Job Purpose    
The Duty Controller role is responsible for managing the SAA aircraft and crew operations worldwide. The incumbent will be responsible for maintaining SAA’s schedule integrity by minimizing the impact of irregular operations on the airline and its customers.

• The role is responsible for the achievement of consistent, safe and economical on-time aircraft operations globally through negotiations with SAA business units, service providers, outstations and other airlines. The incumbent may also be expected to perform short term schedule maintenance for aircraft and crew as well as Slot Management and Coordination.
• Lastly, as part of the Operations team, the role will be required to support the optimization of the safe operational function whilst ensuring all passengers are catered for and promote on time performance.

Principal Accountabilities

• Manage and optimise resources on a shift basis to ensure all shifts are covered (including weekends and extended holiday periods which fall outside normal office hours) by competent incumbents as well as generating shift reports
• Ensure that all staff have correctly signed in/off at the beginning and end of the shift
• Conduct time and motion studies to root out causes for delays as well as enhance the on-time performance
• Ensure provision of tactical support to crew in-flight, enhancing current safety levels
• Act as advisors within the 21-day window of aircraft utilization to supplement the SAA capacity in case of IROPS or peak demand focusing on payload capability, range, seat capacity and configuration
• Ensure clear and correct information is communicated to all departments & stakeholders timeously
• Drafting Reports on any major/possible IROPS and escalate to responsible position holder
• Manage and co-coordinate efforts of all department for minimizing the adverse impact of irregular operations
• Management of Crew Operations Worldwide ensuring that they operate within the required legislation
• Decisions to be based on reducing costs attributable to IROPS while maintaining Safe and legal operations
• Manage, coordinate and lead operations and communications, flight dispatcher, departure control, ramp activity, crew movement Controller, and other internal subordinate personnel output
• Evaluate all aspects of operational problems and irregularities and communicate them to the relevant department. If needed, determine and put into effect optimum solutions
• Initiation of emergency response in accordance with SAA alarm notification procedures
• Liaise with foreign operators, airport regulatory authorities and third-party service providers
• Ensure legal compliance to all the regulatory and industrial authorities
• The main planning concept entails pro-active planning in such a way that problem areas can be identified to avoid an IROPS (Irregular Operations) situation
• Ensure that restrictions enforced by NOTAMS are still current. If restrictions still apply, make alternate routing/departing/arriving procedures
• Facilitate logistical service supply to minimize delays
• Monitor flight movement, update and amend ramp schedule
• Maintenance of published operational schedule in PegaSys (Day+21)
• Monitor operational schedule daily for deviations from published schedule
• When problems arise within the republic, Africa or International obtain input and exact problem and then plan to restore the schedule as soon as possible
• Analyze impact of schedule change and investigate most cost-effective solutions
• Ensure expeditious recovery of the operational schedule by the continuous monitoring and analysis of schedule disruptions within the operational period
• Facilitation of Ad-hoc requests ensuring minimum discomfort to the passenger whilst maximizing revenue earning potential
• Facilitation of a joint decision-making process with various departments in the operational environment ensuring minimum discomfort to the passenger whilst maximizing revenue earning potential by applying the following operational schedule recovery techniques: supplementary flights, re-routes, aircraft type changes, time changes, configuration changes, flight cancellations, flight combinations
• Ensure copies of flight follow for the next day are printed and distributed accordingly
• Slot co-ordination and negotiation of lost slots with ATNS
• Request and arrange slots over flight clearance for additional/supplementary flights
• Negotiate and monitor parking bays allocation with ACSA and communicate bay changes to all the relevant departments and update MCS
• Establish serviceability status of aircraft for the specific planned period
• Monitor equipment performance and ensure proper maintenance and/or replacement of defective equipment
• Planning the annual maintenance schedule to ensure all communications equipment is not taken off the air simultaneously
• Solve communications systems failure for both station and communication office

Qualifications & Experience

• Grade 12 (Matric) with pass in mathematics at NQF level 4
• Bachelor’s degree from a recognised tertiary institution at NQF level 7 and/ or 5 – 7 years’ practical experience in the Operations Control Centre environment, of which 5 years is at management level
• ICAO Dispatcher, Dangerous Goods (Cat 10), Aircraft Weight and Balance, Amadeus CM and FM, Passenger Handling and General Aircraft Training
• Knowledge of aircraft scheduling is essential

Knowledge and Skills

• Understanding of SAA operations, destinations and that of its service suppliers, pertaining to on-time performance
• Advanced Delay Management processes
• Advanced knowledge of PegaSys MCS
• Knowledge of SAA fleet configuration, payload capacity (cargo and passengers) and flying times
• Knowledge of IATA and ICAO codes
• Knowledge of SAA/IATA delay code system
• Reservations system and departure control
• Telex, Sitatex, SATCOM and ACARS Slot Management (ACSA, ATNS)
• ICAO/ IATA basic formats, regulations and recommendations
• Good understand of Precision Time Schedule
• Written and verbal communication skills (advanced English proficiency)
• Numeric skills
• Computer skills (MS Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Listening skills
• Information gathering and validation skills

Attributes

• Leads with purpose
• Manages team performance
• Manages transformation and change initiatives
• Drives innovation
• Sells/ translates the vision
• Leverages team diversity
• Role models behaviours and values