UK Airport & Airline Engagement Leads

464674 UK Airport & Airline Engagement Leads

Department for Transport

Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 21st June 2026

📍 Location: Birmingham, Leeds (This role is suitable for hybrid working)

💷 Salary: £35,663 – A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

🕘️ Contract Type: Permanent – Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time

🏆️ Available Positions: 2

Aviation is vital to the UK’s economy and connectivity, and a strong relationship between the department and the sector is key to its success. As a Policy and Engagement lead for UK Airlines or Airports, you’ll be at the heart of shaping the Department’s relationship with the sector. Your work will provide regular insight into how the UK’s airports and airlines are performing and responding to government policy, helping ensure government decisions are grounded in real-world insight, supporting a sector that millions of people rely on every day.

These roles sit within the within the Aviation Strategy, Markets and Regulation Division. As a division, we pride ourselves on being approachable and friendly, supporting one another and leading vital work at the heart of the Directorate. The Aviation Commercial and Engagement team plays a key role in maintaining our understanding of the sector, and ensuring commercial insights are reflected in Government policies.

These roles are exciting positions with opportunities to develop commercial awareness, be on the front line of governments aviation agenda and gain insights into how the aviation sector works.

Top Responsibilities

Engagement – Manage the Department’s external engagement with UK airports, airlines and key partners, taking an active role towards fostering strong relationships and ensuring effective understanding of key issues.
Commercial monitoring – Support the embedding of a process to monitor and analyse the aviation market to assess sector health and identify emerging issues. This will include arranging and note taking for meetings regular with senior representatives for the UK’s airports and airlines to understand market outlook and the challenges facing the sector.
Strategic advice – Provide advice and briefings to senior officials and Ministers on airport and airline-related This supporting drafting of a State of the Market pack and submission to present to senior officials and ministers.
Commercial policy and understanding – Collaborate with policy teams in DfT and other Government Departments to ensure policies are informed by robust commercial and policy insight and to keep the sector informed of wider policies that might affect them.
Respond to commercial situations – Support the response to ad hoc emerging commercial situations that may need Government involvement, to ensure timely and coordinated action across government.
Insolvency Policy – Supporting maintaining the Departments preparedness for an insolvency situation and consider whether Government policy should be updated to help respond to large scale failures.

Benefits

Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave).
8 Bank Holidays plus an additional Privilege Day to mark the King’s birthday.
Access to the staff discount portal.
Excellent career development opportunities and the potential to undertake professional qualifications relevant to your role paid for by the department, such as CIPD, Prince2, apprenticeships, etc.
Joining a diverse and inclusive workforce with a range of staff communities to support all our colleagues.
24-hour Employee Assistance Programme providing free confidential help and advice for staff.
Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

About You

To be successful in this role you will need to have the following experience:

Strong stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to build and sustain effective relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders at senior levels, and to be able to navigate complex and challenging commercial and policy environments.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to understand and apply commercial considerations to inform a wide range of policy developments and decisions.
Ability to present complex information clearly and concisely to influence and inform decision-making, including drafting high-quality briefings and submissions for Ministers or Senior Leaders.
Proven ability to organise, plan and manage competing priorities, identify risks and deliver under pressure to tight deadlines.
A proactive and collaborative team player, able to be organised and self-motivated while contributing to wider team goals.
Knowledge of the aviation sector or commercial dynamics in another sector.

How to Apply

👉 Read the full description and apply here: https://bit.ly/49YHH8n

This vacancy closes at 23:55 on Sunday 21^st June 2026