Salary: Up to £75,000 subject to experience
Contract Type: Ful time permanent
Location : Gatwick / Hybrid – expectation of 2 days a week in office
Security Level: BPSS
Visa Restrictions: This position does not currently offer visa sponsorship.
We are the UK's aviation and aerospace regulator and recognised as a world leader in its field. Our activities are diverse, enabling the aviation industry to meet the highest safety standards, and we pride ourselves on our ability to adapt to the constantly evolving aviation environment.
The Role:
As General Aviation (GA) Policy lead, you drive the delivery of various workstreams in support of the CAA’s General Aviation Strategy. The projects you will lead touch upon a wide variety of topics including flight operations, airworthiness, internal process improvements and much more. Further to this, you would also be responsible for the planning and delivery of the GA aspects of national rulemaking as well as the authoring of policy that contributes to enhanced safety in the GA sector. A critical element of these activities is engagement with the GA community and participation in area stakeholder activity. The role requires significant understanding of the GA stakeholder community, its objectives, and the challenges it faces.
This role offers you a unique opportunity to lead a team in the delivery of a broad set of objectives covering a wide variety of subject matter. Its work will impact a significant proportion of the UK aviation community, and its contributions have the potential to be hugely influential, externally through the delivery of safety improvements and efficiencies but also internally as a representative of GA in cross functional working groups.
Leading the technical policy of General Aviation (GA); to lead the creation of GA technical guidance; the GA approach to national rule making and author policy that contributes to safety improvement. You will be responsible for overseeing and managing the delivery of the following areas:
• Technical policy for GA subjects
• GA input to National rule making.
• Technical guidance.
• Technical and complex stakeholder queries that comes in from the stakeholder contact centre.
• Defining technical positions on GA subjects in the shorter term (the same topics might be under-going a longer-term transformation).
• International policy exchange.
• CAAi support.
Key Accountabilities
Stakeholder management is a key part of the role, and you will be expected to work closely with the Department for Transport and the General Aviation community in addition to working with colleagues at all levels within the CAA, including at Board level.
About You:
The role will be a key part of the Safety Operations Policy management team. You will be technically experienced and have a delivery focused mindset , working positively with competing timelines, objectives priorities, all with good attention to detail. You will manage a team of policy specialists and will collaborate cross departmentally on the delivery of policy across the GA community
Essential Criteria:
• Aviation experience, preferably in General Aviation.
• Experience and proven track record in working on policy issues and developing policy.
• Able to stand ground and engage appropriately in difficult conversations on key decisions; willing and able to influence and positively challenge stakeholders at all levels of seniority.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Have a ‘can-do’ attitude, ability to suitably prioritise work, and a focus on results and delivery.
• Skills to influence and work within a diverse team.
• Knowledge of the CAA and the policy/technical/political environments in which it operates.
• Stakeholder management experience - proven experience of operating with tact and diplomacy with diverse groups of stakeholders. Strong experience and capability in managing relationships with stakeholders at all levels.
• Influencing and negotiation skills of a high order will be important to ensure the right outcomes are achieved with the ability to communicate clearly and effectively.
• Experience in making difficult decisions for the good of policy positions or associated projects - even if it goes against the status quo.
Desirable Criteria:
Additional Security Information: For many appointments within the CAA, these roles require access to operationally sensitive infrastructure and/or Nationally Protected information. For these roles, the post holders must undergo National Security Vetting and achieve the appropriate level of clearance.If you do not meet these requirements, we may not be able to accept your application.To be vetted you must have the right to work in the UK so that meaningful checks can be undertaken. For more information on BPSS clearance please visit - BPSS clearance
Relocation & Property: The CAA will be relocating from Aviation House (Our Gatwick Office) to new premises in a few years’ time. Our move is driven by strategic, operational, and environmental considerations. We will be moving to a new local home, up to a 15-mile radius of Aviation House, to minimise disruption for our valued colleagues and customers. We are now working with colleagues and visitors to understand what we need in our new office before we start our property search. We will sell Aviation House and land, vacate the site, and move to new premises, but we do not expect to move before 2028
Inclusive Recruitment: We are passionate about diversity and ensuring all are included at the CAA. We are an equal opportunity employer and actively encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds. As a member of the Disability Confident scheme, applicants who meet the minimum criteria for a role with us will be guaranteed an interview. We use fair and inclusive selection approaches to hire the best person for the job based on merit alone. If you require an adjustment for any reason, please let us know.
Use of Artificial Intelligence by candidates in the CAA recruitment process: We recognise that many of our candidates find Artificial Intelligence to be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be rejected on that basis.
Working With Us: We are on a journey towards being increasingly adaptable, where our colleagues collaborate as part of cross-functional teams. This approach ensures we never stop learning together. It also means that you may become involved in activities that take you out of your day-to-day role, providing you with opportunities to develop and grow your career with us.
We have embraced hybrid working and offer flexible working patterns, being open to having a conversation about what works for you. We know where and when we work is important in achieving a work-life balance. We offer a range of excellent benefits such as flexible working arrangements, free onsite gym at Gatwick, discounted gym membership for London, 28 days annual leave, additional 5 days leave purchase scheme, a generous pension scheme and much more!
Our Values: Do The Right Thing, Never Stop Learning, Build Collaborative Relationships, Respect Everyone – For more information please Click Here
Closing Date: 17th February 2026
Interview Date: WC 2nd March, head office, Gatwick
The CAA values high ethical standards and personal integrity among employees. If invited for interview you will be asked to complete a declaration of interest.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
No recruitment agencies please.
We are the UK’s aviation and aerospace regulator. We strive to ensure the aviation industry meets the highest safety standards in order to protect air passengers and the general public. We also run the ATOL scheme, which ensures that consumers are protected financially should they become stranded abroad.
But our work doesn’t stop there.
Aviation is an exciting and rapidly expanding field, and we are proud to be at the forefront. Our work sees us developing regulations for the most current aviation technology, and ensuring that environmental standards are effectively managed.
You could help us to achieve our strategic objectives, and be a part of something great. Providing our people with talent and development opportunities is a fundamental part of our strategy.
We have an approach to performance and development that supports accountability, wellbeing, and puts you in the driving seat. It encourages open dialogue between you and your manager with regular conversations to help shape your aspirations, share feedback, manage your progression and build your personal development plan.
Our wide range of courses and resources are open to all to support you in your current role and help you get ready for a great future.
We also encourage secondments, project-based work and 'on the job' learning as part of our blended learning approach.
For more information on the UK Civil Aviation Authority, please visit our website at www.caa.co.uk, or to see our current vacancies please visit our dedicated careers website https://careers.caa.co.uk
If you like the sound of this, but would like to work further afield, then CAA International might be for you. The International group is a part of our organisation which drives our influence worldwide to tackle aviation challenges and achieve consistent standards of regulation across the globe. For specific information on working with CAAi, see their LinkedIn page at www.linkedin.com/company/caa-international.
