As the Portfolio Manager, you will take on a pivotal role in coordinating the progress of multiple Loyalty and Customer Experience workstreams within the SkyTeam Alliance, aimed at evolving and streamlining the alliance’s non-digital portfolio. This position is critical for 1) conceptualizing, developing, and executing loyalty projects, 2) contributing to the creation of a seamless customer experience across mixed-metal itineraries that underpins the foundational business strategy for SkyTeam 3) ensuring delivery, compliance, and alignment across the alliance, and 4) fostering collaboration among member airlines to deliver an enhanced experience for high-value customers.
Your expertise in program management will be instrumental in successfully fulfilling the responsibilities of this position. The role requires strong teamwork, stakeholder management, and communication skills to ensure effective oversight, coordination, and reporting of all Loyalty and HVC projects. Key responsibilities include monitoring overall project progress and timelines; engaging and aligning with internal and external stakeholders; identifying potential risks and proactively developing mitigation and contingency plans; managing budgets and capacity; preparing and presenting progress reports appropriately tailored to both managerial and operational audiences; and tracking and analyzing KPIs to ensure expected benefits are delivered and to identify future enhancement opportunities.
Another core competency is to drive alignment between SkyTeam’s vision and the loyalty and HVC priorities of member airlines, bridging policy and operational gaps across the alliance. This requires a deep understanding of the aviation industry, loyalty program mechanics, and customer engagement strategies. To successfully execute this role, you must be able to influence and align diverse stakeholders around a shared vision, foster collaboration in a multidisciplinary and multicultural environment, translate strategic objectives into actionable initiatives, and ensure consistent execution and effective post-implementation management. The role demands strong and persuasive communication skills, coupled with a proactive and creative approach to problem-solving.
Given loyalty’s extensive use of digital platforms and the close integration, close collaboration with IT developers and operations is essential, and knowledge of, as well as experience in, IT would be a strong advantage.
There are numerous meetings throughout the year, varying in purpose, format, and participants. This role is expected to lead the effective organization and execution of these meetings, including structuring agendas, managing logistics and communications, preparing content, delivering presentations with accuracy and efficiency, and ensuring that key actions and outcomes are properly documented and followed up.
KEY RESULT AREAS / KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Coordination and Execution of Loyalty Initiatives
- Participate in the conceptualization and definition of loyalty projects, ensuring alignment with SkyTeam’s long-term vision and a strong focus on enhancing the customer experience
- Develop comprehensive business cases, clearly outlining objectives and expected benefits
- Translate strategic objectives into actionable plans and execute them using robust project management practices
- Track, monitor, and analyze KPIs
- Identify potential risks and implement mitigation plans to ensure successful project delivery
- Support regular progress updates to internal and external stakeholders
- Ensure project documentation, including meeting minutes, project initiation documents, detailed plans, action lists, requirements, change requests, decisions, and conclusions
Example: A SkyTeam member airline is required to recognize other airlines’ Elite/Elite Plus members, and there is a digital platform to support this. As technology evolves, an opportunity to improve has been identified, and the next goal is to innovate the product and associated processes.
- SkyPriority Product Ownership
- Serve as the global product owner for SkyPriority, ensuring consistent interpretation and delivery of benefits across all touchpoints.
- Govern SkyPriority standards, policies, and eligibility rules
- Partner closely with member airlines and airports to improve operational execution and customer perception.
- Seamless integration of member airlines and gap closure
- Understand alliance standards and policies, and assess member airlines’ compliance to ensure consistent implementation across the SkyTeam network
- Monitor member airlines’ developments that could create potential gaps in mixed-metal itineraries, and proactively engage with them to address issues
- Leverage customer feedback to enhance the customer experience of SkyTeam
- Ensure full integration into SkyTeam digital platforms for accrual, redemption, and customer recognition
- Facilitate collaboration across member airlines to bridge policy and operational differences
- Analysis, Reporting, and Stakeholder Support
- Maintain and analyze dashboards to support data-driven decision-making
- Contribute to defining the short- and long-term roadmap for the evolution of SkyTeam loyalty propositions and SkyPriority
- Collaborate closely with internal and external stakeholders to break down silos
- Provide support for ad-hoc activities, contributing flexibly to evolving business priorities
Responsibilities and tasks of the position are not limited to those mentioned above, and deviations may occur over time as the position evolves, in coordination with the manager.