Senior Manager Crew Planning & Staffing

Position Summary

The Senior Manager, Crew Planning & Staffing leads the team responsible for short-term Flight and Inflight Crew Staffing, the automated Preferential Bid Schedule (PBS) process, and the optimization of pairings for both workgroups. This role provides strategic direction across multiple functions while ensuring compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations, JetBlue Work Rules, and Quality of Life standards. The Senior Manager partners cross-functionally to align crew staffing plans with the broader business strategy and oversees a growing leadership team, including the Manager of Crew Planning, Supervisors, and Analysts.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic leadership to the Crew Planning Manager, Supervisors, and Analysts, ensuring clarity of purpose, alignment to departmental goals, and excellence in execution across all crew planning functions.
• Ensure all team functions, including pairing optimization, PBS award processes, and staffing model updates, are executed accurately, timely, and with a strong focus on customer service and compliance.
• Own and evolve the crew staffing strategy, aligning near-term execution with long-term business plans, block hours, base strategy, hiring timelines, and operational goals.
• Serve as the primary point of contact with senior leaders in Flight Ops, Inflight, Finance, and Network Planning, influencing key decisions and providing insights that support workforce and schedule planning; partner closely with Enterprise Planning, Crew Operations, Airline Optimization, and Data Science to align crew strategies with enterprise-level forecasting, modeling, and long-term resource planning.
• Oversee analysis and reporting of crew utilization and staffing efficiency metrics, preparing executive-level briefings that support resource planning and productivity discussions.

• Lead and continuously improve annual vacation and monthly APTO bidding processes while driving enhancements based on historical data and operational feedback.

• Administer and oversee monthly and quarterly crew system bids to ensure accuracy, compliance, and fairness.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to set operational reserve minimums and crew productivity targets (e.g., bid divisors), ensuring business continuity and cost efficiency.
• Partner with IT and Crew Services Business Solutions to identify, prioritize, and implement system improvements that enhance automation, accuracy, and user experience.
• Guide the development of optimized pairing solutions balancing legal compliance, cost, and crewmember quality of life.
• Conduct scenario planning for base changes, co-terminal operations, and regulatory updates, providing senior leadership with data-driven recommendations.
• Foster a culture of accountability, engagement, innovation, and continuous development across the Crew Planning team.
• Take a significant role in the development of crew members to support their engagement, growth, and goal achievement.   
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Experience and Qualifications:

• High School Diploma or General Education Development (GED) Diploma.
• Seven (7) years of Crew Scheduling and/or Planning experience, including two (2) years in a leadership or people-management role.
• Strong knowledge of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations for domestic, international, and supplemental operations.
• Demonstrated ability to lead leaders and scale teams through change and complexity.
• Strong strategic thinking and decision-making abilities; comfort presenting to senior leaders and cross