Principal

**Date**:6 Sep 2024

**Location**: Gatwick, GB

**Company**:Civil Aviation Authority

**Salary**:£50,477 up to £55,000 (dependent upon experience) + £15,355 Market Related Supplement.**

**Contract Type: Permanent, Full-time**

**Security Level: SC**

We are the UK's aviation and aerospace regulator and recognised as a world leader in its field. Our activities are diverse, enabling the aviation industry to meet the highest safety standards, and we pride ourselves on our ability to adapt to the constantly evolving aviation environment.

**The Role**

UK airspace forms part of critical national infrastructure and is some of the most complex in the world. However, it has been developed over a prolonged period, in a fragmented and uncoordinated manner that has struggled to keep pace with demands put on it and evolution of aircraft technology - in short it is in need of urgent modernisation. The UK Airspace Modernisation Strategy (AMS) seeks to drive the modernisation of this asset through its vision of quicker, cleaner, and quieter journeys. One of the key tenets of the AMS is move away from the uncoordinated, individually sponsored, approach to airspace design, and take a coordinated, strategic approach to ensure airspace design keeps pace with modernisation.

Delivery of the SDE project is a CAA Board and Secretary of State for Transport priority.

**Core Accountabilities**
- Support evolution and delivery of the SDE Project so that it can where necessary drive changes to legislative, policy and regulatory frameworks to support the development, implementation and the future oversight and management of an SDE in the short, medium, and longer term.
- Help develop, evidence, and communicate key areas of focus for the SDE Project and work collaboratively to develop the initial SDE proposition, ready for implementation at pace, as well support the development of regulatory requirements and frameworks for its future.
- Provide technical airspace SME input as part of delivering critical and robust support to the SDE Project Board, along with other senior internal governance meetings, including ExCo and Board, as appropriate.
- Ensure provision of the airspace related material necessary to support the smooth functioning and output of the weekly DfT/CAA SDE meeting and SDE Project Board as part of the SDE Project’s governance.
- Provide SME input to as part of the SDE Project’s roadmap ‘Plan’, to include all elements necessary for the successful delivery of an IOC SDE and laying the foundations for a future FOC SDE.
- Liaise and coordinate with specialists from across the wider CAA departments as necessary in support of SDE sponsored ACP activities.
- Fulfill role of SDE Project Team SME on all aspects of the CAAs CAP1616 Airspace Change Process.
- Where appropriate provide advice and guidance to the SDE to enable them to comply with the requirements of the airspace change process.
- Capture and readily share safety-relevant intelligence, information, and analysis from multiple internal and external sources with all CAA groups.
- To keep up to date with CAA records management policies and procedures and to amend CSP SDE practices and procedures to ensure continuing compliance.

**About You**

**Essential**
- Have been either an Air Traffic Controller, civil/military aircrew, or an equivalent level of technical expertise, with extensive experience of ATM and specifically ATC operations in UK airspace both enroute and terminal.
- Have a good knowledge of the CAA and UK aviation industry supported by an understanding of key legislative factors influencing and determining the CAA’s role as an airspace regulator e.g. the Civil Aviation Act, Air Navigation Order, Rules of the Air Regulations and the appropriate MAA Regulatory Publications.
- Working knowledge, or able to demonstrate the ability to rapidly develop knowledge, of ICAO, Eurocontrol Network Manager, EASA and other international institutions that might impact upon the implementation of an SDE and UK airspace modernization.
- Detailed knowledge of the Airspace Modernisation Strategy and CAP1616.
- Be able to rapidly establish personal credibility with technical specialists and develop constructive relationships, with effective communication skills both written and oral in engaging with contacts at all levels throughout the CAA and externally.
- Have high levels of commitment, reliability, and flexibility, and be an excellent team worker with sound interpersonal skills.
- Be innovative and able to develop novel solutions, based on expert knowledge and detailed understanding of ATM and aviation law principles.
- Have had past staff experience (including undertaking research, analysing findings and with the ability to make sound judgments) in area and/or terminal ATM operations policy or airspace development post.
- Can work with minimum supervision, be pro-active and possess strong time management skills to meet deadlines.
- Possess good organisational