Team Leader - Queenstown Tower

Known as the adventure capital of the world, Queenstown is the home to ultimate adventure activities and iconic scenic views. The opportunity of a uniquely outdoor lifestyle makes Queenstown one of the most appealing places to live and work in New Zealand. The town is known for its welcoming community and is home to a wide mix of cultures and ethnicities. Situated between Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables mountains, Queenstown is a playground for adrenaline-junkies, nature seekers and foodies.

About Airways:

Our people manage New Zealand's 30 million square kms of airspace, providing air traffic control, surveillance, communication, flight inspection, mapping, and airspace design services. We work with government, regulatory authorities, airlines, airports, and the general aviation community to ensure pilots, passengers and goods reach their destination - safely. At Airways, our values underpin all that we do. We value Safety, Each Other, Excellence and Success in all that we do. Our organisation is made up of operational business groups that are supported by governance and corporate services functions. To learn more about our people and organisational structure, check out www.airways.co.nz/about.

About the Role:

This vacancy is for a permanent Air Traffic Controller at Queenstown Tower, with an initial, defined period as Queenstown Tower Team Leader, As Team Leader, you will be leading a close-knit team of controllers in our Queenstown Tower, championing high standards and excellence in training to safely and successfully deliver services to our customers every day.  Whilst this is predominantly a leadership role you will be required to hold a current ATC license. If you are looking for your next leadership challenge in aviation, at a fast paced and complex unit surrounded by some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world, then this could be a tempting move for you!

As a Team Leader, you will represent the face of Airways to our customers and within our business; you will have the ability to communicate across many layers while actively supporting the aims of our company to deliver a safe, efficient and sustainable service.

Your initial Team Leader stint is for a period of two years.  Within three months of the expiry of the initial two-year period, Airways will consider, in consultation with you, whether to offer you a further two years stint as Team Leader.

To be appointed as Queenstown Tower Team Leader, you do not need to hold a Queenstown Tower validation at the time of appointment. However, you will be required to achieve your Queenstown Tower rating within the initial two-year period. If you are unsuccessful in training, or if operational constraints prevent you from obtaining the rating within this timeframe, the Team Leader position will be reviewed. Upon the end of your Queenstown Tower Team Leader stint, you will continue in your full time, permanent employment as a Queenstown Tower Air Traffic Controller.

Key Responsibilities:

• Oversee the delivery of safe and compliant air traffic services.
• Ensure operational performance aligns with customer needs and regulatory requirements.
• Lead transformational change initiatives and drive continuous improvement.
• Maintain key customer relationships and identify new commercial opportunities.
• Champion a strong safety culture and high-performance team environment.
• Collaborate on strategic business planning across ATS operations.

About You:
To be successful in this role, you will bring:

• Have displayed an impressive ability to lead others and effectively manage the safe and efficient delivery of Air Traffic Services.
• Have proven experience in building positive and professional relationships with customers, ideally at an International Tower unit where traffic demand sometimes outstrips available capacity.
• Have experience maintaining optimum proficiency standards and ATS training.
• Be willing and able to obtain Controller ratings and OJTI check ratings at Queenstown Tower.
• Have a current controller license.
• Previous experience of controlling at a fast paced and complex Tower.

To Apply:

If you are a strategic leader looking for your next challenge at Airways, we would love to hear from you! Please submit your application (CV and Cover Letter) via the job advertisement.

Please note that you must be legally eligible to work in New Zealand to be considered.

Application closing date is 16 April 2025

At Airways, our people are at the heart of what we do to keep NZ skies safe. We are committed to creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace where people feel they belong and can bring their whole self to work. We currently hold the Rainbow Tick and NQTick (neurodiversity) and are working towards Gender Tick. We make our recruitment decisions based on the best candidate for the job and therefore encourage applications from diverse candidates.