Based at: Doncaster Sheffield Airport
Salary details: Grade 9 £42,123 - £46,579
Contract Type: Permanent, Full Time
Hours: 37 hours per week
Flexible working arrangements: Flexible working requests will be considered.
Closing date: 20th September 2026
DBS and CTC clearances are required for appointment to this post.
Doncaster Sheffield Airport is preparing to relaunch, and we are seeking an experienced, credible and forward-thinking Compliance Manager to establish and deliver a robust, independent compliance and assurance function across the airport. This is a key role in providing confidence that DSA's operational and management arrangements comply with the Aerodrome Manual, Safety Management System, approved policies and procedures, applicable legislation and Civil Aviation Authority requirements. Working within the Health, Safety and Fire Safety Team, you will operate across the whole airport, independently scrutinising safety-critical activities and providing objective, evidence-based assurance to senior leadership. You will work with operational teams, technical specialists, contractors and third-party providers while maintaining the professional independence needed to challenge non-compliance, raise findings and determine whether corrective evidence is sufficient to close them.
This is an opportunity to shape the compliance framework of a reopening airport from the outset. You will develop a risk-based assurance programme, support regulatory engagement and help ensure that DSA can demonstrate effective and continuing compliance as it progresses towards operational readiness.
About the Role
As Compliance Manager, you will lead the planning and delivery of DSA's compliance and assurance activity. You will have a high degree of professional autonomy to determine audit scope, methodology, sampling, evidence requirements and the significance and classification of findings. You will assess whether documented arrangements are being implemented effectively in practice and whether sufficient objective evidence exists to demonstrate compliance. Your assurance activity will cover a broad range of airport functions, including airfield operations, Rescue and Fire Fighting Services, engineering, infrastructure, wildlife hazard management, ground handling, airside driving, emergency planning, contractor management and other safety-critical activities. Effective assurance will require both documentary review and direct observation of operational activities. You will develop and continually improve DSA's risk-based compliance programme, adapting audit methodologies and sampling approaches to the risk, complexity and regulatory significance of the activity being assessed. You will maintain current knowledge of CAA requirements, relevant Civil Aviation Publications, legislation and industry standards, interpret changes and identify where DSA policies, procedures, standards or assurance arrangements require amendment. The role also supports engagement with the Civil Aviation Authority and other regulatory or external assurance bodies. You may prepare and present evidence, explain DSA's assurance arrangements, support inspections and coordinate responses to regulatory findings. Significant strategic, regulatory, financial, contractual or operational concerns will be escalated to the Head of Health, Safety and Fire Safety and appropriate governance forums.
Key Responsibilities Include
- Developing, maintaining and delivering DSA's risk-based compliance and assurance programme.
- Planning and undertaking independent audits and assurance activity across airport departments, safety-critical functions, contractors and third-party providers.
- Determining audit scope, methodology, sampling arrangements, evidence requirements and the appropriate use of CAA Question Banks.
- Assessing compliance with the Aerodrome Manual, Safety Management System, approved DSA policies and procedures, applicable legislation and CAA requirements.
- Establishing whether documented procedures and controls are being implemented effectively in operational practice.
- Identifying, recording and classifying non-conformities, weaknesses and other assurance findings, distinguishing isolated deficiencies from recurring or systemic issues.
- Determining whether additional investigation, follow-up assurance or escalation is required.
- Reviewing corrective-action proposals and independently accepting or rejecting evidence submitted to close findings.
- Maintaining the integrity, independence and auditability of the compliance and assurance process.
- Producing clear compliance dashboards, assurance reports, trend analysis, corrective-action monitoring information and regulatory evidence packs.
- Identifying recurring and systemic weaknesses and recommending proportionate interventions or improvements.
- Monitoring regulatory and standards developments and assessing their implications for DSA's policies, procedures, standards and management systems.
- Supporting the development, review and amendment of DSA policies, procedures and assurance arrangements where compliance activity identifies a need for change.
- Providing objective assurance information to the Head of Health, Safety and Fire Safety, Airport Leadership Team and relevant governance forums.
- Escalating significant, repeat or systemic non-compliance where appropriate, particularly where it may affect safe or continued airport service provision.
The Successful Candidate
We are looking for an experienced compliance, assurance or auditing professional who can operate with credibility and independence in a complex, highly regulated environment. You will be comfortable scrutinising operational activities, testing evidence and reaching objective professional conclusions even where findings are difficult or contested. You will need strong analytical judgement and the ability to look beyond checklist compliance. Where a procedure is being followed but is ineffective, you must be capable of identifying the underlying weakness and recommending where the policy, process or control needs to change. You will be able to defend findings using objective evidence while maintaining constructive relationships with senior managers, operational teams and external organisations. The role requires excellent written and verbal communication, sound organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities. You will be capable of working independently across both office and operational environments and will understand that effective assurance in an airport cannot be achieved solely through desktop review.
Essential Qualifications and Experience
For this role, you will need:
- A relevant professional qualification, or demonstrable equivalent professional competence, in compliance, auditing, assurance, aviation, safety management, quality management or a related discipline.
- Significant experience undertaking compliance, audit or assurance activity within a complex, regulated or safety-critical organisation.
- Demonstrable experience planning and delivering audits, including determining scope, evidence requirements, sampling and audit methodology.
- Experience assessing objective evidence, identifying and classifying findings and determining whether corrective actions adequately address identified weaknesses.
- Experience independently challenging non-compliance and communicating potentially difficult findings to managers or senior stakeholders.
- Strong analytical skills, including the ability to identify recurring, emerging and systemic weaknesses from assurance information.
- Experience producing professional audit reports, assurance information, dashboards or management reports.
- Ability to interpret regulatory, legislative, procedural or technical requirements and translate them into practical assurance activity.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to explain and defend evidence-based professional conclusions.
- Ability to work independently, exercise professional judgement and maintain objectivity where operational or management pressures exist.
- Ability to work across operational environments and undertake direct observation of activities as part of the assurance process.
Desirable
- Experience within aviation, an aerodrome environment or another highly regulated safety-critical sector.
- Knowledge of Civil Aviation Authority requirements, relevant Civil Aviation Publications and aerodrome regulatory assurance.
- Experience using CAA Question Banks or comparable regulatory assurance frameworks.
- A recognised auditing, quality, compliance or lead auditor qualification.
- Knowledge or experience of Safety Management Systems and/or ISO management system standards.
- Experience auditing contractors, suppliers or third-party service providers.
- Experience supporting regulatory inspections, external assurance activity or responses to regulatory findings.
- Experience developing risk-based audit programmes, assurance methodologies or compliance frameworks.
- Experience producing compliance dashboards, trend analysis and regulatory evidence packs.
What We Offer
In return, you will have the opportunity to play a key role in the successful relaunch of Doncaster Sheffield Airport and help build an independent, credible and progressive compliance and assurance function. You will work across a diverse airport environment and contribute directly to the systems that provide senior leadership and regulators with confidence in DSA's operational readiness and continuing compliance.
Please ensure you view the job summary as you will need to demonstrate in your application form how you meet the required criteria.
Along with the opportunity to be part of a great team dedicated to ensuring DSA thrives, we can offer you:
- Leading defined benefit pension scheme with generous employer contributions
- 29 days annual leave (rising to 34 after 5 years) plus 8 bank holidays
- Eligibility for Shared Cost AVCs
- Relocation package up to £8.5K
- Broad range of family friendly workplace policies
- Health Cash Plan
- Cycle to work and home technology salary sacrifice schemes
- Wide range of employee discounts and wellbeing benefits
- Financial wellbeing support including affordable loans
- Free access to Occupational Health, counselling and physiotherapy
It is anticipated shortlisting will take place week commencing 21st September 2026 and that interviews will be held on week commencing 28th September 2026.
For further details and for completed applications please email – [email protected]
If you require support with completing the application or with interview skills in general, please contact the Advance team via email [email protected] or visit their website www.advancedoncaster.co.uk for further details.
