Airbus

GSE & Tools Customer Solutions Manager

Airbus • $110K — $130K *
Aerospace & Defense
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 7+ years of experience in aircraft maintenance or related domains
  • Strong project management experience or success in leading projects
  • Excellent communication skills, both with customers and internal stakeholders
  • Proven experience in business case creation and analysis
  • Deep aerospace maintenance acumen, with knowledge of Airbus technical documentation

Responsibilities

  • Drive the long-term vision and strategies for GSE & Tools in the Americas
  • Transform customer challenges into innovative GSE solutions
  • Develop and manage business cases for new product opportunities
  • Act as the primary technical and commercial authority in the region
  • Establish strategic partnerships and scout for new GSE technologies
  • Influence high-level sales campaigns and achieve regional sales targets
  • Serve as ambassador for the Americas within the global GSE organization

Benefits

  • Autonomy to shape business strategy in a rapidly growing market
  • Opportunity to work with cutting-edge technologies like IoT and AI
  • Influence decision-making at high levels within customer organizations
  • Collaborative environment with a diverse team and cross-functional exposure
  • Chance to contribute directly to Airbus's long-term revenue goals
Full Job Description
Job Description:

A great opportunity as a GSE (Ground Support Equipment) & Tools Innovation and Business Development (m/f) has arisen within Airbus Commercial Engineering & Maintenance, Customer Services Organization. The GSE Business is today shy of 200M$ revenue per year and is growing fast. New technologies, such as electrification, automation, additive manufacturing, augmented reality, IoT, artificial intelligence ... are guiding our design developments in order to decrease manufacturing lead time, improve ergonomy and offer to the end Customers the best user experience. You will be integrated within the GSE & Tools Engineering Department, in charge of developing, qualifying and documenting the toolings to support Airlines and MROs (Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul) organisations in performing inspection and maintenance tasks on Airbus aircraft.

You will be joining a team of 50 people, plus another #100 in various other correlated functions. The jobholder reports to the HO Program & Engineering, Fleet Efficiency & Engineering, Airbus Americas Customer Services Inc, and operationally to the HO Customer Business Development, Airbus SAS.

Job Summary: You will be the strategic architect responsible for driving the long-term vision and business strategy for the Ground Support Equipment (GSE) & Tools portfolio across the Americas (North, Central, and South America). You are accountable for transforming this high-potential region into a primary engine for our global growth, directly contributing to our $222M revenue ambition. By identifying and translating complex customer challenges into pioneering GSE solutions, you will solve new problems through innovative methods. You will operate with a high degree of autonomy, leading co-creation partnerships with key customers and internal stakeholders to ensure our solutions deliver unparalleled value and strengthen the Airbus brand.

Primary Responsibilities: Strategic Business Development & Opportunity Creation (30%)
• Ensure the translation of heterogeneous customer challenges into concrete, high-value GSE and Tool solutions.
• Define and lead the end-to-end business case development for all new product opportunities originating from the region, conducting SWOT, financial, and risk/opportunity analyses to secure Go/No-Go decisions.
• Take accountability for the regional product pipeline, monitoring new developments to ensure on-time, on-quality, and on-cost delivery.

High-Level Sales & Commercial Influence (20%)
• Act as the lead technical and commercial authority in the region, influencing Satair sales campaigns and negotiating with customers at high levels.
• Directly impact the achievement of regional sales targets by providing expert consultation on Smart Tool and Tailored Tool solutions, differentiating the

Airbus offer in a competitive landscape.

Regional Ecosystem & Partnership Strategy (20%)
• Define and implement the regional strategy for GSE vendor partnerships, scouting new technologies (automation, IoT, AI) and establishing commercial agreements for the Alternate Validation service.
• Your actions and decisions will have a direct, long-term impact on our technology roadmap and competitive positioning in the Americas.

Contractual & Commercial Accountability (10%)
• Carry out and manage the interface with Airbus Americas legal and contracts departments, ensuring alignment for all service sales and co-development partnerships.
• You hold accountability for validating the commercial and contractual frameworks for service sales within the region.

Internal Strategy & Stakeholder Alignment (20%)
• Serve as the primary ambassador for the Americas region within the global GSE organization, influencing decision-making forums through data-driven recommendations.
• Regularly align with senior leaders and peers across countries and divisions on resources, strategy, and business priorities.
• Present our strategic tool recommendations at high-stakes Material Readiness Conferences (MRC) and other key industry events

Additional Responsibilities:
• Manage multiple and complex multinational interfaces & stakeholders: Engineering, Sales, Marketing, Strategy, Procurement, Supply chain & Distribution.
• Adapt to multiple cultures & environments
• Keep track despite numerous changes, while keeping Customer & Airbus interest at the centre

Qualified Experience and Training:
• You have a good knowledge of the business with experience in the domain of aircraft maintenance.
• You are a project manager or have successful experiences in managing projects
• You have worked with Customers or you are at ease communicating with Customers.
• You have business acumen and have experience creating business cases.

Education:
• Engineering degree or equivalent years of experience in the field

Experience:

Required
• You have a wide understanding of the business: 7 years of experience out of which, some on the domain of Airbus airframe maintenance, in an Airline, MRO or tools manufacturer.
• You have excellent analytical skills that allow you to identify market trends, business opportunities in the development of new tools.
• You have a track record of developing general business cases and aligning stakeholders to them.
• You have strong analytical skills with a focus on data-driven-decision making

Preferred :
• Experience on aircraft maintenance processes (particularly Airframe) and optimization
• Understanding the aircraft maintenance related manuals (AMM, MPD, TSM..) • Experience acquired on Airbus commercial platforms (A320, A330, A340, A350, A380, A220)

Licensure/Certifications:

Required
• Engineering Degree Preferred
• Business Administration or equivalent

Travel Required:
• 30% Domestic and International Citizenship: Authorized to work in the US
• Clearance: none
• Qualified Skills:
• Aerospace Maintenance Acumen: Deep understanding of aircraft maintenance operations, MRO environments, and the associated challenges faced by airlines. Familiarity with Airbus technical documentation (AMM, SRM, TEM) is crucial
• GSE & Tools Expertise: Comprehensive knowledge of Ground Support Equipment, including the different categories (standard, specific, vendor-designed) and their application
• Project Management Fundamentals: Solid understanding of project management principles

Knowledge, Skills, Demonstrated Capabilities:
• Business Case Development: The ability to independently construct and defend comprehensive business cases. This includes performing market analysis, creating financial projections, conducting risk and opportunity assessments, and utilizing strategic frameworks like SWOT analysis to justify new product initiatives.
• Customer Opportunity Conversion: Proven capability to capture the "voice of the customer" by identifying and analyzing their operational pain points and translating those needs into concrete, value-driven GSE and tool solutions.
• Digital Tool Proficiency: The ability to effectively use digital platforms for analysis and collaboration, including Salesforce for customer relationship management and Skywise for market and maintenance intelligence.
• Effective Communication & Presentation: The ability to present complex technical and business information clearly and persuasively to diverse audiences, from engineering teams to customer executives at events like Material Readiness Conferences (MRC).

Preferred
• Specific GSE & Tools Expertise: Direct technical experience with Ground Support Equipment, either from an engineering, design, or operational perspective.
• Sales Support Experience: Previous experience working as a technical advisor in support of a sales organization, particularly in a B2B environment.
• Contractual and Legal Acumen: Familiarity with the process of interfacing with legal and contracts departments for the sale of services or products.
• Familiarity with Airbus Processes: Knowledge of the Airbus New Product Development (NPD) process would be a distinct advantage.

Communication Skills: Required:
• Your communication and interpersonal skills are excellent, with an ability to work effectively with diverse teams across multiple locations.
• Your written and spoken English is at a negotiation level.
• Your written and spoken Spanish is at a negotiation level Technical Systems

Proficiency: Required:
• CRM experience (Salesforce)


Preferred:
• Data analytics
• Skywise

This position operates with significant autonomy and strategic influence within a highly complex environment. The jobholder must:
• Navigate a Complex Working Environment: Constantly align with stakeholders across a transnational, cross-divisional, and cross-functional landscape, including operational reporting to Europe while driving strategy in the Americas.
• Solve Heterogeneous Challenges: Address a wide range of issues spanning technical design, market analysis, high-level commercial negotiation, and legal frameworks.
• Exercise a High Degree of Freedom to Act: Operate with autonomy, guided by the long-term business strategy. Your recommendations and business cases are the primary drivers for investment decisions in the region

Level of Decision Making:
• Strategic and Operational Organizational information
  • Is this a people manager? No
  • # of Exempt Reports: 0
  • # of Non-exempt Reports: 0
  • Job Dimensions: Financial Impact: Directly contributes to the end-to-end GSE & Tool revenue target of $222M USD by 2030.
  • Strategic Influence: Defines the long-term GSE & Tools strategy for the entire Americas region. The business cases you develop are foundational to a global product pipeline that generates approximately 20 new part numbers annually.
  • Customer & Operational Impact: Leads co-development partnerships that are a pillar of our 2025 strategy, with the goal of reducing new product development lead times by up to 25%.
  • Nature of Contacts:
    • Internal at all levels in Customer Services
    • External with customers, influencing and negotiating


Physical Requirements: • Onsite or remote: 60% • Vision: able to see and read computer screen and other electronic equipment with screens, able to read documents, reports and engineering drawings. • Hearing: able to hear to participate in conversations in person and via teleconference or phone and to hear sounds on production floor including safety warnings or alarms. • Speaking: able to speak in conversations and meetings, deliver information and participate in communications. • Equipment Operation (personal computer, telephone, copies, fax machine, and related office equipment and using electronic identification card to enter building floors and internal doors): able to operate most office and personal electronic equipment and some tools including production tools such as hydraulic lifts. • Carrying: able to carry documents, tools, drawings, electronic equipment up to 30lbs/14kgs. • Lifting: able to lift documents, tools, drawings, electronic equipment up to 30lbs/14kgs. • Pushing / Pulling: able to push and pull small office furniture and some equipment and tools. • Sitting: able to sit for long periods of time in meetings, working on computer. • Squatting / Kneeling: able to squat or kneel to retrieve or replace items stored on low shelving. • Standing: able to stand for discussions in offices or on production floor. • Travel: able to travel independently and at short notice.

The Company reserves the right to revise, change and/or modify job duties, responsibilities or working conditions as the need arises, with or without advance notice. Employment with the Company is at-will. This position description and the statements contained within it do not create any contractual rights between the Company and its employees, either express or implied. • Walking (include routine walking such as to a shared printer to retrieve documents): able to walk through office and production areas including uneven surfaces. • Personal Protective Equipment required: Required PPE includes, but is not limited to, Safety Shoes, Safety Glasses, Hearing Protection, Respirators/Masks, and/or Protective Gloves as required by site and/or customer site • Administrative position only PPE required: Steel-toed shoes are required for all shop floor visit, appropriate hearing/eye protection may also be required when visiting the shop floor.

About Airbus

Airbus SE is a European multinational aerospace corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells civil and military aeronautical products worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Airbus, Airbus Helicopters, and Airbus Defence and Space. The Airbus segment develops, manufactures, markets, and sells commercial jet aircraft of approximately 100 seats; and regional turboprop aircraft and aircraft components, as well as provides aircraft conversion and related services. The Airbus Helicopters segment develops, manufactures, markets, and sells civil and military helicopters; and offers helicopter related services. The Airbus Defence and Space segment develops, manufactures, markets, and sells military aircraft, such as combat, mission, transport, and tanker aircraft; and missile systems, military satellites, and defence electronics, as well as provides defence related services. The company was formerly known as Airbus Group SE and changed its name to Airbus SE in April 2017. Airbus SE was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Blagnac, France.
Learn more about Airbus
Size
135,000 employees
Industry
Founded
2000

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