Program Manager, Transformation

Overview of role The Transformation organization sits at the core of the WestJet Group and is accountable for translating the enterprise strategy into delivered, measurable financial outcomes. Program Managers within Transformation own a single enterprise program end to end, including the business case, the benefit commitments embedded in the annual budget and five‑year plan, and the program delivery budget. These roles are designated for top‑tier talent with a proven record of delivering transformation at scale and serve as a developmental platform for future leadership roles. As a member of this team, the Program Manager, Transformation (Crew) leads end‑to‑end delivery of the Crew Productivity, Resilience & Flexibility program and is accountable, in partnership with the Program Sponsor, for the realization of $10–50M in annual run‑rate EBITDA benefit. Reporting to the Director, Corporate Strategy and working in close partnership with the VP – Operations Planning & Performance and the Director, Group Resource Planning, this role sets delivery strategy and cadence, secures decisions from executive sponsors and the Executive Committee, and directs cross‑functional and external delivery resources so committed transformation benefits are achieved.

Key Responsibilities
- Own end-to-end delivery of the Crew Productivity, Resilience & Flexibility program, including scope, integrated plan, milestones, decision gates and the committed outcome of $10–50M in annual run‑rate EBITDA benefit, so that transformation value is realized and sustained
- Own the program business case and benefit commitments with Finance and the Program and Executive Sponsor(s) – size unsized components, set and defend the benefit assumptions used in the annual budget and five‑year plan, and report realized value against baseline, so that committed savings are credible and auditable
- Direct matrixed delivery teams drawn from Operations, Commercial, Technology, Finance, People and Experience, plus external consulting and vendor partners – define the work, set standards and hold delivery owners to committed outcomes without formal reporting authority
- Drive the crew North Star and scorecard: translate the long‑term fleet and network plan into a multi‑year crew vision, objectives, KPIs and targets that balance productivity, resilience and flexibility
- Lead delivery across the five program workstreams – workforce and labour strategy, planning process and parameters, day‑of process and crew scheduling coordination, advanced tooling and analytics, and core technology modernization
- Support the long‑term crew and basing strategy, dynamic workforce modelling and the CBA toolkit, including peer benchmarking to inform upcoming pilot and cabin crew negotiations, in close partnership with Labour Relations / People / InFlight / Flight Ops
- Partner with business and technology leaders to advance the crew technology roadmap, delivering transformational platform upgrades and ensuring alignment with strategic objectives, financial commitments, and operational outcomes
- Engage executive stakeholders on a regular basis, including the Executive Sponsor(s), Chief Transformation Officer and the Executive Committee – frame trade‑offs, recommend decisions on scope, sequencing and investment, and secure alignment and resources, so that the program is unblocked at the pace required
- Determine and manage the program delivery budget, including approved external consulting spend, and establish the delivery operating system – war rooms, escalation paths, RAID discipline, structured lookbacks and Lean problem solving – so that risk, interdependencies and change impacts are controlled
- Integrate the crew agenda with adjacent transformation programs and enterprise planning cycles so that crew decisions, network and schedule decisions, and budget assumptions remain connected and consistent Competencies & Attributes
- Strategic and analytical mindset with the ability to synthesize operational, financial, labour and system inputs into concise, compelling insights and defensible benefit cases
- Deep crew domain credibility; able to move fluently between workforce planning, pairing and rostering, reserve and day‑of scheduling, crew pay and contractual rules
- Politically astute and organizationally savvy; skilled at navigating labour‑sensitive topics, anticipating risks, surfacing trade‑offs and mitigating challenges before they materialize
- Demonstrated excellence in program, portfolio and stakeholder management, with meticulous attention to detail and a bias for execution under tight timelines
- Highly trusted and discreet; adept at handling sensitive information, labour strategy, investment decisions and executive communications with integrity and professionalism
- Exceptional communication and executive writing skills; able to tailor messaging from the front line to the Executive Committee
- Collaborative and team‑oriented, yet self‑directed and c