The Head of Customer Services is responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership to the Customer Services function, leading a large team to consistently deliver a safe, efficient and high-quality passenger and guest experience across the airport. The role will set and drive service standards, foster a high-performance and accountable culture, optimise resources and processes and champion innovation and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and direction to the Customer Services function, establishing clear priorities, expectations and high-performance standards.
• Develop and implement customer service strategies and initiatives that enhance the guest experience and support organisational objectives.
• Lead, inspire and develop a large team, fostering a culture of ownership, accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Oversee service quality and assurance processes, monitoring performance against agreed standards and ensuring that corrective and improvement actions are effectively implemented and embedded.
• Analyse guest feedback, service metrics and operational performance to identify trends, recurring issues and opportunities for service improvement.
• Drive innovation, automation and process optimisation to improve operational efficiency while enhancing the quality and consistency of services provided to guests.
• Ensure effective workforce and resource planning in line with operational requirements, service demand and approved budgets.
• Drive employee engagement, performance and retention, ensuring that individual and team objectives are aligned with departmental and organisational priorities.
• Work collaboratively with internal departments and external stakeholders to deliver a consistent and cohesive approach to improving the overall airport guest experience.
• Ensure departmental operations comply with applicable company policies, service standards, procedures and stakeholder requirements.
• Plan departmental operations around passenger traffic, flight schedules, events, disruption scenarios and changing business needs, ensuring appropriate structures, resources and escalation channels are in place to support effective service delivery across the terminal and relevant VIP service areas.
• Act as the senior escalation point for complex guest matters, service failures and departmental operational issues, and maintain effective risk, incident escalation, business continuity and service recovery arrangements.
• Oversee key departmental processes, including guest assistance, Lost and Found administration, VIP service coordination and other assigned services.
• Work with People & Culture on recruitment, onboarding, performance management, succession planning, employee relations and organisational development, while identifying training needs and promoting collaboration, wellbeing and a safe working culture.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with airlines, ground handlers, concessionaires, service providers and relevant external stakeholders, coordinating action on recurring service issues, agreed standards and corrective measures.
• Represent Customer Services in operational, project and management meetings, providing input on passenger experience and implementation requirements.
• Ensure compliance with collective agreements, data protection, health and safety obligations and airport rules, in addition to applicable company policies, service standards and procedures.
• Lead departmental improvement projects and manage expenditure, procurement and contract-related decisions within delegated authority.

• Maintain appropriate performance reporting and provide management information and insights to support effective decision-making.

Requirements

The ideal candidate should have:

• An academic background in Hospitality or a related field would be advantageous but is not essential.

• Significant leadership experience within customer service, hospitality, aviation, travel or another high-volume, service-led operational environment.
• Proven experience successfully leading and developing large and diverse teams.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement service strategies, performance improvement initiatives and operational change.
• Strong track record of improving customer or guest experience through service quality, process improvement, innovation and the effective use of performance data.
• Strong operational awareness, including experience in workforce planning, resource optimisation and budget management.
• Excellent leadership, communication and stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to influence effectively across different functions and levels of an organisation.
• Strong analytical and decision-making capability, with the ability to translate customer feedback and operational data into practical actions and measurable improvements.
• A visible and credible leader with a strong commitment to service excellence, employee engagement and high-performance standards.
• Composed, visible and decisive during disruptions, escalations and time-critical situations.
• Strong written and spoken English; Maltese and other languages are considered an asset.
• Good digital literacy and flexibility to attend outside normal office hours when required.