Partner, Strategy and Programs

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.

Reporting to the Director, Operations Strategy and Programs, the Partner, Strategy and Programs plays a central role in providing high-level operational support for the development, coordination, and execution of enterprise-wide operational and strategic initiatives across Air Canada. This role develops high impact strategic materials and actionable insights that inform leadership decisions, performance insights, and cross-functional programs that enhance operational readiness, employee engagement, and long-term planning effectiveness.

Collaborating closely with leaders across Operations, Airports, Flight Operations, Maintenance, Finance, and Corporate teams, the Partner ensures that strategic priorities are clearly communicated, well-governed, and successfully implemented. The position requires strong analytical thinking, excellent communication skills, and the ability to interpret complex operational data and transform it into meaningful insights and narratives for senior leadership.

Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning & Initiative Execution

• Drive the implementation of multi-year operational, planning, and transformation strategies led by the Operations Planning & Strategy team.
• Lead and structure project management, governance, and delivery for high-priority programs including employee engagement, operational improvement, and organizational effectiveness initiatives.
• Establishes governance of operational plans and strategies for multiple areas ensuring timely delivery and measurable impact.

Executive-Quality Analysis & Presentation Development

• Develop clear, insight-driven strategic materials and presentations used by senior leadership to support informed decision-making.
• Synthesize operational performance data, program updates, and emerging risks into concise, executive-ready narratives.
• Enable cross-functional alignment by integrating perspectives from multiple departments, ensuring consistency and strategic coherence across initiatives.

Employee Engagement & Culture Programs

• Contribute to the design, execution, and evaluation of system-wide engagement programs that strengthen frontline connection, leadership visibility, and operational culture.
• Partner with HR and operational teams to deploy targeted engagement pilots and scale successful practices.

Operational Planning & Performance Support

• Provide key contributions to operational planning frameworks, readiness initiatives, and productivity improvement programs across Air Canada and its regional partners.
• Lead in analysis of operational KPIs, efficiency opportunities, and long-range planning insights by translating findings into actionable recommendations that strengthen departmental performance.
• Partner closely with internal teams to ensure strategies are grounded in operational realities.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Governance

• Facilitate alignment among diverse stakeholders, ensuring strategic programs have strong communication, structure, and follow-through.
• Support working groups, steering committees, and strategic check-ins with clear documentation and status reporting.
• Integrate perspectives from Finance, Environmental Affairs, Operations Research, Regional Airlines, and Corporate Communications.

Qualifications

• A bachelor's degree in business administration, marketing, or a related field. A master's degree or an MBA is an asset.
• 5+ years of relevant experience in strategy and consulting roles, with the aviation or travel industry as a plus.
• Strong strategic thinking and analytical capability.
• Exceptional written and visual communication skills (presentations, executive documentation, strategic storytelling).
• Ability to manage complex projects with cross-functional teams.
• Skilled at synthesizing data and insights into clear recommendations.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced operational environment with shifting priorities.
• Experience in strategy, operations, consulting, or program management is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrate punctuality and dependability to support overall team success in a fast-paced environment.

Conditions of Employment:

Candidates must be eligible to work in the country of interest, at the time any offer of employment is made and seeking any required work permits/visas or other authorizations which may be required is the sole responsibility of the candidates applying for this position.

Linguistic Requirements

Based on equal qualifications, preference will be given to bilingual candidates.

Diversity and Inclusion

Air Canada is strongly committed to Diversity and Inclusion and aims to create a healthy, accessible and rewarding work environment which highlights employees' unique contributions to our company's success.

As an equal opportunity employer, we welcome applications from all to help us build a diverse workforce which reflects the diversity of our customers, and communities, in which we live and serve.

Air Canada thanks all candidates for their interest; however only those selected to continue in the process will be contacted.