Main Objectives

The Manager Inflight & Ground Product has the responsibility of the creation of products with new or different characteristics that offer new or additional benefits to the customer. Product development may involve modification of an existing product or its presentation or formulation of an entirely new product that satisfies a newly defined customer want or market niche. The Inflight & Product department is part of the Commercial Division and supports all the customer centric innovations.

Main Duties

1) Airports & lounges
a. Constantly keep abreast with the trends, standards and quality of the products and services on ground and customers’ feedback on GF’s existing ground product.
b. Write Business cases justifying actions of benefit to the customer and the airline and to allocate the required budget.
c. Conduct research to ensure proper industry benchmarking and assess competitiveness of new ground product options.
d. Conduct feasibility studies on development of new airport lounges and refurbishment of existing lounges.
e. Ensure that all outstation airports check in area meets GF standards and brand guidelines.
f. Develop new or refurbish existing airport lounges in accordance with GF’s new definition and standards on branding, facilities and services.
g. Write business cases for new or refurbish existing lounges, obtain approvals on floor plans and designs, evaluate proposals with the concern dept.
h. Field inspections during the construction of the lounge, to ensure that all meet GF brand guidelines and standards.
i. Check and ensure that all dedicated GF lounges are fully equipped and will maintained.
j. Ensure that all GF dedicated lounges would have the same product and standards.
k. Explore and identify, with user departments, new service innovations and opportunities to improve lounge and ground service such as the Concierge, Limo services, Home check in etc..
l. Evaluate the various ground product options & prepare business case/ evaluations for user departments to implement the recommended service innovations.
m. Monitor the implementation of the ground service innovations, whether the desired end results have been achieved as well as customers’ and users’ department feedback.
n. Write business cases justifying new presented ground product such as: meet & Greet, Limo service, improving the Passenger journey at the airport.
o. Field inspections to all 3rd party lounges to ensure the standards are met by them.
p. Ensure that all outstation airport GF check in, meets the branding guidelines and have all communication documents that should be with in the check in area.
q. Review all GF dedicated lounges catering contracts, submit tender documents, evaluate proposals, develop and improve provided service, food and overall customer services.

2) Duty Free
a. Set the strategic direction of the Duty Free programme ensuring a strong commercial focus aimed at promoting the airline whilst ensuring brand attributes are maintained.
b. Plan and conduct market research for new suppliers, write business cases, evaluate proposals and negotiate for better deals on behalf of the airline.
c. Working with Cabin Crew Department to overcome any obstacles that might occur during the operation and find solutions to enable the Cabin Crew to do the sales.
d. Review and analyze received reports on monthly basis, findings to be shared with Cabin Crew and Finance depts. such as:
i. Monthly sales report per sector
ii. Monthly nil sales report per sector
iii. Monthly nil open duty free carts per sector
iv. Plan quarterly Cabin Crew incentives for better sales initiatives in coordination with Cabin Crew department.
a. Ensure that the evaluation, negotiations and appointment of the Duty Free Supplier are duly carried out.
b. Ensure that the income possibilities of the Duty Free programme are maximized through managing and maximizing all potential sales channels in conjunction with the selected company charged with producing the Duty Free programme.

3) Onboard/GF lounges newspapers & magazines (Physical or Digital)
a. Set the strategic direction of the Onboard Publications programme ensuring a strong commercial focus aimed at promoting the airline whilst ensuring brand attributes are maintained.
b. Ensure that the evaluation, negotiations and appointment of the On-board & Lounge Publications Supplier are duly carried out.
c. Ensure that the cost reduction possibilities of the Onboard Publications programme are maximized through managing and maximizing free advertisement opportunities, free subscriptions and free loading and logistics costs in conjunction with the selected company charged with producing the Onboard Publications programme.
d. Ensure that all cross leverage opportunities are identified within Marketing and across the rest of the company so that the Onboard Publications programme is seen to be relevant to our consumer and brand and takes in to consideration any sensitivity with regard to press relations, by liaising with Marketing and Public Relations.
e. Ensure that the budgeted offset costs in relation to the cost of onboard publications and free advertising are achieved.

4) Inflight products
a. Define and design all cabin appearance products and edible and non edible products to meet the airline branding and customer satisfactions.
b. Constantly keep abreast with the trends, standards and quality of the products and services on Inflight and customers’ feedback on GF’s existing Inflight product.
c. Manage all related tenders from market research, RFTs, evaluations, appointing the suppliers and their contracts.
d. Manage all inflight contracts and ensure that all valid and if required to be renewed or tendered

5) Others
a. Inflight printing requirements which includes meal boxes, menu and IFS documents Manage all inflight documentation and printing items, forms and menus
b. Cabin crew Uniform and all related accessories, define and design the cabin crew & ground staff uniforms, and ensure the availability of sufficient stock
c. Review all inflight menus to ensure that all up to the airline standard offering
d. Review all inflight stock level on weekly basis, to avoid unforeseen shortages and nil stock, to plan all future IFS product tenders.

6) General
a. Product Definition and Scope
i. Identification of needs
ii. Plan & Budget
iii. Search ( New Trends, Competitors )
iv. Sourcing the Market
v. Define ( Definition, Specification )
vi. Business Case
vii. RFT ( Request For Tender )
viii. Receiving samples and Evaluating
ix. Executive Summary
x. Analyzing Tender ( Quality of Product )
xi. Analyzing Quotes ( Division Control )
xii. Approve the Pre-production Sample
xiii. Internal/External Communication
b. Responsible for subordinates KPIs and required to complete all stages of performance management system.

Experience

Minimum 7 years of airline industry experience (or similar parallel or linked industry), with a minimum of 2 years spent in in-flight and/or ground services department, or Product dept.

Qualifications

• University Degree or equivalent.
• Excellent teamwork and inter-personal skills and ability to work with all levels of staff.
• Strong Project Management skills and ability to manage external vendors from different countries.
• Ability to write reports, business cases and requirements documents clearly and accurately.
• Possess the ability to communicate at all levels, inside and outside the Company.
• Possess a confident, mature but energetic and creative personality with strong problem solving and analytical skills and the ability to provide solutions to complex issues.
• Extremely high dedication towards the job and willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty.
• Fluent in English and advanced communication skills, both written and verbal, with emphasis on translating complex concepts between business and technical groups.
• Strong negotiation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively to deadlines, multi-task and manage priorities.

Position Grade

GA17M