australia, we’re on a mission to be Australia’s most loved airline, for our people, our guests and our owners and we’re looking for passionate talent to help take us even higher.

We’re vibrant, authentic and unapologetically human. Here, you can bring your whole self, your Virgin Flair and your ambition to a team that champions individuality, innovation and a whole lot of heart. If you’re excited by meaningful work, real opportunities to grow, and a culture where you can genuinely make a difference, you’ll feel right at home with us.

Your Impact

In our Flight Operations team, safety, precision and performance are at the heart of everything we do. We work in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment where every decision helps keep our operation moving and our guests connected across Australia and beyond. From strategic planning to real-time operational decision making, our teams thrive on teamwork, accountability and innovation, all while bringing Virgin Australia’s people-first spirit to life every day.

As Head of Fuel, you’ll be Virgin Australia’s senior aviation fuel subject matter expert, owning our enterprise fuel strategy and helping ensure the safe, reliable and commercially effective supply of fuel across our network.

This is a broad and highly influential role that sits at the intersection of aviation operations, fuel supply, procurement, safety, finance and strategy. You’ll shape how we source and manage fuel, work with Procurement through major supplier tenders and negotiations, oversee fuel quality and supply assurance, and provide expert advice when operational issues arise.

With are large portion of our cost base sitting in fuel, decisions made in this role have a significant impact across Virgin Australia. You’ll work closely with major fuel suppliers and internal teams including Flight Operations, the Integrated Operations Centre, Airports, Safety, Procurement, Treasury, Finance, Sustainability, and Transformation.

No two days will necessarily look the same. Your impact will include:

• Owning and evolving Virgin Australia’s enterprise aviation fuel strategy across demand, sourcing, supply, quality, resilience and supplier performance.
• Acting as the senior technical and operational authority for aviation fuel quality, handling, storage, airport fuel infrastructure and into-plane services.
• Partnering closely with Procurement on fuel sourcing strategies, tenders, supplier evaluation, commercial negotiations and contract outcomes.
• Building strong, commercially focused relationships with fuel suppliers and ensuring service, quality and resilience expectations are met.
• Providing leadership during day-of-operations fuel disruptions, including supply shortages, infrastructure failures and other events that may affect the network.
• Leading fuel quality assurance, supplier audits, incident investigations, corrective actions and operational risk management.
• Maintaining a deep understanding of fuel markets, refining and supply chains, logistics, airport infrastructure and emerging risks, and translating this into clear advice for senior leaders.
• Working with Treasury, Finance and Procurement to bring together the operational and commercial inputs that shape our fuel position.
• Supporting the Flight Operations Transformation team on fuel efficiency initiatives and ensuring new approaches can be safely and practically embedded into operations.
• Acting as a key aviation fuel SME in Virgin Australia’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel conversations, providing technical, operational, infrastructure and supply-chain expertise as this market continues to evolve.

About You

You’re an experienced fuel professional who combines deep industry knowledge with strong commercial judgement and excellent operational instincts. You understand that aviation fuel isn’t simply a procurement category – it’s a safety-critical, operationally essential and financially significant part of running an airline.

You may have built your career across aviation fuel, fuel supply, refining, petroleum, shipping, logistics or another closely related environment. Ideally, you’ll bring significant industry experience and a strong understanding of the fuel value chain, including how product is sourced, priced, transported, stored and supplied into complex operational environments.

You’ll be comfortable moving between high-level strategy and hands-on operational issues. One day you may be contributing to a major supplier negotiation or long-term fuel strategy; the next, you may be working with our IOC, Airports and suppliers to resolve an urgent supply disruption.

You’re analytical and thorough, with the ability to interrogate data and commercial information, identify risk and turn complexity into a clear recommendation. You’ll also bring a strong edge to commercial conversations – someone who can challenge constructively, negotiate confidently and hold suppliers accountable while maintaining productive long-term relationships.

Just as importantly, this is a role that succeeds through influence. You’ll need to build credibility across a broad stakeholder group and bring together operational, commercial, safety, financial and sustainability perspectives to achieve the right outcome for Virgin Australia.

To be considered, you’ll need:

• Substantial experience in aviation fuel, fuel supply or a closely related technical or operational environment.
• Strong knowledge of fuel quality, supply chains, fuel handling and operational assurance.
• Demonstrated experience managing strategic supplier relationships and contributing to sourcing, commercial evaluation and negotiations.
• The judgement and confidence to make decisions in safety-critical, time-sensitive or disrupted operational environments.
• Strong stakeholder management, influencing and executive communication skills.
• A relevant tertiary qualification or equivalent significant industry experience.
• Experience across aviation, airport fuel infrastructure, refining, shipping, sustainable aviation fuel or large-scale fuel procurement would be highly regarded.

Your Benefits & Beyond

We’re committed to looking after you, with some of the best benefits and conditions in the industry – including (but not limited to):

• Discounted flights for you and your loved ones, including $1,000 worth of travel credits per year.
• A flexible, hybrid work style that gives you some flexibility while keeping you connected to the operation and your key stakeholders.
• Discounts on travel insurance, lounge membership, car hire, accommodation and experiences worldwide.
• Cheaper hospitality, retail, technology, beauty and wellness services.
• Free counselling and access to a wellbeing app to support your physical, mental, social and financial health.
• ‘Dress for Your Day’ – enjoy the freedom to wear whatever makes you feel great for the type of work you do and the day you have ahead of you.

When everyone is included, everyone wins | Belonging at Virgin Australia

We’re all individuals. And we love that. That’s why we encourage applications from Indigenous Australians, people with disability, those from diverse cultural backgrounds, our friends in the LGBTQI+ community, and anyone else who wants to join our family.

Ready to apply?

We’re ready to hear from you. Apply now.