Program Manager, Disruption Management

WestJet Group•Calgary, AB

2d•Onsite

About The Position

This position requires in-person collaboration up to five days a week. This arrangement is subject to change based on business requirements. At WestJet, disruption management is critical to supporting our people and delivering on our promise to our Guests. Reporting into the Operations Control Centre (OCC), the Program Manager, Disruption Management leads a portfolio of cross-functional initiatives that strengthen our ability to anticipate, respond to, and recover from operational disruptions. This role brings together teams across the OCC, operational functions, Technology, and Product to deliver practical, scalable solutions. You will focus on enhancing the accuracy and effectiveness of predictive insights, enabling better-informed decisions through advanced decision-support tools and optimization engines, and driving automation to improve the speed and efficiency of recovery processes. Through these efforts, you will play a key role in continuously improving disruption outcomes over time—elevating recovery performance, enhancing the Guest experience, and supporting our frontline WestJetters with the tools and insights they need to succeed.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Data Analytics, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
Proven experience leading complex, cross-functional programs in operational or digital environments.
Strong ability to work across teams and partner effectively with frontline operational stakeholders.
Experience managing integrated plans, dependencies, risks, and governance frameworks.
Demonstrated experience driving operational readiness, including training, communications, and SOP updates.
Strong communication and facilitation skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and ambiguity.

Nice To Haves

PMP, PgMP, PRINCE2, Agile certification, or equivalent; or Demonstrated experience delivering programs of similar scope and complexity with discipline and consistent results.
6+ years of experience in airline operations or similar complex, time-sensitive environments.
Experience in disruption management, recovery operations, or real-time decision-making environments.
Familiarity with regulatory frameworks such as APPR, DOT, and EU261.
Understanding of product delivery, technology development, and cross-functional team ways of working.

Responsibilities

Lead the day-to-day delivery of a portfolio of initiatives focused on disruption recovery, including automation and AI-enabled capabilities.
Build and manage integrated program plans, including timelines, dependencies, and risks (RAID), ensuring clear visibility and accountability.
Ensure initiatives are aligned to the Disruption Management roadmap and WestJet’s operational priorities.
Bring together stakeholders across OCC, Operations, Product, Data, Technology, and Regulatory teams to drive alignment and execution.
Identify risks early and take action to keep programs on track and delivering value.
Partner with frontline leaders to ensure solutions are practical, adopted, and ready for real-world operations.
Coordinate training, communications, SOP updates, and process changes ahead of implementation.
Lead scenario-based “table-top” exercises to test readiness and strengthen operational response.
Ensure every initiative has a clear and effective transition-to-run plan.
Establish strong governance and provide clear, concise updates on progress, risks, and outcomes.
Support OCC leadership with executive-ready updates for senior leadership (GLT/ELT), including business value and trade-offs.
Build trusted relationships across teams to resolve issues, prioritize work, and support decision-making.
Ensure alignment with regulatory requirements (APPR, DOT, EU261) and their impact on delivery.
Support development of business cases, cost estimates, and resource plans.
Work with internal teams and vendors to ensure effective use of resources.
Track program performance against KPIs and operational outcomes.
Focus on delivering measurable improvements in recovery times, operational efficiency, and Guest experience.