How to hire a flight operations manager

How to hire a flight operations manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step flight operations manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a flight operations manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new flight operations manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the flight operations manager you need to hire. Certain flight operations manager roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a flight operations manager to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a flight operations manager that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of flight operations managers.

   Type of Flight Operations Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Flight Operations Manager	Top executives devise strategies and policies to ensure that an organization meets its goals. They plan, direct, and coordinate operational activities of companies and organizations.	$13-28
   General Manager Of Operations	General managers of operations are employed to oversee the overall operations of businesses. Their responsibilities include the improvement of the efficiency of the operations and overall management... Show more	$23-79
   Manager, Center Operations	The duties of a manager of center operations depend on one's industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around overseeing business operations, setting targets, assessing the workforce's performance, and performing corrective measures on any issues or concerns... Show more	$18-46

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Flight Operations
   • DOD
   • FAA
   • Safety Procedures
   • OPS
   • UAS
   • ATC
   • Direct Reports
   • Logistics
   • Regulatory Compliance
   • Flight Training
   • Federal Aviation
   • Flight Test
   • ISR

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage operations associate facilities, flight training equipment, and all associate logistics.
   • Identify and manage implementation of projects design to meet unique regulatory compliance requirements during ongoing implementation of enterprise-wide LMS.
   • Assist and help assess TSA transition in airport.
   • Select to be group level tactics director during deployment for combat operations in Afghanistan.
   • Handle logistics surrounding getting aircraft airborne.
   • Implement combat orders and direct deployment of military personnel in defensive and retrograde operations.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your flight operations manager job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A flight operations manager salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, flight operations managers' average salary in oklahoma is 57% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level flight operations managers earn 52% less than senior-level flight operations managers.
   • Certifications. A flight operations manager with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a flight operations manager's salary.

   Average flight operations manager salary

   $42,558yearly

   $20.46 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level flight operations manager salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

4. Writing a flight operations manager job description

   A flight operations manager job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a flight operations manager job description:

   Flight operations manager job description example

   United States, Georgia, Atlanta
   
   Finance
   
   31-Aug-2022
   
   Ref #: 17243
   
   How you'll help us Keep Climbing (overview & key responsibilities)
   
   This position is responsible for providing financial support for the Flight Operations business unit. The role will be focused on the link between operational performance and financial results and will include scenario analysis, business case development and other ad-hoc projects. We are looking for data curious candidates that seek to understand process and can connect with our business partners to leverage data and drive improvement and is able to take a project from end-to-end: gathering business requirements, working with all contributors to the project, and creating compelling data visualizations and insights.
   
   As part of your role, you'll be accountable for, and will manage, periodic forecast updates and financial reports. This position will develop, implement, and maintain tools to assess financial performance and understand operational cost drivers. You'll interact daily with operations management and develop relationships to maximize results and influence outcomes.
   
   Additionally, you'll develop strategic and tactical plans that create a safety conscious and inclusive environment which result in employee safety and well-being.
   
   What you need to succeed (minimum qualifications)
   
   + Strong finance skills
   
   + Excellent time management, detail orientation, and interpersonal relationship skills
   
   + Robust analytical ability, capable of driving results, and excellent organization
   
   + A track record for motivating and managing team members through multiple contiguous tasks. You'll need to be able to engage the business in a manner that enhances productivity and encourages operational transformation toward optimal cost efficiency.
   
   + An ability to interact with all levels of management. Must possess the ability to present complex material in a concise but comprehensive manner.
   
   + Embraces diverse people, thinking and styles.
   
   + Consistently makes safety and security, of self and others, the priority.
   
   + High school diploma, GED, or high school equivalency.
   
   + Where permitted by applicable law, must have received or be willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by date of hire to be considered for U.S.-based job, if not currently employed by Delta Air Lines, Inc.
   
   What will give you a competitive edge (preferred qualifications)
   
   + Bachelor's degree in Finance, Computer Science, Engineering, Information Science, Business / Management, Mathematics / Statistics, Economics, or other relevant quantitative field
   
   + Successful candidates will have familiarity and/or experience with some or all of the following: Teradata, SAS, SQL, Tableau, or other database interface tools and languages
   
   + A strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office products
   
   + Ability to manipulate data using programing language and to create complex queries
   
   + Six or more years of related experience highly preferred
   
   Delta Air Lines, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer and provides reasonable accommodation in its application process for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans. If you are a qualified individual, you may request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to access job openings through this site, apply for jobs through Delta's online system, or at any point in the selection process. To request a reasonable accommodation, please click here

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5. Post your job

   To find flight operations managers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any flight operations managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level flight operations managers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your flight operations manager job on Zippia to find and recruit flight operations manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting flight operations managers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new flight operations manager

   Once you've selected the best flight operations manager candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new flight operations manager. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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