Arrivals & Departures Manager
Department: Events & Entertainment
Employment Type: Fixed Term - Full Time
Location: Brazil
Description
FIFA has established a Local FIFA Subsidiary in Brazil to work together with FIFA Zurich to deliver the biggest women’s sporting event in the world, the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027. Now is your time to be part of the workforce that is creating this unique and unforgettable experience.
THE POSITION
The Arrivals & Departures Manager is responsible for planning, coordinating, and delivering all Arrivals & Departures operations for and during the tournament. This role ensures seamless, safe, and efficient transportation services for all FIFA client groups and spectators, guaranteeing operational readiness and flawless delivery on all airports used for the tournament. The position also liaises closely with the Airport Operators, Federal Government and Host City authorities.
This role reports to the Senior Transport Manager and oversees key arrivals and departures sub‑projects, including international and inter‑city planning and operations, as well as aviation venue management. The Arrivals & Departures Manager collaborates closely with Airport Operators, Federal Government agencies, Host City authorities, the LFS Senior Transport Manager, the Transport Government Liaison & Integration Manager, and FIFA to define and implement an integrated concept of operations for Arrivals & Departures services. It is also the responsibility of this position to develop airport operational plans that provide essential support to both the Transport Functional Area and Event Services.
The successful candidate is expected to be a proactive and resilient professional, capable of leading and managing a team while operating efficiently under pressure and delivering to strict timelines. Managing the area’s activities and resources within the approved budget is also a key component of the role. The Arrivals & Departures Manager must ensure strong integration with all other FWWC2027 functional areas present at the airport—including Workforce, Volunteers, Guest Operations & Protocol Etiquette, Team Services, and IT—to ensure alignment with established FIFA SLAs and the seamless delivery of airport operations.
Key Responsibilities
* Designing and implementing a suitable A&D service model that covers all tournament airports, to service all FIFA constituent groups (Teams, Referees, FIFA officials, VIPs, Workforce, Dignitaries, Media, Broadcast, Commercial affiliates) at all official point‑of‑entry/exit sites, based on FIFA requirements and agreed service levels.
* Planning and implementing an Arrivals & Departures Plan for each FIFA constituent group based on FIFA requirements and service levels.
* Negotiating with the airport authorities and government agencies to ensure that all the structures and procedures of the airports are aligned to deliver the best operation on peak throughout the FWWC2027 operational period.
* Designing the concept of operations, the venue operating plan, and all relevant A&D policies and procedures.
* Integrating with other LFS Transport workstreams functions within Event Transport for airport pick‑ups and drop‑offs.
* Coordinating with meet‑and‑greet companies regarding VIP arrivals and departures services.
* Contributing to the slot allocation plan of the host‑city airports for the tournament period, ensuring priority for FWWC2027‑related aircraft movements (mainly PMA charter flights and FIFA VIP private jets).
* Ensuring successful integration of the FWWC2027 air traffic into the overall international airline schedule.
* Participating proactively in the Airport/Mobility Working Groups and ensuring, via close collaboration with HC transport, civil aviation and airport operators and authorities, that the air traffic matches airport and terminal capacities.
* Planning and developing the tournament time operational plan for the airport (airside and landside operations) in coordination with airport authorities and other FWWC2027 functional areas (Security, Logistics, Team Services, Guest Operations, Marketing, etc.).
* Ensuring integration of the airport operational plan with the airport transportation plan and its correlation with all other transport services and operations.
* Delivering the final operational plan and ensuring successful and smooth operations for all constituent groups.
* Implementing project management within A&D and airport management, identifying key milestones of international and inter‑city arrivals and departures / aviation and airport management sub‑projects.
* Identifying and addressing key risks of the international and inter‑city arrivals and departures / aviation and airport management sub‑projects.
* Preparing content (slides, handouts, etc.) and reports for the FWWC2027 related management meetings and working group meetings.
* Supporting recruiting and hiring of each host‑city A&D manager, assigning responsibilities, and managing the team from planning through delivery. Overall accountability for appropriate staffing levels and quality employees across all airports.
* Ensuring all airport staff are properly trained by developing and maintaining training materials and coordinating the delivery of operational workshops, briefings and role‑specific instructions. This HQ manager maintains consistent training standards across all host‑city airports.
* Providing regular reporting to the transport senior manager, FIFA counterparts, and other key stakeholders on coordination progress, issues, and decisions.
* Supporting test events, rehearsals, and operational readiness exercises. Overseeing the installation and readiness of signage, transport desk, wayfinding, etc.
* Maintaining constant live communication with transport command and control, providing real‑time updates on airport operations, incidents, delays, and emerging issues. Ensuring that all critical issues are escalated promptly, enabling rapid decision‑making and coordinated responses across all transport functions, government agencies and airport operators. This includes monitoring on‑ground conditions, reporting deviations from the plan, and implementing solutions to ensure smooth and uninterrupted service delivery.
Your Profile
Qualifications
Education – Bachelor’s Degree in Transport, Logistics, Civil Engineering, Project Management, Event Management or a combination of education and experience relating to the position. Master’s Degree is an additional asset.
Experience
* Minimum of ten (10) years of event arrivals and departures (airport operations) experience in international major events in at least three (3) world‑class sport/football events (e.g., FIFA World Cup, Olympic Games). Experience should include solid experience in multiple aspects of event transport operations and project management.
* Minimum of five (5) years of management experience in a similar role within an organising committee leading large teams to deliver a time‑critical project.
* Proven experience of successfully managing and delivering transport projects of a similar size and scale.
* Proven experience of managing airport operations projects of a similar size and scale.
* Experience working with public and private sector partners in a collaborative environment and ability to build strong partnerships.
Skills
* Advanced knowledge of administration and management principles.
* Advanced knowledge of team leadership, business process management.
* Advanced communication, interpersonal and negotiation skills, the ability to influence others and manage relationships.
* Ability to design, implement and operate a transport system in the Brazilian event environment.
* Advanced knowledge of transportation technical operating processes and activities.
* Ability to motivate others toward a common goal and manage a multidisciplinary team through conflicting priorities and continuous change requests.
* Ability to work and communicate in a corporate and project‑focused organisation.
* Proven project management skills within a complex project.
* Language skills – English language fluency both written and spoken.
* Strong analytical and organisational skills.
* Proven solution‑orientated decision‑making skills.
Ability to work under pressure to immutable deadlines.
Requirements
* Right to work in Brazil.
* Bilingual – Portuguese and English.
* Ability to re‑locate to Rio de Janeiro.
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