Sr. Director, Standards & Special Projects

At Canadian North, we don't just fly planes, we connect people, deliver essential goods, and support 25 northern communities that rely on us every day. Whether you're on the ground or in the air, working with us means being part of something bigger.You'll help strengthen communities, honor Indigenous cultures, and bring vital services to some of the most remote and remarkable places in Canada.Why You'll Love Working With Us
Competitive Pay & Benefits – Comprehensive medical, dental, and retirement planDiscounted Travel + Free Travel Passes – Enjoy worldwide flight privileges after probationCareer Growth – Build your aviation career with the trusted airline of the ArcticTotal Rewards & Employee Benefits
We’re committed to offering a comprehensive benefits package that supports your health, security, and future.3 weeks of vacation upon hireExtended health, dental, and life insurance (after 1 month)Short- & long-term disability coverage (after 1 month)Retirement savings plan (after 6 months)Travel privileges with Canadian North (after 1 month) and partner airlines (after 6 months)Cargo shipping privileges (per company policy)Opportunities for advancement within a trusted Canadian airlineThe Opportunity
The Senior Director, Standards & Special Projects leads the business enablement portfolio for Airport and Cargo Operations, providing strategic leadership across Standards, Training, Quality, Continuous Improvement, and Projects & Change.Reporting to the Vice President, Cargo and Airport Operations, this roleleads a team of experienced Managers who are subject matter experts within their respective disciplines. The Director provides the leadership, strategic direction, integration and business partnership required for these specialized functions to collectively enable Airport and Cargo Operations.This is a senior operational leadership role requiring strong understanding of complex frontline operations, sound judgment, systems thinking and the ability to lead through highly capable subject matter experts.What You Will Do
Lead the Business Enablement PortfolioSet the overall strategy, priorities and direction for Standards, Training, Quality, Continuous Improvement, and Projects & Change within Airport and Cargo Operations.Lead, coach and develop the Managers accountable for each portfolio pillar, empowering them to provide technical and functional leadership within their areas of expertise.Establish clear accountabilities while creating alignment and integration across the five functions.Prioritize resources and initiatives based on operational need, regulatory obligations, safety risk, business priorities and organizational capacity.Ensure the portfolio remains focused on enabling Airport and Cargo Operations consistently across the network.Identify gaps, overlaps and dependencies across the portfolio and determine where coordinated action is required.Build leadership capability and succession within the portfolio.Enable Airport & Cargo OperationsServe as a strategic advisor and business partner to Airport and Cargo operational leadership.Understand operational priorities, performance challenges and emerging risks and translate them into requirements for the appropriate portfolio functions.Ensure solutions consider the complete operational environment, including frontline execution, standards, training, safety, quality, technology, regulatory requirements and change impacts.Challenge existing practices and proposed solutions when they introduce unnecessary complexity, ineffective controls or unintended operational impacts.Help business owners move from identifying a problem to defining an effective and sustainable operational solution.Ensure solutions are practical for the frontline teams expected to execute them.Through the Managers responsible for each function:Ensure Airport and Cargo standards and procedures are current, consistent, practical and aligned with regulatory, safety and operational requirements.Ensure training programs build and maintain the competency required for employees to safely and effectively perform their work.Ensure Quality provides meaningful assurance that procedures, regulatory requirements and safety barriers are functioning as intended.Ensure findings and operational trends inform improvements to standards, training, processes and controls.Create strong connections between Standards, Training and Quality so that changes and findings in one area appropriately inform the others.Ensure regulatory and operational changes are supported by the required updates to documentation, training and assurance activities.Through the Manager responsible for Continuous Improvement:Establish priorities for continuous improvement based on operational performance, quality findings, frontline feedback, safety risk and business need.Ensure complex operational problems are understood before solutions are developed.Promote root-cause thinking and challenge teams to distinguish between symptoms and systemic issues.Ensure process improvements balance safety, compliance, operational efficiency and frontline practicality.Sponsor significant improvement initiatives and remove barriers that prevent sustainable implementation.Ensure improvement capability supports Airport and Cargo business owners rather than replacing their accountability for operational performance.Lead the Project & Change PortfolioThrough the Manager responsible for Projects & Change:Establish direction and priorities for significant Airport and Cargo projects and change initiatives.Ensure projects are tied to clear operational outcomes and aligned with Airport and Cargo priorities.Provide executive sponsorship and escalation support for complex initiatives.Ensure cross-functional dependencies, operational risks and implementation impacts are identified and managed.Ensure operational changes are supported by appropriate standards, training, communication, quality controls and ownership.Maintain focus beyond project completion to ensure changes are adopted and successfully transitioned into sustained operations.Leadership & Decision-MakingThe Director operates with significant independence and is expected to:Set priorities across a diverse portfolio of specialized functions.Provide strategic direction while trusting functional Managers to determine the appropriate technical approach within their areas of expertise.Make difficult resource and priority decisions when operational, regulatory and project demands compete.Identify emerging operational risks and capability gaps and bring forward recommendations before they become significant issues.Constructively challenge assumptions and proposed solutions.Escalate material operational, regulatory, safety, financial or organizational risks where appropriate.Provide clear recommendations to Airport and Cargo leadership when complex issues require executive decisions.Influence stakeholders outside Airport and Cargo Operations where successful outcomes depend on interconnected systems, processes or responsibilities.What You Bring
Experience
Minimum eight years of progressively responsible experience in aviation operations, with significant leadership experience in complex frontline operational environments.Demonstrated experience leading Managers, senior professionals or specialized subject matter experts.Strong understanding of Airport and/or Cargo Operations and the realities of frontline execution.Experience leading a portfolio involving several disciplines or areas of accountability.Demonstrated experience leading significant operational change and improvement.Experience working within regulated and safety-sensitive environments.Experience influencing outcomes across organizational boundaries where direct authority may not exist.Experience creating alignment between operational priorities and specialized support functions.Direct Airport and/or Cargo operational leadership experience is strongly preferred.Knowledge & CapabilitiesThe successful candidate does not need to be the foremost technical expert in Standards, Training, Quality, Continuous Improvement or Project Management. They will lead Managers who provide that expertise.Instead, the Director requires sufficient understanding across these disciplines to:Ask the right questions.Challenge assumptions.Assess risk and business impact.Recognize dependencies between functions.Set priorities and allocate resources.Evaluate recommendations from subject matter experts.Make sound decisions when competing perspectives exist.Bring several specialized functions together around a common operational outcome.The role requires broad knowledge of:Airport and/or Cargo OperationsAviation regulatory and safety environmentsOperational risk and controlsStandards and operational governanceTraining and competencyQuality and assuranceContinuous improvement and process designProject and change managementBusiness planning and resource prioritizationEducationUndergraduate degree in Business Administration, Aviation Management, Operations Management or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and significant relevant operational leadership experience.Additional education or certification in aviation, leadership, safety, quality, continuous improvement, project management or change management is considered an asset.Accommodation During the Recruitment Process
Canadian North is committed to creating an inclusive and accessible workplace. Accommodation is available upon request at all stages of the recruitment and onboarding process. If you require accommodation, please email View email address on ca.hrm.tc and we will work with you to meet your needs.
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