It takes a special kind of team work to keep the world's most iconic airport running smoothly. Over 65,000 people across hundreds of companies work at Heathrow and together they are Team Heathrow. The airport team includes colleagues from airlines, baggage handlers, control authorities, retailers, passenger services, emergency services, transport providers, security, engineering, airfield operations and more.
Our team are responsible for managing relationships with our partners, and coordinating day-to-day operational activities, including the Airport Operating Centre (APOC) operational plan.
Our purpose is to make every journey better and we work closely with our Team Heathrow Partners to achieve it. We do this by building trusted relationships with our partners, working to understand our shared goals and continually driving up standards across safety, operational and resilience performance. This demands close collaboration and communications, clear governance, working to quickly identify and to resolve shared issues that proactively deliver improvement across Heathrow and for our passengers.
It's an inspiring, exciting place to work, with unlimited opportunities to make a difference. Be part of this city within a city and you'll find a team that feels like family, and a place where you belong.
The Airport Control Shift Lead manages day-to-day APOC operations, coordinating responses to incidents, ensuring procedures are followed, and acting as the first point of escalation. They provide leadership to OLCs and OCs during routine and complex events, liaise with key stakeholders, and line-manage a team of Airport Control Officers to maintain operational standards.
* Lead and support the Airport Control team during the shift, ensuring effective coordination, situational awareness, and adherence to SOPs/CSOPs/Emergency Orders.
* Act as the main point of escalation and liaison for AOM, ACM/ACOM, OLCs, OCs, and wider stakeholders during routine operations and incidents.
* Manage and support the Airport Control Officers, including performance, wellbeing, training, and regular 1-2-1s.
* Oversee incident response and communication, ensuring timely handling of calls/alarms, accurate logging, appropriate resourcing, and clear information flow.
* Maintain operational standards, including DORIS oversight, fault tracking, system monitoring, and ensure all notifications are responded to in line with KPIs.
* Coordinate shift operations by managing room coverage, breaks, roster considerations, shift handovers, calendars, and mandatory checks of resilient facilities.
* Drive continuous improvement and consistency, supporting process enhancements, embedding learnings, and ensuring alignment with operational procedures.
* Represent Airport Control in wider APOC and Heathrow operations, attending briefings, supporting exercises, and contributing to stakeholder engagement and planning.
* Experience in airport operations, ideally with at least 12 months in a multi-stakeholder operational environment and familiarity with Heathrow's terminal/airfield geography.
* Strong organisational skills, able to multi-task, work flexibly, and implement operational improvements.
* Excellent communication and influencing skills, adapting style to engage internal and external stakeholders, including third parties and control authorities.
* Commitment to confidentiality and adherence to SOPs, with the confidence to challenge constructively when necessary.
* PC literate with competence in Windows-based and critical software applications, and passionate about building strong relationships and delivering excellent service.
* Professional Experience in a control room environment is essential for this role
There's something so special about working at the world's most iconic airport. Its sights. Its sounds. Its constant air of excitement. Heathrow is an amazing backdrop to a career filled with unique opportunities.
Every day, you'll discover a world full of fresh possibilities and come home buzzing with stories to tell, as you encounter people from all cultures, nationalities and experiences. A world full of pride for what we do and no end of exciting career prospects to explore.
It brings out the best in all of us. And inspires everyone to deliver on our ambitious plans. Together, we're working to welcome millions more passengers while ensuring aviation can continue to be a force for good by leading global efforts in sustainability.
Join us on that journey and we'll help you achieve your ambitions too. Supporting you to learn, encouraging you to be yourself, backing you to achieve more than you might ever have imagined. Because there's no place like Heathrow.
Our rewards
We offer competitive salaries and excellent benefits that will support you now and in the future. As well as performance-based annual bonuses and our longer-term Share in Success Bonus plans, we also offer generous annual leave allowances and market-leading pensions. With family friendly policies, access to private health insurance and a wide range of wellbeing tools, we'll support you to be at your best inside and outside work. And of course, we'll provide varied learning and development opportunities too. Here you'll find everything you need for a fulfilling career journey that can take you in exciting directions.
Working location
This is an airport-based position. Every day, you will play a critical role in helping us to give our passengers the best airport service in the world.
Sustainable Travel to work
Heathrow's Sustainable Travel Guide sets out easy and sustainable travel options that everyone can access.
Equal Opportunities
As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all. We believe that diverse talent makes us stronger – not least because we welcome passengers from all corners of the globe, every single day. Heathrow is an accessible place to work, and through our diversity networks, we champion inclusivity and celebrate individuality.