Managing Director, Integrated Operations

Are you a proven operational leader who thrives in high-stakes, fast-moving environments? Do you have executive-level experience leading airport operations, safety, security, emergency management, or integrated operations at a large-scale aviation organization?

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is seeking an exceptional senior executive to serve as its Managing Director, Integrated Operations, one of the most consequential operational leadership roles at the Airport. Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer, this leader holds strategic and operational accountability for SFO’s safety, security, airfield operations, and emergency management functions, while providing senior executive oversight of the Airport Integrated Operations Center.

This is a role for a proven leader who brings both strategic vision and deep operational credibility: someone who thrives in complexity, builds enduring partnerships with federal agencies and industry stakeholders, and elevates the performance of every team they lead. With a $65 million annual portfolio and more than 250 dedicated professionals across the division, the Managing Director, Integrated Operations defines what it means for SFO to operate at the highest standard of safety, security, and business continuity for every passenger, every flight, every day.

Ready to lead operations at one of the world’s premier international airports and make an impact on the future of aviation safety, security, and operational excellence? Please see the official job announcement for additional details and apply today!

The essential functions of this position include:

Operational Strategy and Enterprise Leadership

The Managing Director provides the strategic vision and leadership culture that defines how SFO’s Integrated Operations Division performs, not just today, but over the long arc of the Airport’s evolution as a global aviation leader. This is an executive who sees across functions, connects the dots between mission-critical functions, and ensures the division operates as a coherent, high-performing enterprise.

Airport Integrated Operations Center

The Airport Integrated Operations Center is SFO’s operational nerve center, the platform through which real-time information, decisions, and cross-functional coordination flow across the entire Airport enterprise. The Managing Director ensures the AIOC has the leadership, resources, and strategic clarity to fulfill that mandate at the highest level.

Safety, Security, and Emergency Management

Protecting the people, infrastructure, and operational integrity of San Francisco International Airport is the most fundamental responsibility of this role. The Managing Director holds ultimate executive accountability for a safety and security enterprise that is proactive, intelligence-informed, regulatory-compliant, and built to respond with confidence when it matters most.

Airfield Operations

SFO’s airfield is among the most operationally complex environments in American aviation. The Managing Director ensures that SFO’s airfield operation is executed with the precision, discipline, and regulatory mastery that the nation’s busiest and most consequential airports demand.

Administration and Resource Stewardship

Operational excellence at scale requires disciplined administration and strategic investment in people, systems, and organizational capability. The Managing Director is supported by a dedicated Administrative Manager who leads the division’s administrative infrastructure and is accountable for the outcomes those functions produce.

Executive Stakeholder Leadership

The Managing Director is SFO’s senior operational voice in the rooms where it matters: from federal regulatory hearings and airline executive forums to Airport Commission sessions and City Hall. This leader builds relationships that strengthen SFO’s standing, advance its interests, and create the conditions for operational partnership at the highest level.

People Leadership and Organizational Development

The strength of the Integrated Operations Division begins and ends with its people. The Managing Director invests in the talent, culture, and organizational conditions that allow more than 250 professionals to do the best work of their careers in service of SFO’s mission.

How to Qualify

• Education: Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university; AND
• Experience: Six (6) years of managerial experience at a commercial service airport involving airport operations, maintenance, safety and security, and customer service. All experience must include supervisory functions; AND
• Possession of a valid Class C Driver’s License. A California license must be obtained prior to appointment. Employees are required to maintain a satisfactory driving record.

Substitution: Additional qualifying work experience as described above may be substituted for up to two (2) years of the required education on a year-for-year basis. One year