Description
Lead and supervise daily airport operations to ensure safe, compliant, and efficient airside and landside activity. Coordinate with ATC, airlines, tenants, maintenance, and emergency services; manage inspections, NOTAMs, field condition reporting, construction impacts, and communications; maintain operational records; and direct staff training, response, and resource allocation using current weather and operational data.
- • Enforce airport safety procedures and SMS to protect personnel, passengers, and aircraft.
- • Plan, schedule, and supervise airfield and terminal maintenance and construction activities.
- • Coordinate runway and taxiway closures and issue associated NOTAMs and advisories.
- • Liaise with ATC, airlines, ARFF, maintenance, TSA, tenants, and the operations center to support airport operations.
- • Monitor and direct aircraft gate and stand assignments, parking, fueling, loading, and pushback coordination.
- • Ensure reliable radio communications and adherence to standard procedures.
- • Hire, train, schedule, and evaluate operations staff and contractors.
- • Disseminate departure, arrival, delay, closure, and airfield status information to stakeholders and controlling agencies.
- • Manage the procurement and distribution of operational publications, charts, maps, and weather resources.
- • Coordinate maintenance response to ATC requests and operational priorities.
- • Oversee mobile airfield management, inspections, and incident response.
- • Manage operational message traffic and maintain records in digital systems.
- • Collect, verify, and post weather data and airfield condition reports, including FICON.
- • Maintain operations logs, inspection reports, incident records, and movement area documentation.
- • Coordinate ground support services for diversions, VIP movements, charters, and transient aircraft.
- • Allocate gates and coordinate ramp resources during irregular operations and diversions.
- • Collaborate with ATC and airlines on schedule disruptions and changes affecting airfield capacity.
- • Plan and stage equipment and personnel for special operations, cargo, and medical evacuation flights.
- • Provide pilots and aircrews with current NOTAMs, field conditions, and required services.
- • Conduct tenant, contractor, and airfield access briefings and permit issuance.
- • Monitor status of navigational aids, lighting, and communications systems; coordinate repairs and outages.
- • Maintain and update operations status boards and digital display systems.
- • Coordinate military and government flight operations with FAA and security agencies when required.
- • Lead or support response to aircraft, medical, security, and hazardous materials emergencies.
- • Implement wildlife hazard management and mitigation programs on and around the airport.
- • Inspect movement and non-movement areas for FAR Part 139 compliance and operational safety.
- • Patrol airfield perimeters and facilities to maintain security and controlled access.
- • Direct airport-wide snow and ice control, including FOD removal and runway and taxiway condition reporting.
- • Review and approve construction safety and phasing plans to protect aircraft operations.
- • Conduct drills and training for the Airport Emergency Plan and irregular operations.
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
