Director Charter Operations

About Sun Country Airlines

We're not your average airline. We're agile, resilient, and full of uncommon opportunity. Here, you can grow as part of an ambitious team that safely and collectively supports each other, our travelers, and our community. Together, we're making travel more attainable. With more than 40 years of Minnesota roots, we're a unique hybrid low-cost carrier offering diverse services including scheduled flights to destinations across the U.S., Canada, Central America, and the Caribbean, as well as charter and cargo operations around the world. At Sun Country, you'll be part of a growing airline and an enthusiastic team focused on connecting our community with their favorite people and places.

Sun Country Airlinesprovides the resources and support our employees need to succeed. Besides working at a great and growing company, as a Director, Charter Operations you'll enjoy these benefits and more:

• Comprehensive benefit package including dental and vision
• PPO and high-deductible health plans
• Health savings account and Flexible Spending Account
• Starting day one free standby and discounted travel privileges for employees, family, & friends
• 401(k) match
• Paid Time Off
• Paid holidays
• Life and AD&D Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program including counseling for employees and their family
• Fitness incentive and Stop Smoking Support

Director, Charter Operations Overview:

The Director, Charter Operations is responsible for the overall leadership, strategic direction, and operational excellence of the Charter Operations department. This role partners closely with the Schedule Development and Charter Sourcing team to oversee planning, execution, and continuous improvement of charter flights, ensuring safety, regulatory compliance, customer satisfaction, and optimization of operational performance. The Director, Charter Operations oversees a team of managers and agents, collaborates closely with internal and external stakeholders, and drives initiatives to optimize charter services and support overall company growth.

Essential Roles and Responsibilities:

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Develop and execute a long-term strategic plan for Charter Operations, aligning departmental goals with broader company objectives
• Partner with the Charter Sales/Schedule Development teams to provide strategic leadership and support for all charter flight operations, including flight scheduling, real-time coordination and execution, client management, and post-flight review
• Develop, implement, and continuously refine operational policies, procedures, structured frameworks, and best practices to ensure safe, efficient, and compliant charter operations and to guide operational decisions
• Ensure all charter flights operate safely, punctually, and cost-effectively, while upholding high customer satisfaction standards during day-of operations
• Serve as the primary liaison between Charter Operations and other departments, such as Charter Sales, Maintenance, Flight Operations, Inflight, Ground Ops, Security, Dispatch and SOC, to ensure a seamless and high-quality travel experience for all charter clients
• Build and maintain relationships with key clients, charter brokers, government agencies, and other external partners to ensure exceptional service delivery
• Maintain a deep understanding of client contracts to ensure service delivery meets or exceeds contractual obligations and expectations, and ensure that information is cascaded to Charter Operations team
• Oversee regulatory compliance with FAA, ICAO, CBP, and other relevant authorities; partner with Safety and Compliance teams to maintain operational excellence and safety standards
• Lead cost reduction initiatives by analyzing operational data, optimizing resource allocation, and making thoughtful, evidence-based decisions
• Monitor KPIs and financial metrics to identify opportunities for improvement, growth, and efficiency; Partner with Charter Sales/Schedule Development to drive initiatives to improve profitability and customer experience
• Lead the development and implementation of dashboards and reporting tools to support data-driven decision making
• Contribute to fleet utilization, network planning, and resource allocation to maximize charter service effectiveness
• Ensure 24x7 support coverage for charter flight execution and issue resolution
• Lead and mentor managers, supervisors, and coordinators, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and enabling teams to proactively resolve issues to maintain operational excellence and customer satisfaction
• Oversee recruitment and training and design and deliver upskilling programs for frontline Charter Operations staff, equipping them to navigate complex decision-making scenarios and adapt to evolving business needs

Supervisory Responsibility

This position leads a team consisting of a manager, supervisor, and several Charter Operations Agents

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Aviation Management, Business Administration, or related field; or related experience in lieu of degree
• 7+ years of experience in airline operations
• 3+ years of experience in a leadership role focused on charter or non-scheduled services
• 5+ years of management/supervisor experience
• Deep knowledge of FAA Part 91, 117, and 121 regulations
• Thorough understanding of international requirements to include overflight permitting and international clearances related to charter operations
• Proven track record in managing complex operations and delivering customer-focused solutions
• Strong leadership, organizational, and problem-solving skills
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
• Ability to work flexible hours and travel as needed
• Previous SOC experience
• Experience with sports, VIP, government, or ACMI charter services

Preferred Qualifications:

• FAA Commercial Pilot License or Dispatcher Certificate
• Familiarity with flight scheduling systems (e.g., Sabre, AIMS)
• Demonstrated success in Charter Sales and Charter Planning

Compensation:

Range $110,000 to $130,000

Classification:

Full-Time, Exempt

Work Location:

On-Site - Minneapolis, MN

Work Environment:

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; use hands or finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to sit; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

Other Duties:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

AAP/EEO Statement:

It is the policy of Sun Country Airlines to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.

#LI-LM1