Head of Crew Planning

About Brussels Airlines

Brussels Airlines, part of the Lufthansa Group, is the national airline of Belgium with its home base at Brussels Airport.
Our mission is to be the most reliable airline, making everyone feel at home.
We are passionate about what we do, whether it’s on board, in an office, in the hangar or at an airport. Our people are recognized for always going above and beyond and for constantly challenging themselves.

Purpose of the position

To direct the Crew Resource Scheduling Department with regard to preparing, planning, monitoring and adjusting crew manpower needs and rostering, within the constraints set by legislation, CLA’s and productivity targets.

This role has an extremely important impact on the company’s operations and therefore on its ability to reach its commercial and financial objectives as the role impacts directly the lives of the whole flying crew community.

Your profile

1. Team Management Crew Planning

Overall coordination & lead of all crew planning activities

Main activities

Supervises and gives leadership to the team in the day-to-day activities, coaches & motivates the team members, guarantees further team development, performs the annual evaluations and takes care of HR related issues.

Analyze the team structure and propose an organizational change with an aim to improve the rostering management throughout its lifecycle and in particular in between original rostering and crew watch timeframe.

1. Manage the pairing and rostering process

Ensure legal, fatigue limitation and productive crew rostering schedules for 2000+ people

Main activities

With the team, run the process of creating monthly or longer term crew rosters by applying all applicable legal obligations, agreed CLA’s and fatigue assessments which aims at obtaining planned crew productivity targets. This result area is managed through various functions in the team as well as a number of rostering systems which need to be maintained, kept up to date and in line with changes in CLA’s or other agreements with staff representatives in the various committees. Furthermore, it requires regular reporting, consultation and negotiation on the results and the impacts on work/life balance to and with management and staff representatives.

Report and analyse the rosters on a regular basis with respect to the competing criteria of legal and CLA requirements, productivity and work/life balance and take adequate decisions to respect and justify this balance.

Manage the relationships and competing pressure from various impacted departments such as network and various flight operations departments.

Prepare union negotiations and simulate effects of negotiation topics on rostering and manpower needs from cost, efficiency, fatigue and crew quality of life perspective.

1. Manpower planning

Determine the short and long term manpower needs.

Main activities

Through analysis and planning, determine the long and short term manpower needs for the various cockpit and cabin crew categories leading to timely recruitment, predictable training plans and which ensures timely holiday and absence planning without endangering planned flight production or productivity targets. Impact from erroneous decisions has an important financial and operational impact on the company being unable to execute planned and sold flights. Support the Cabin and cockpit line management in the continuous optimization of the crew cost budget by investigating and implementing savings. Collaborate with network to harmonize the various fleet, crew and network exercises.

1. Productivity and Process Improvement

Optimise processes to obtain stable, reliable results at high productivity

Main activities

Drive the review and optimization of the company’s complete crew planning process and responsibility allocation, improving its stability and robustness. Scope and help shape the impact of other departments on the process. Reinforce collaboration with flight operations, training, cabin and cockpit line management and network. Furthermore, sharpen the analysis and calculation to optimize capacity utilization with an aim to reach for Reboot productivity targets. 

1. Jeppesen system implementation project

Implementation of a new and complex manpower planning and rostering system

Main activities

Run the multi-year project to ensure adequate implementation of the various components of the Jeppesen system. System implementation will include the installation and stabilization of a crew pairing and rostering tool, a manpower planning tool and various other systems ultimately replacing Blue One.

System implementation will result in important process changes for the team as well as the crew which need to be analysed and decided carefully and deliberately and combined with an elaborate change management component for both staff and flying crew.

Ensure that the promised efficiency gains offered by the tool implementation are leveraged

What we offer

• A flexible reward plan that allows you to optimize part of your salary
• A flexible work environment focused on activity-based working and home office possibility
• Travel benefits
• Company car (or car allowance and/or public transport subscription)
• Profit sharing
• Group insurance
• Company medical plan (optional)
• Representation & homeworking allowance
• Meal & eco vouchers
• A spot in a very enthusiastic team & a great company to work for