Manager, Product Development

**Description**

**Being part of Air Canada is to become part of an iconic Canadian symbol, recently ranked the best Airline in North America. Let your career take flight by joining our diverse and vibrant team at the leading edge of passenger aviation.**

Air Canada's guiding brand principles - Flight Path - puts the customer at the centre of everything we do. A welcoming, thoughtfully designed, and loyalty-building customer experience, supported by glowing-hearted hospitality, is critical to executing on the company's customer-centric vision.

As the Manager, Product Development, you will be responsible for leading a variety of initiatives as part of a multiyear strategic product investment roadmap, including near-term product enhancements and long-term product development supporting both Air Canada's ground and inflight experience. You will play a pivotal role in building product narratives and business cases, negotiating partnerships, as well as leading the eventual implementation and rollout of large-scale investments, lounge partnerships, airline partner benefits and new product features.

Successful collaboration with operational groups and business partners is essential for this role across all levels. The cross functional nature of these efforts will require that the Manager, Product Development provide timely product briefings and project updates to multiple internal branches and external suppliers and partners.

**Responsibilities**:

- Lead the strategic narrative, functional development, and delivery of business cases for new product investments, through collaboration with internal groups such as Finance and Analytics, to create compelling presentations advancing the scope of the product portfolio.
- Collaborate with a variety of internal stakeholders, such as IT, Commercial Real Estate, Finance, Airport Development & Leasing, Legal, Analytics, Marketing and more to ensure alignment with strategy objectives, as well as manage the milestones and execution the product development roadmap.
- Focus on technological innovation to drive product optimization or efficiency, such as exploring opportunities for incorporating emerging technologies into the ground and inflight product processes.
- Manage lounge partnership initiatives by project managing all facets of the relationship, from contract negotiation, technical and operational integration, launch, and post-launch support.
- Work closely with the airline partnerships team to collaborate on the implementation of airline partner travel benefits, including lounge access and priority services, for our customers and airline partners.
- Lead the development of new inflight and ground products and product features by supporting the inflight and ground teams, initiating the business case and financial approvals.
- Participate in the development and implementation of key customer facing airport facilities development/enhancement projects in collaboration with Corporate Real Estate for new terminal developments, relocations and existing operations.
- Drive sustainable product development practices by spearheading the integration of innovative technologies or software aimed at waste reduction.
- Own and manage the handover and transition of projects between product development and product operations.
- Manage the creation of internal decks and presentations for the management of approvals and product briefs.
- Take a high-level product or partnership concept and lead the rollout through engaging the necessary stakeholders while updating leadership on project status at key milestones.
- Collaborate with other internal and external Marketing stakeholders on the creation of marketing and communications in support of product launches including web and digital integrations.
- Lead the end-to-end project management for all product, amenity, and partner implementations, for both inflight and ground product developments and business cases.

**Qualifications**
- Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, or a related field.
- Minimum 6-8 years of experience in product development, project management, or a similar role in the travel industry preferred with a proven track record of successful project delivery.
- Experience in partnership development and/or management.
- Familiarity with lounge benefits, airline loyalty programs, and inflight product development an asset.
- Strong leadership and relationship management skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
- Natural sense of initiative, adaptable, and able to work both in teams and in solo environments.
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to make data-driven decisions and recommendations.
- Highly organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Fluency in English, both written and verbal, is required. Proficiency in French is considered an asset.