Job Description

Heathrow is a city within a city, through which millions of passengers travel every year. In Operational Planning, our goal is to give passengers the best airport service in the world, in an environment where change is constant.


Join us and you'll become part of an exciting and fast-paced team that keeps the airport running smoothly. Whether it's using data and strategy to predict and plan for events, responding to unexpected disruptions, or working closely with Airport Operations Control and airlines to optimise flight schedules and reduce delays, you'll make a real difference to the experience of countless passengers.


Together, we're responsible for creating the right planning proposition, from defining roles to building rosters, and delivering an effective plan every day. It's about understanding our capacity and making best use of it. And about evaluating our performance every day, so we can continuously improve. Every day will test your skills and give you the opportunity to make your mark at one of the busiest airports in the world. Join us and discover a one-of-a-kind career.



Reporting into the Planning and Performance Leads within our Operational Planning function. This is a fantastic opportunity for candidates that enjoy evaluating data and making decisions. The intention of this role is to develop efficient and effective operational capacity plans, based on Heathrow's demand and capacity.


Your role will also involve developing and imparting allocations plans, that incorporate seasonal, monthly, weekly and daily planning, including any tactical changes.


You will be working with a wide range of information and data from across many internal and external operational functions; to forecast demand as accurately as possible, and to work with colleagues and teams to prepare and adjust operational plans accordingly.


The role is focused on developing the functions' planning capability and embedding it into daily operations to improve performance and facilitate a culture of 'Plan, Do, Review' operational approach, which is guided by the standards of being 'Prepared, Informed, Collaborative and Proactive'.


You will involve frequent discussions with internal and external Stakeholders including but not limited to, Business Leads, Service Managers, Projects, Airlines, Handling Agents, and other Airport Operating Companies, which could inform data requirements for developing plans and understanding the impacts of potential changes to the plan.


Managing and building stakeholder relationships is a key requirement of this role. Candidates should be able to depart complex information in a manner that the audience can understand and at the same time lead and influence decisions.



Engage with internal and external stakeholders, including cross Heathrow teams, airlines, ground handlers and project teams, where required, to agree plans and proposals Take data from various sources and communicate plans and implement changes Collaborate with Commercial, Project, Capacity and Terminal Teams to ensure proposed plans are aligned to business and operational needs Using data visualisations to explain analytical findings, explore the data and create compelling reports and insights.

Logic driven problem solving skills and the ability to manage complexity and ambiguity. Working on own initiative to pre-empt risks and exercise sound judgement to seek and identify solutions Ability to identify and filter relevant information, determine where to focus analysis and specify the parameters of any search or query needed. Ability to validate information returned against requirements Operationally & commercially astute. Strong understanding / desire to understand Heathrow's end to end operation, including passenger processes, airline / handler ways of working Ability to identify and anticipate likely consequences of operational situations / actions Desirable to have PowerBi or other technical platforms

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 end the day 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

Our Hybrid working approach offers the opportunity for colleagues in some roles to work from home for an average of two days a week, providing the flexibility to work in an agile way whilst ensuring we deliver for the operational needs of Heathrow . Working arrangements vary from team to team and will be confirmed during the recruitment process. You'll need to be based in the UK and within a commutable distance to Heathrow.

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. With five diversity networks, we champion inclusivity and celebrate individuality.