Senior Manager, Commercial Operations      

RwandAir Ltd is the flag carrier airline of Rwanda. It operates domestic and international services to East Africa, Central Africa, West Africa, Southern Africa, Europe and the Middle East from its main base at Kigali International Airport.  Our mission is to provide unsurpassed, safe, and reliable services in air transportation, including strategically linking Rwanda with the outside world while ensuring a fair return on investment. As part of the expansion strategy, we are looking for interested, qualified, and competent candidates to fill the following position:

• Job Title:             Senior Manager, Commercial Operations (Outstations)
• Reports to:          Director Global Sales & Distribution
• Department:      Commercial
• Location:             Town Office

Job Purpose

The Senior Manager – Commercial Operations (Outstations) is responsible for leading, standardizing, and optimizing commercial operations across all RwandAir outstations worldwide. The role ensures that all stations, GSAs/PSAs, and regional commercial structures operate in full alignment with RwandAir’s global sales, revenue, distribution, and customer experience strategies.

This position serves as the primary link between HQ and field commercial teams, driving supervisory governance, operational compliance, commercial performance enhancement, and business continuity across the global network. The role ensures that all outstations achieve sales productivity, distribution efficiency, booking integrity, customer delivery standards, and cost‑effective commercial operations

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategic Duties

• Define and execute the global commercial operations strategy for outstations, ensuring full alignment with corporate revenue, market development, and distribution priorities.
• Lead strategic planning for new route launches, GSA/PSA transitions, digital product implementation, and network expansion.
• Strengthen RwandAir’s commercial footprint by aligning country‑level operational execution with global sales objectives, ensuring consistent market performance.
• Provide strategic leadership to outstation commercial teams and external partners, ensuring competency and readiness for commercial growth.
• Serve as the custodian of commercial operational standards, ensuring uniform execution of SOPs, pricing policies, ticketing guidelines, refund processes, and customer handling practices across all stations.
• Develop and oversee the governance framework for commercial audits, policy compliance, and risk mitigation across the network.
• Develop and oversee the governance framework for commercial audits, policy compliance, and risk mitigation across the network.
• Monitor and evaluate KPI performance at station and regional levels, including: Flown revenue & sales targets; Booking integrity, RBD leakage & distribution efficiency; Refund compliance & dispute cycle time; Load factors, yield trends, cost of sale, RASK; GSA/PSA performance and ROI effectiveness
• Lead regional and global commercial reviews, producing performance insights and improvement recommendations for executive decision‑making.
• Serve as a cross‑functional integrator between Sales, Revenue Management, Finance, Legal, HR, Marketing, and IT, addressing systemic operational challenges at station level.
• Strengthen relationships with trade partners, corporate clients, government bodies, and aviation authorities to support network growth and operational continuity

Operational

• Identify operational and commercial risks from stations and implement mitigation plans
• Lead commercial aspects of business continuity planning, including route suspensions, crises, IRROPs, diversions, and emergency coordination.
• Drive daily commercial operational performance for all outstations, ensuring a high‑quality sales environment that supports revenue growth, service delivery, and cost control.
• Provide continuous support and supervision to Country Managers, GSAs, and station commercial teams.
• Ensure effective execution of trade sales, corporate sales, pricing actions, and customer service delivery at station level.
• Implement tools, workflows, and digital systems to enhance commercial operational efficiency and performance visibility.
• Ensure accuracy of ticketing processes, ADM/ACM management, refunds, dispute resolution, and revenue integrity at outstations.
• Oversee adoption of BI dashboards, CRM systems, and commercial reporting tools across stations.
• Oversee commercial performance and contractual compliance of all GSAs/PSAs.
• Conduct structured evaluations and recommend renewals, restructuring, or termination based on market performance.
• Lead recruitment, onboarding, and capability development of outstation commercial teams.
• Champion global commercial training programs to ensure staff readiness and skill enhancement.
• Drive inter-country knowledge sharing and best practice diffusion.
• Coordinate with Operations, Ground Handling, and Customer Experience teams to ensure seamless commercial-operations collaboration.
• Lead commercial responses during IRROPs, cancellations, delays, and ensure timely communication and customer recovery support.
• Prepare comprehensive outstation performance reports, trend analyses, and data‑driven recommendations for senior leadership.
• Support the Director Global Sales & Distribution in high‑level reviews, board submissions, and strategic planning.

About You – Minimum Standard Qualifications;

Essential

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Aviation Management, Commerce, Marketing, or a related field.
• Minimum 7–10 years’ experience in airline commercial operations, sales, or revenue management, with at least 3 years in a regional or multi-country managerial role.
• Proven experience overseeing multi-country sales operations, retail, and commercial teams.
• Demonstrated success in revenue performance management, route development, pricing, and market expansion.
• Experience managing GSA/PSA relationships, corporate accounts, and government/commercial partnerships.
• Strong track record in strategic planning, KPI monitoring, and implementing commercial initiatives across multiple markets.
• Experience coordinating with HQ, Country Managers, and cross-functional teams for operational and commercial alignment.
• Familiarity with airline systems, digital tools, BI dashboards, and CRM platforms for performance tracking and decision-making.
• Exposure to trade events, civil aviation forums, and high-level stakeholder engagement.

About You – Other Desired Competencies & Skills;

Essential

• Strong leadership and people management skills to lead regional commercial teams and drive performance.
• Excellent strategic thinking, planning, and execution capabilities for multi-country commercial operations.
• Advanced analytical skills for monitoring revenue, load factors, cost of sale, RASK, and incentive effectiveness..
• Proficiency in airline commercial systems, reporting tools, and digital performance dashboards.
• Strong negotiation and relationship management skills for GSA, PSA, corporate, and government partners.
• Ability to oversee market expansion, route launches, and network growth initiatives.
• Crisis management and problem-solving skills for operational-commercial interfaces such as IRROPs.
• Effective communication and presentation skills for engaging senior leadership, stakeholders, and external partners.
• Knowledge of SOP implementation, contract compliance, and incentive management.
• Ability to foster inter-country collaboration and knowledge sharing to promote best practices across markets

How to Apply:

• An application letter addressed to the Chief HR & Administration Officer;
• Recent Curriculum Vitae;
• Copies of Notarized Degree/Diploma certificates
• Relevant certificates;
• Copies of academic papers;
• A photocopy of the Passport/National ID;
• Three referees

The deadline for submitting application documents (Only PDF Format) is February 21, 2026. Please apply via the link: https://erecruitment.rwandair.com/.