Senior Manager Support Services at Rwandair: (Deadline 2026-Aug-26)
RwandAir Ltd – Job Vacancy
Senior Manager – Support Services
Department: Ground Services
Reports to: Director, Ground Operations
Location: Kigali International Airport, Rwanda
Application Deadline: August 26, 2026
Apply Online – RwandAir eRecruitment
About RwandAir
RwandAir Ltd is the flag carrier airline of Rwanda, operating domestic and international services across East Africa, Central Africa, West Africa, Southern Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, with its main base at Kigali International Airport.
Our mission is to provide safe, reliable, and exceptional air transportation services, strategically connecting Rwanda with the rest of the world while ensuring a fair return on investment.
As part of its expansion strategy, RwandAir is seeking an experienced, qualified, and competent professional to join its Ground Services team as Senior Manager – Support Services.
Job Purpose
The Senior Manager – Support Services will lead RwandAir Ground Services support functions covering Safety, Quality, Compliance, Resource Planning, Training, and Internal Communications.
The position is responsible for establishing and maintaining the governance, procedures, systems, and capabilities required to support a safe, compliant, efficient, resilient, and high-quality ground operation.
The successful candidate will serve as the key point of accountability for regulatory readiness, risk management, organisational learning, workforce planning, and continuous improvement across Ground Services.
Key Duties & Responsibilities
1. Strategic Leadership
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Design and own the Ground Services governance architecture, including Operations Manuals, SOPs, Management of Change, Risk Assessments, and Document Control frameworks, aligned with ICAO, IOSA, ISAGO, and IATA AHM requirements.
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Define and implement the Ground Services Safety Management System (SMS) and Quality Management System (QMS) strategy.
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Promote a strong Generative Safety Culture and Just Culture across all Ground Services activities.
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Establish strategic Resource Planning capabilities covering demand forecasting, productivity models, manpower planning, and rostering.
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Develop the Ground Services training and competency strategy in line with regulatory requirements and RwandAir’s 4-Star service ambition.
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Partner with HR and Learning & Development to build a sustainable employee competency pipeline.
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Lead the regulatory audit and certification strategy, including IOSA, ISAGO, RCAA, and ICAO requirements.
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Establish audit calendars, readiness programmes, finding-management processes, and closure mechanisms.
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Develop the Emergency Response and Business Continuity Management strategy for Ground Services.
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Ensure operational resilience against operational, security, pandemic, and reputational risks.
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Champion internal communications and culture-building initiatives within Ground Services.
2. Operational Responsibilities
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Execute and govern the internal audit and inspection programme.
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Track audit findings, coordinate corrective actions with responsible owners, and report key performance indicators to the Director, Ground Operations.
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Manage the SMS occurrence-reporting cycle, including:
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Occurrence capture
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Classification
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Investigation
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Root Cause Analysis
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Corrective and preventive actions
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Maintain and regularly update the Ground Services Task Register, Risk Assessments, and Management of Change records.
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Operate the Management of Change (MOC) process to ensure operational, regulatory, and organisational changes are properly assessed and controlled.
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Maintain a robust Emergency Response Plan and conduct regular ERP exercises.
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Capture lessons learned from emergency exercises and operational events and update plans accordingly.
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Lead resource-planning activities, including:
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Rostering
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Leave planning
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Shift utilisation
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Manpower productivity reporting
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Ensure resource deployment supports optimal service delivery.
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Oversee the charge-note control framework, including issuance, reconciliation, and banking deposits in accordance with applicable SLAs and financial controls.
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Oversee the annual training calendar, On-the-Job Training (OJT), and recurrent training programmes.
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Ensure 100% compliance with the Training Matrix and applicable regulatory requirements.
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Perform any other duties assigned by the Line Manager.
Management & Leadership
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Establish departmental objectives and priorities aligned with RwandAir’s overall business strategy.
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Regularly evaluate objectives, plans, procedures, and practices and introduce improvements where necessary.
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Supervise employees and direct daily activities to ensure high standards of service delivery.
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Recruit, train, develop, coach, and manage employees effectively.
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Establish succession-planning and employee-development initiatives.
Personal Development
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Take responsibility for continuous personal development and professional growth.
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Keep abreast of aviation industry trends, regulatory developments, and emerging best practices.
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Support RwandAir during emergencies or major operational disruptions affecting the airline or its subsidiaries.
Safety & Compliance
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Ensure employees at all levels understand and comply with workplace Health & Safety requirements.
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Provide appropriate induction, information, instruction, training, and supervision.
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Ensure compliance with relevant safety, security, quality, environmental, and regulatory requirements.
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Ensure managers and supervisors understand their Health & Safety responsibilities and are capable of communicating requirements to their teams.
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Take an active role in the reporting, investigation, and appropriate response to:
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Injuries
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Incidents
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Near misses
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Hazards
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Promote continuous improvement in safety performance and risk management.
Environmental Management
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Identify emerging environmental challenges arising from legislation, aviation-industry developments, and global trends.
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Integrate environmental considerations into business strategy and management systems.
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Promote operational resilience and responsible environmental management across Ground Services.
Qualifications, Experience & Skills
Essential Qualifications & Experience
Candidates should have:
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Minimum 8 years of aviation or ground-handling experience.
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At least 5 years of leadership experience in Safety, Quality, Compliance, or Training functions within an airline or major Ground Handling Agency (GHA).
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A Bachelor’s Degree in Aviation Management, Safety Engineering, Human Resources, or a related discipline.
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Recognised SMS, QMS, and Auditor certifications, such as IOSA/ISAGO Auditor certification or equivalent.
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Demonstrable expertise in:
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Risk Management
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Root Cause Analysis
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Incident Investigation
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Knowledge of ICAO Annex 19, IATA AHM, and Just Culture frameworks.
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Proven experience leading multicultural and multidisciplinary teams in a regulated aviation environment.
Preferred Qualifications
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Master’s Degree, such as MBA, MSc in Aviation Safety, or a related field.
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Lean / Six Sigma Black Belt certification.
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IATA Diploma in Safety Management Systems / Quality Management.
Job-Specific Skills
The successful candidate should demonstrate strong capabilities in:
Safety & Quality Leadership
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IOSA
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ISAGO
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IATA AHM
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Safety Management Systems (SMS)
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Just Culture
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ICAO Annex 19
Risk Management
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Bow-Tie Analysis
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FMEA
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Risk Matrix
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Management of Change methodologies
Regulatory & Audit Management
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RCAA requirements
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ICAO standards
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Host-country Civil Aviation Authorities
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IATA and ISAGO audit programmes
Workforce Planning
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Demand modelling
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Rostering
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Productivity benchmarking
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Operational analytics
Investigation & Analysis
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Incident investigation
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Root Cause Analysis
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Human Factors
Process & Continuous Improvement
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Lean Management
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Six Sigma
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Business Process Management
Communication & Influence
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Ability to communicate effectively with frontline employees, managers, senior executives, and external stakeholders.
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Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills.
Digital Skills
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SMS management tools
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Learning Management Systems
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Business Intelligence dashboards
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Operational data and analytics
Languages: Fluent English is essential. French and Kinyarwanda are preferred.
Job Dimensions
Organisational Accountability
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Local accountability with global impact.
Managerial & Supervisory Accountability
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Manages a department within a division.
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Supervises through other management personnel.
Leadership & Strategic Accountability
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Develops policies and sets strategic direction.
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Develops departmental strategy.
Financial Accountability
Operating Budget
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Full management of the operating budget.
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Accountable within the approved departmental budget.
Expenses
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Approves expenditures within the approved departmental budget.
Revenues
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Non-revenue-generating role.
Customer Accountability
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Interfaces with executive decision-makers.
Freedom to Act Independently
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Sets policies and objectives within the scope of the position.
How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should submit the following documents:
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Application letter addressed to the Chief HR & Administration Officer.
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Recent Curriculum Vitae (CV).
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Copies of notarised Degree/Diploma certificates.
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Relevant professional certificates.
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Copies of academic documents.
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Photocopy of Passport or National ID.
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Details of three referees.
Important
All application documents must be submitted in PDF format only.
Application Deadline: August 26, 2026
Apply Online
Join RwandAir and play a strategic role in strengthening safety, quality, compliance, workforce capability, and operational excellence within Rwanda’s national airline.
