This position requires in-person collaboration up to five days a week. This arrangement is subject to change based on business requirements.
Overview of role: The Transformation organization sits at the core of the WestJet Group and is accountable for translating the enterprise strategy into delivered, measurable financial outcomes. Program Managers within Transformation own a single enterprise program end to end, including the business case, the benefit commitments embedded in the annual budget and five-year plan, and the program delivery budget. These roles are designated for top-tier talent with a proven record of delivering transformation at scale and serve as a developmental platform for future leadership roles.
As a member of this team, the
Program Manager, Transformation (Crew) leads end-to-end delivery of the Crew Productivity, Resilience & Flexibility program and is accountable, in partnership with the Program Sponsor, for the realization of $10-50M in annual run-rate EBITDA benefit. Reporting to the Director, Corporate Strategy and working in close partnership with the VP - Operations Planning & Performance and the Director, Group Resource Planning, this role sets delivery strategy and cadence, secures decisions from executive sponsors and the Executive Committee, and directs cross-functional and external delivery resources so committed transformation benefits are achieved.
Key Responsibilities - Own end-to-end delivery of the Crew Productivity, Resilience & Flexibility program, including scope, integrated plan, milestones, decision gates and the committed outcome of $10-50M in annual run-rate EBITDA benefit, so that transformation value is realized and sustained
- Own the program business case and benefit commitments with Finance and the Program and Executive Sponsor(s) - size unsized components, set and defend the benefit assumptions used in the annual budget and five-year plan, and report realized value against baseline, so that committed savings are credible and auditable
- Direct matrixed delivery teams drawn from Operations, Commercial, Technology, Finance, People and Experience, plus external consulting and vendor partners - define the work, set standards and hold delivery owners to committed outcomes without formal reporting authority
- Drive the crew North Star and scorecard: translate the long-term fleet and network plan into a multi-year crew vision, objectives, KPIs and targets that balance productivity, resilience and flexibility
- Lead delivery across the five program workstreams - workforce and labour strategy, planning process and parameters, day-of process and crew scheduling coordination, advanced tooling and analytics, and core technology modernization
- Support the long-term crew and basing strategy, dynamic workforce modelling and the CBA toolkit, including peer benchmarking to inform upcoming pilot and cabin crew negotiations, in close partnership with Labour Relations / People / InFlight / Flight Ops
- Partner with business and technology leaders to advance the crew technology roadmap, delivering transformational platform upgrades and ensuring alignment with strategic objectives, financial commitments, and operational outcomes
- Engage executive stakeholders on a regular basis, including the Executive Sponsor(s), Chief Transformation Officer and the Executive Committee - frame trade-offs, recommend decisions on scope, sequencing and investment, and secure alignment and resources, so that the program is unblocked at the pace required
- Determine and manage the program delivery budget, including approved external consulting spend, and establish the delivery operating system - war rooms, escalation paths, RAID discipline, structured lookbacks and Lean problem solving - so that risk, interdependencies and change impacts are controlled
- Integrate the crew agenda with adjacent transformation programs and enterprise planning cycles so that crew decisions, network and schedule decisions, and budget assumptions remain connected and consistent
Competencies & Attributes - Strategic and analytical mindset with the ability to synthesize operational, financial, labour and system inputs into concise, compelling insights and defensible benefit cases
- Deep crew domain credibility; able to move fluently between workforce planning, pairing and rostering, reserve and day-of scheduling, crew pay and contractual rules
- Politically astute and organizationally savvy; skilled at navigating labour-sensitive topics, anticipating risks, surfacing trade-offs and mitigating challenges before they materialize
- Demonstrated excellence in program, portfolio and stakeholder management, with meticulous attention to detail and a bias for execution under tight timelines
- Highly trusted and discreet; adept at handling sensitive information, labour strategy, investment decisions and executive communications with integrity and professionalism
- Exceptional communication and executive writing skills; able to tailor messaging from the front line to the Executive Committee
- Collaborative and team-oriented, yet self-directed and confident in assuming leadership without formal authority
- Optimistic, resilient and solution-focused, with a passion for delivering meaningful organizational impact through operational change
Professional Experience & Qualifications - Minimum of 8-12 years of progressive experience in transformation, operations leadership, crew planning or enterprise program delivery within large, complex or matrixed organizations
- Demonstrated accountability for delivering large-scale, enterprise-wide transformation programs of comparable financial scale at another organization - the successful candidate will have done this before, not led it for the first time
- Deep, ideally end-to-end, crew experience with a track record of delivering results in this area of the business, spanning long-range workforce and basing strategy, crew planning and parameter setting, pairing and rostering, reserve optimization, and day-of crew scheduling
- Practical understanding of collective agreement mechanics and their productivity, resilience and cost implications, including experience preparing or supporting negotiation strategy and modelling contractual scenarios
- Experience delivering crew system implementations or replacements (e.g., crew management, pairing and rostering, vacancy bidding or crew analytics platforms), including vendor selection and benefits realization
- Proven ability to lead cross-functional initiatives across operations, commercial, technology and finance, driving alignment and execution across diverse stakeholder groups without formal authority
- Strong familiarity with corporate governance processes, including preparation of Board and executive committee materials, business case approval, budget cycles and enterprise portfolio governance
- Lean / Continuous Improvement background, with Lean Six Sigma certification preferred; PMP or equivalent an asset
- Aviation or comparable complex operating environment experience preferred
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Operations Management, Aviation Management or a related field required; Master's degree or MBA preferred
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