Procurement Manager - Ground Handling and Airport Services

About the role

Air Arabia is looking for a Procurement Manager for its ground handling and airport services function in Sharjah. The role builds and runs the procurement strategy for ground handling, drives cost optimisation and service quality through sourcing, contract management and supplier partnerships, and ensures compliance with company policy, regulatory requirements and IATA SGHA standards.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and run group-wide ground handling strategies, supplier consolidation and preferred supplier partnerships, and support new station launches and self-handling business cases with Ground Operations.
• Lead sourcing and tendering (RFI, RFQ, RFP) via Oracle Fusion, and set up commercial and contractual frameworks.
• Negotiate Ground Handling Agreements (GHA) under IATA SGHA, aeronautical fees with airport authorities, airport incentives and space lease agreements.
• Establish supplier KPIs and SLAs, run performance reviews and handle escalations and disputes.
• Manage risks and support route launches and operational changes with Airport Operations, Finance, Legal and Network Planning.
• Promote eSourcing and Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) systems and standardise procurement templates.
• Provide direction and coaching to team members and maintain a performance-driven team.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, engineering, commerce or a related field; MBA preferred.
• Minimum 10+ years in procurement, with 3 years in a managerial role, and strong exposure to aviation ground handling and airport commercial negotiations.
• Experience in contract management within the airline industry.
• Fluent English; Arabic preferred.

Required skills

• Strong knowledge of the IATA Airport Handling and SGHA framework, ICAO charging principles and airport economic regulations.
• Oracle Fusion, eSourcing or CLM tools preferred.
• Proficiency in MS Office.