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The Director, Training serves as a critical transformation leader within Air Canada Maintenance, accountable for architecting and operationalizing a world‑class Technical Operations Training Academy that directly enables the success of the Tech Ops Transformation and the organization’s journey to becoming a Global Leader in Technical Operations by 2030 As the leader of the Training Academy, the Director provides the strategic vision and long-range planning required to evolve the department into a global leader in aviation training. This role is directly accountable for a multi-million-dollar budget and a high-impact team, including 8 direct reports, and an indirect workforce of 40+ personnel, ensuring the successful operationalization of the Academy as a critical transformation initiative.

The Director leads a multi‑year transformation roadmap, overseeing significant change across people, processes, technology, facilities, and culture and ensuring that training becomes a core enabler of productivity, safety, reliability, and cost performance across all of Technical Operations.

Responsibilities:

• Own the long-term Tech Ops training strategy and multi-year operational plan; lead the end-to-end implementation of the Training Academy Roadmap across all workstreams ( including direction setting, program expansion, and infrastructure scaling) and enabling Tech Ops transformation
• Identify and mitigate long-term strategic risks related to workforce technical competence, regulatory shifts, and fleet evolution to ensure the Training Academy remains resilient to industry and workforce changes.
• Act as the primary advisor to TechOps leadership on workforce capability, risk, and readiness for future technologies, fleet changes, and new operating models.
• Manage a multi-million-dollar transformation budget; ensure disciplined CAPEX/OPEX management while identifying efficiencies and demonstrating ROI for all training investments
• Provide strategic direction and performance oversight to a high-impact team of 8 direct and foster a culture of excellence, accountability, and safety
• Build and foster global strategic partnerships (e.g., ATOs and academic partners); steward key alliances to ensure external delivery is fully aligned with Tech Ops’ long-term talent pipeline
• Establish and chair the Tech Ops Training Governance Committee; define enterprise-wide standards and audit frameworks while utilizing KPIs to drive data-driven, continuous improvement
• Accountable for the integrity of all regulated training programs (e.g., Transport Canada approvals) and maintain constant audit-readiness to ensure the safety and airworthiness of the fleet
• Serve as the primary Tech Ops representative at global aviation training forums and with regulatory bodies; benchmark against industry best practices to maintain a competitive advantage in talent development
• Oversee the training program lifecycle (design, development, delivery, and evaluation) across technical and professional curricula, ensuring direct alignment with Tech Ops career pathways
• Own the strategic selection and implementation of next-generation training technologies (e.g., LMS); enable advanced reporting, analytics, and automation to streamline operations
• Oversee enterprise-level training demand forecasting and capacity planning; partner with senior operational leadership to ensure long-term availability of instructors, facilities, and dedicated training aircraft
• Optimize day-to-day training operations; implement standardized processes for facility scheduling, travel coordination, and the real-time allocation of practical training assets
• Lead change management and communications for the training transformation, ensuring all initiatives are aligned with the broader cultural transformation and organizational/strategic goals

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field required, master’s degree preferred
• 10+ years’ experience in aviation training and/or learning & development, including technical training; proven curriculum design and program leadership
• 5+ years’ experience leading high-performing teams (incl. managing other managers) and influencing outcomes in both unionized and non-unionized environments
• Exceptional stakeholder engagement skills with a proven ability to translate complex technical and regulatory requirements into clear, actionable executive briefings and frontline messaging
• Proven track record of implementing enterprise-level training systems (e.g., LMS) and robust governance frameworks; expert in using data analytics and KPIs to drive continuous improvement and measure ROI
• Strong experience managing multi-million-dollar budgets (CAPEX/OPEX) and global strategic partnerships (e.g., ATOs, academic institutions), including contract and performance management
• Demonstrated success leading organizational transformation and change initiatives, with the ability to navigate conflicting interests and reach consensus across cross-functional departments
• Lean Six Sigma/continuous improvement training (an asset)

Other relevant information:

The Director’s role is Transformation Lead position responsible for the multi-year design, build, and implementation of the Tech Ops Training Academy. The Director is accountable for shifting the organization from a decentralized model to a centralized, modern, and commercially viable Academy, along with designing new operating processes where none exist.

The Director leads the Training Academy with a comprehensive remit to deliver technical and regulatory training for the entire Tech Ops organization. This scope encompasses all roles, from AMEs and Engineering to Supply Chain and PMO, ensuring the workforce across all Canadian hubs meets the highest standards of airworthiness and operational excellence.

The role serves as a**"Leader of Leaders"**. As the Academy matures through 2028 and beyond, the Director will oversee a complex, multi-layered management structure to support the scaling of training programs and the potential commercialization of services.

Conditions of Employment:

Candidates must be eligible to work in the country of interest at the time any offer of employment is made and are responsible for obtaining any required work permits, visas, or other authorizations necessary for employment. Prior to their start date, candidates will also need to provide proof of their eligibility to work in the country of interest.

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.