Head of KQ Academy

About the role

Kenya Airways is seeking a Head of KQ Academy, a dual-mandate leadership appointment reporting to the Chief People Officer. The role is responsible for the airline's enterprise learning strategy and for acting as Accountable Manager of its Approved Training Organization (ATO), covering both organizational capability and the regulatory integrity of aviation training programmes required by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), ICAO and other regulators.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the enterprise learning and organizational development strategy, including capability risk frameworks, learning culture, policies and standards, and training needs assessments.
• Oversee regulatory training delivery and quality assurance for flight crew, cabin crew, technical/engineering, ground operations and security, and ensure staff certifications and training records meet KCAA and ICAO requirements.
• Drive Competency-Based Training and Assessment (CBTA) and Evidence-Based Training (EBT), and manage the Flight Operations Officer training programme.
• Build the Learning Academy with coaching, leadership development, career pathing, induction and virtual training, including tiered leadership programmes and high-potential development.
• Lead revenue-generating commercial training products as an ATO, including external client programmes, pricing and partnerships.
• Set up a learning evaluation framework (e.g. Kirkpatrick, Phillips ROI) and present effectiveness dashboards and ROI reports to the Executive Committee.
• Manage the Learning Management System, learning analytics, digital academies and e-assessment, and benchmark against IATA and ICAO standards.
• Represent KQ at regulatory audits, industry forums and with KCAA, EASA, IATA, ICAO and OEMs, and oversee external providers and an internal trainer network.
• Build and lead the Academy team, develop its people strategy, and manage overall training budgets.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in business, management, HR, education, aviation management, organizational psychology or a related field (mandatory).
• Master's degree in HR, OD, education or business administration (added advantage).
• Professional HR certification such as CHRP (K), CIPD Level 7 or SHRM-SCP (added advantage).
• Experience as an Accountable Manager or senior leader in an Approved Training Organization, with a record of regulatory compliance and audit success.
• Significant experience in a complex, regulated environment, preferably aviation or transport, and familiarity with the East African regulatory environment.

Required skills

• Enterprise learning strategy, organizational development and capability building.
• Understanding of aviation regulatory training requirements (KCAA, ICAO, EASA).
• Commercial acumen for revenue-generating training products.
• Analytical ability to use learning data and dashboards for evidence-based decisions.