Background

Uganda National Airlines Company is a National Carrier with a vision to become the airline of choice connecting people and markets across Africa and Beyond. Her Mission is to provide safe, reliable, sustainable air transport services for economic transformation and to maximise value for our customers and shareholders. Uganda National Airlines Company Limited (UNACL) now seeks to recruit competent people with high integrity, dedication and commitment for the positions

Chief Customer Services Officer

Department: Customer Services

Reports To: Chief Executive Officer

Duty Station: Head Office, Entebbe, with frequent travel across the operating network

Job Level: Chief / Executive Management

Direct Reports: Manager Cabin Services; Senior Manager Ground Operations; Manager Catering & Lounge

Functional Scope: Cabin services; ground operations; passenger handling; baggage services; travel-document verification; ramp and turnaround services; ground support equipment; catering; lounges; service recovery; customer complaints and claims

Job purpose

The Chief Customer Services Officer (CCSO) is accountable for the safe, compliant, consistent and commercially responsible delivery of the Uganda Airlines customer experience across the passenger journey. The role provides executive leadership for cabin services, ground operations, passenger handling, baggage services, travel-document verification, ramp and turnaround coordination, ground support equipment, catering and lounges, service recovery, customer complaints and claims. The CCSO establishes service standards, ensures operational readiness and regulatory compliance, protects customers during normal and disrupted operations, and works across the Company to deliver a dependable service promise that strengthens loyalty, reputation and sustainable growth.

2. Key accountabilities

(a) Customer service strategy and executive leadership

• Develop and execute the customer service strategy, annual service plan, manpower priorities and budget in support of corporate objectives and the Uganda Airlines brand promise.
• Translate customer needs, operational requirements and commercial priorities into clear service standards, accountable owners, delivery milestones and measurable outcomes.
• Advise the Chief Executive Officer and Board on customer experience, service risks, operational readiness, complaints and claims trends, and material service investments.
• Chair customer service performance reviews and ensure timely corrective action where service, safety, punctuality, baggage, catering, lounge or customer-recovery performance falls below target.

(b) End-to-end customer journey and service standards

• Own the design and consistent delivery of customer service standards from airport arrival and check-in through boarding, in-flight service, arrival, baggage delivery and post-travel support.
• Define service procedures for different customer groups, including premium customers, customers requiring special assistance, unaccompanied minors, disrupted passengers and customers with accessibility needs.
• Ensure service standards are practical, trained, measured and aligned across cabins, airport, catering, lounges, commercial and digital touchpoints.
• Use customer insight, operational data and frontline feedback to remove recurring pain points and improve customer proposition.

(c) Cabin services, safety and crew performance

• Provide executive oversight of cabin service operations, safety standards and training, service product and grooming, senior pursers and cabin crew.
• Ensure cabin services comply with applicable civil aviation (UCAA) requirements, approved manuals, safety procedures, security requirements and the authority of the aircraft commander.
• Ensure adequate numbers of qualified, current, medically fit and properly rostered cabin crew are available for the approved operating programme.
• Oversee cabin crew recruitment requirements, induction, recurrent training, checking, performance management, grooming, conduct and service consistency.
• Promote professional standards, crew resource management, fatigue awareness, safety reporting, just culture and disciplined compliance with standard operating procedures.

(d) Ground operations and passenger handling

• Provide executive oversight of Entebbe hub and network ground operations, station management, passenger check-in, boarding, flight monitoring, travel-document verification and passenger assistance.
• Ensure stations are operationally ready and comply with Company procedures, airport requirements, immigration and destination-document controls, security obligations and applicable service-level agreements.
• Maintain effective controls over passenger acceptance, denied boarding, special-service requests, boarding reconciliation, baggage acceptance and other departure-control processes.
• Lead the business and technical evaluation, recommendation, selection and ongoing oversight of ground handlers and catering service providers across the entire network, working through approved procurement, legal, finance, safety and quality processes to ensure selected providers can meet Uganda Airlines' safety, service, operational-readiness, cost and contractual-performance requirements.

(e) Ramp, turnaround and ground support equipment

• Oversee ramp activities, turnaround coordination, load-control interfaces, aircraft handling, loading supervision, cabin grooming, transport support and use of ground support equipment.
• Ensure safe and punctual turnarounds through clear milestones, role ownership, escalation protocols and close coordination with Flight Operations, Maintenance, Security, Catering and airport partners.
• Ensure ground support equipment is suitable, available, maintained, safely operated and supported by competent personnel and reliable records.
• Drive reduction of controllable ground delays, aircraft damage, handling irregularities, unsafe practices and avoidable turnaround failures.

(f) Baggage services and tracing

• Set and enforce standards for baggage acceptance, reconciliation, loading, transfer, delivery, tracing and customer communication.
• Ensure effective use of WorldTracer and other approved systems, timely file creation and updates, proper custody of baggage, and accurate reporting across stations and service providers.
• Review mishandled baggage trends, root causes, recovery time, compensation exposure and repeat failures; require corrective action at responsible stations and providers.
• Ensure baggage claims and compensation are handled fairly, consistently and within applicable conditions of carriage, conventions, laws and approved authority limits.

• Develop and execute the customer service strategy, annual service plan, manpower priorities and budget in support of corporate objectives and the Uganda Airlines brand promise.
• Translate customer needs, operational requirements and commercial priorities into clear service standards, accountable owners, delivery milestones and measurable outcomes.
• Advise the Chief Executive Officer and Board on customer experience, service risks, operational readiness, complaints and claims trends, and material service investments.
• Chair customer service performance reviews and ensure timely corrective action where service, safety, punctuality, baggage, catering, lounge or customer-recovery performance falls below target.
• Own the design and consistent delivery of customer service standards from airport arrival and check-in through boarding, in-flight service, arrival, baggage delivery and post-travel support.
• Define service procedures for different customer groups, including premium customers, customers requiring special assistance, unaccompanied minors, disrupted passengers and customers with accessibility needs.
• Ensure service standards are practical, trained, measured and aligned across cabins, airport, catering, lounges, commercial and digital touchpoints.
• Use customer insight, operational data and frontline feedback to remove recurring pain points and improve customer proposition.
• Provide executive oversight of cabin service operations, safety standards and training, service product and grooming, senior pursers and cabin crew.
• Ensure cabin services comply with applicable civil aviation (UCAA) requirements, approved manuals, safety procedures, security requirements and the authority of the aircraft commander.
• Ensure adequate numbers of qualified, current, medically fit and properly rostered cabin crew are available for the approved operating programme.
• Oversee cabin crew recruitment requirements, induction, recurrent training, checking, performance management, grooming, conduct and service consistency.
• Promote professional standards, crew resource management, fatigue awareness, safety reporting, just culture and disciplined compliance with standard operating procedures.
• Provide executive oversight of Entebbe hub and network ground operations, station management, passenger check-in, boarding, flight monitoring, travel-document verification and passenger assistance.
• Ensure stations are operationally ready and comply with Company procedures, airport requirements, immigration and destination-document controls, security obligations and applicable service-level agreements.
• Maintain effective controls over passenger acceptance, denied boarding, special-service requests, boarding reconciliation, baggage acceptance and other departure-control processes.
• Lead the business and technical evaluation, recommendation, selection and ongoing oversight of ground handlers and catering service providers across the entire network, working through approved procurement, legal, finance, safety and quality processes to ensure selected providers can meet Uganda Airlines' safety, service, operational-readiness, cost and contractual-performance requirements.
• Oversee ramp activities, turnaround coordination, load-control interfaces, aircraft handling, loading supervision, cabin grooming, transport support and use of ground support equipment.
• Ensure safe and punctual turnarounds through clear milestones, role ownership, escalation protocols and close coordination with Flight Operations, Maintenance, Security, Catering and airport partners.
• Ensure ground support equipment is suitable, available, maintained, safely operated and supported by competent personnel and reliable records.
• Drive reduction of controllable ground delays, aircraft damage, handling irregularities, unsafe practices and avoidable turnaround failures.
• Set and enforce standards for baggage acceptance, reconciliation, loading, transfer, delivery, tracing and customer communication.
• Ensure effective use of WorldTracer and other approved systems, timely file creation and updates, proper custody of baggage, and accurate reporting across stations and service providers.
• Review mishandled baggage trends, root causes, recovery time, compensation exposure and repeat failures; require corrective action at responsible stations and providers.
• Ensure baggage claims and compensation are handled fairly, consistently and within applicable conditions of carriage, conventions, laws and approved authority limits.