Principal Business Operations Manager

London, England, United Kingdom

7/1/2025

As a Principal Business Operations Manager at Skyscanner, you will bridge the gap between strategy and execution in the Audience goal area. You will be responsible for program managing high-value, complex, cross-functional initiatives and acting as a trusted advisor to senior leaders and their teams—bringing clarity, focus, and operational rigour to help deliver with pace and impact.

This is a senior individual contributor role that drives operational excellence across the business through scalable ways of working, effective tooling (including AI), and tight alignment between strategic priorities and day-to-day execution.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy-to-Execution Enablement

• Act as a strategic partner and trusted advisor to Goal Owners—supporting prioritisation, planning, and alignment.
• Ensure execution of high-impact initiatives aligns with company strategy, surfacing gaps and risks early.
• Drive decision-making clarity and execution focus across cross-functional working groups.
• Be the go-to person for visibility into initiative progress, risks, and value delivery.
  
  

Operational Excellence & Business Reporting

• Lead QBR and MBR processes in partnership with Strategy and Finance, ensuring teams are focused on the right KPIs and outcomes.
• Identify systemic inefficiencies and implement solutions to improve speed and quality of delivery.
• Champion scalable operational methodologies (e.g. Working Backwards, Lean, JTBD), tailored to our fast-paced environment.
• Use AI and tooling to improve execution workflows, visibility, and team productivity.
  
  

Strategic Program Management

• Lead delivery of complex, cross-functional programs—especially where ownership is diffused or ambiguity is high.
• Define clear accountability, timelines, and success metrics to ensure strong execution.
• Identify operational risks and work with business units to design and deliver mitigation strategies.
  
  

Cross-Functional Alignment

• Promote consistency in planning and reporting across goal areas, enabling a coherent view of progress and business performance.
• Proactively lead cross-goal dependencies and facilitate unified decision-making across Skyscanner.
  
  

Skills & Experience

• 8+ years or equivalent experience in Business Operations, Program Management, Internal Consulting, or Strategic Delivery roles.
• Track record of delivering cross-functional initiatives in complex, fast-moving environments.
• Skilled in business analysis, product thinking, or similar roles that bridge strategy and delivery.
• Experience working closely with tech teams—comfortable translating technical concepts into business value.
• Experience in tech-led businesses a bonus.
• Excellent communication, influencing, planning, and stakeholder management skills.
• Known for being structured, action-oriented, and able to zoom in on detail while keeping the big picture in view.
• Builds trusted relationships, challenges with respect, and contributes to a supportive, ambitious, and fun team culture.
• Travel industry experience is highly desirable.
• MBA or equivalent training/experience in structured problem-solving and strategic execution is desirable.