About the job

ABOUT AIR INDIA SATS AIRPORT SERVICES PRIVATE LIMITED

AISATS, a leading gateway services provider in India, is a 50-50 joint venture between Air India Limited (a part of the TATA Group) and SATS Ltd., one of the world’s largest providers of air cargo handling services and Asia’s leading airline caterer. ‘AISATS’ is defined by its people – they are our greatest strength. Their commitment to seamless delivery and customer delight is what enables us to fulfil our brand promise of service excellence. This has been the hallmark of our business for more than a decade. With deep domain knowledge of the aviation ecosystem, we offer end-to-end ground handling services such as passenger and baggage handling, ramp handling, aircraft interior cleaning, load control and flight operations, and cargo handling services for general, perishable, transshipment, express courier and special cargo.

Senior Manager – GSE CAPEX Procurement

Location: Gurugram

Function: Centralized Procurement – Capital Expenditure (Ground Support Equipment)

Reports to: Head – Procurement

Team Size: Capex Buyers / Category Managers / Procurement Analysts (as applicable across Business units)

ROLE SCOPE & COMPLEXITY

Organization-wide ownership of GSE Capex procurement
Multi-location, multi-BU, 24x7 aviation operations
High-value Capex contracts with OEMs (domestic & global)
Interaction with CFO, auditors, airport authorities, OEM principals
Strong dependency on operational timelines (aircraft induction / GH contract go-live)

JOB PURPOSE

The Senior Manager – GSE CAPEX Procurement is accountable for strategic, centralized, and end-to end procurement of all Ground Support Equipment (GSE) capital assets required for airline operations and ground handling businesses across domestic and international stations.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

GSE CAPEX PROCUREMENT STRATEGY & POLICY OWNERSHIP
Define and implement centralized GSE Capex procurement strategy aligned with:
Airline fleet plans (NB / WB / Freighter)
Ground handling contract lifecycle (award, renewal, exit)
Organization’s cost, cash flow, and governance objectives
Convert decentralized GSE buying into policy-driven centralized sourcing.
Establish category-wise sourcing strategies for:
Ramp GSE
Passenger handling GSE
Cargo & warehouse GSE
Power & air equipment
Drive make-vs-buy-vs-lease decisions in coordination with Finance.
Act as policy owner for GSE Capex procurement SOPs

CAPEX DEMAND CONSOLIDATION & PR GOVERNANCE
Consolidate BU-wise and location-wise GSE Capex requirements into annual and rolling procurement plans.
Validate PRs for:
Business justification
Alignment with approved Capex budgets
Specification standardization
Avoidance of duplicate or premature Capex
Challenge non-standard or unjustified requests to protect capital discipline.
Prioritize PRs based on operational criticality and revenue linkage.

END-TO-END CAPEX PROCUREMENT EXECUTION
Own the complete procurement lifecycle for all GSE Capex:
Requirement finalization & scope freezing
RFQ / RFP structuring
Vendor pre-qualification & shortlisting
Techno-commercial evaluation
Negotiation & commercial closure
PO / Contract issuance
Ensure transparent, competitive, and auditable sourcing processes.
Lead procurement of complex and high-value equipment such as:
Pushback tractors
High loaders
Passenger buses
Electric GSE fleets
Ensure procurement timelines align with aircraft induction and GH SLAs.

OEM & STRATEGIC VENDOR MANAGEMENT
Establish long-term strategic relationships with:
Global GSE OEMs
Domestic manufacturers
Authorized dealers and integrators
Lead senior-level negotiations covering:
Base pricing & escalation protection
Volume-based rebates
Warranty & extended warranty
AMC / CMC with uptime guarantees
Spares price locking and lead time commitments
Penalties, LDs, and performance guarantees
Structure multi-year rate contracts and framework agreements.
Conduct periodic vendor performance reviews and corrective action plans.

GSE STANDARDIZATION & LIFECYCLE COST OPTIMIZATION
Drive organization-wide standardization of:
GSE models
Specifications
OEM base
Reduce total cost of ownership by:
Minimizing customization
Rationalizing fleet variety
Aligning spares and maintenance philosophy
Promote adoption of:
Electric / low-emission GSE
Telematics-enabled equipment
Work with Engineering to ensure procurement decisions reduce long-term maintenance and downtime costs.

COMMERCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT & CONTRACT STRUCTURING
Structure contracts to mitigate risks related to:
Delivery delays
Performance failures
Ground handling contract termination
Asset redeployment or resale
Ensure contracts include:
Exit clauses
Buy-back / resale support
Asset transfer flexibility
Coordinate with Legal to ensure strong commercial protection.
Protect organization from stranded assets post GH contract exit.

DELIVERY TRACKING & OPERATIONAL COORDINATION
Track PO-to-delivery and commissioning milestones.
Proactively escalate delays that can impact:
Aircraft induction
Station launch
Ground handling contract go-live
Coordinate with:
OEM logistics teams
Engineering & Maintenance
Station Operations
Finance for GRN & capitalization
Ensure procurement enables zero disruption to flight and ramp operations.
CAPEX FINANCIAL CONTROL & REPORTING
Track Capex spends vs approved budgets.
Support Finance with:
ROI / TCO / payback analysis
Capitalization accuracy
Depreciation alignment with asset & contract life
Prepare CFO-level MIS and dashboards covering:
Pending PRs & POs
Delivery timelines
Savings achieved
Commercial risks
Support internal, statutory, and management audits.

STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT & BUSINESS PARTNERING
Act as single point of ownership for all GSE Capex procurement matters.
Partner with:
Ground Operations
Engineering & Safety
Finance & Legal
GH Commercial & Bid teams
Provide Capex inputs for:
GH RFP pricing
Contract feasibility analysis
Influence stakeholders to adopt standardized, cost-effective solutions.

TEAM LEADERSHIP & CAPABILITY BUILDING
Lead and mentor Capex procurement team members.
Build strong knowledge in GSE procurement.
Drive performance culture through clear KRAs and KPIs.
Ensure strong succession and capability development.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs)

GSE Capex savings vs benchmark
PR-to-PO and PO-to-delivery cycle time
Percentage standardization of GSE fleet
Budget adherence
Vendor SLA compliance
Audit observations (target: zero high-risk findings)
On-time availability of GSE for operations

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

BE / B. Tech – Mechanical / Electrical / Automobile
MBA / PGDM – Supply Chain / Operations / Finance (preferred)
12–20 years of experience in:
Aviation GSE procurement OR
Airline / Ground Handling Capex procurement OR
Heavy equipment / infrastructure Capex sourcing
Proven experience in:
Centralized procurement
High-value OEM negotiations
Multi-location operations

Air India SATS Airport Services Private Limited (AISATS) jobs

Senior Manager – GSE CAPEX Procurement