Manager: Obstacle Evaluation

Listing reference: atns_000742
Listing status: Online
Apply by: 27 October 2025
Position summary
Industry: Aviation & Aerospace
Job category: Operations Management
Location: Bedfordview
Contract: Permanent
Remuneration: Market Related
EE position: No
Introduction
Applications are invited for the position of Manager: Obstacle Evaluation (Peromnes Grade 7) based at Bruma. The successful applicant will be reporting to the Head: Aeronautical Information Management and Systems. Purpose To manage the performance and operations of the Obstacle Evaluation section by safeguarding airspace and airports through the assessment and evaluation of all obstacle types on Annex 14 Obstacle Limitation Surfaces (OLS) and Annex 15 Electronic Terrain and Obstacle Data (eTOD) within South Africa in compliance with ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPS) and Civil Aviation Regulations Part 178
Job description

Obstacle Evaluation - Collect, analyze, verify/validate, categorize (obstacle type) and process obstacle assessment applications that may impact or influence Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS); Conduct Obstacle Evaluations as defined by OP017, ICAO Annex 14 (OLS), ICAO Annex 15 (eTOD), ICAO Doc 8168 - Volume II, ICAO Doc 9137 - Part 6, and PANS-OPS to determine whether the obstacle(s) poses a hazard to flight safety; Coordinate with relevant parties (SAAF) and ATNS departments (ATM, ATS, PANS-OPS, CNS, Radar) to evaluate the obstacle applications and provide inputs into the obstacle assessment package; Consolidate inputs received from relevant parties and ATNS departments to generate obstacle assessment packages; Submit to the Regulator, i.e. the South African Civil Authority, and coordinate the approval of the obstacle assessment packages submitted to the SACAA; Arrange for the publication of relevant obstacle information within the aeronautical information products;               Conduct oversight on processes and report on obstacle and terrain data audits to ensure maximum aeronautical data quality and compliance with international standards; Ensure that corrective measures are implemented to address a gap in performance, compliance, or process effectiveness, meeting acceptable reliability standards, and that documentation and systems are compliant with requirements; Co-ordinate, consult and liaise with clients regarding obstacle evaluation assessments and services to be delivered and ensure continuous tracking and updating on the status of the obstacle evaluation application received from the client; Maintain and file documents as per ISO and ATNS filing systems; Keep record of all aeronautical data changes or amendments; Complete projects in line with defined time and quality requirements.

Obstacle Evaluations Data Input and Management - Initialize and prepare a design environment as required by Annex 14 and Annex 15 (eTOD) utilising correct and verified data; Initialize and prepare design environment as required by PANS-OPS utilizing correct and verified data; Collect and coordinate all manmade and topographical obstacles including eTOD and Digital Terrain Module (DTM) in addition to the necessary data to be used by the Flight Procedure Designer to design or maintain Instrument Flight Procedures (IFP); Consultation, co-ordination and liaison with data providers.

Obstacle Assessment Database and Datasets - •    Data Management:  Source, collate or assemble, verify/validate, edit, format and store aeronautical information and data (spatial and non-spatial data) as datasets (Aeronautical , Terrain and Obstacle) via System Wide Information Network (SWIM) registry in accordance with Civil Aviation Regulations and Technical Standards Part 178 within the centralised AIM system; Provide data quality and integrity through implementation of quality assurance/quality checking procedures, ensuring the accuracy, completeness, and consistency of aeronautical data in accordance with ICAO SARPs; Utilise GIS and other geospatial tools for data management and visualization; Managing data loading, metadata traceability and data indexing in accordance with Aeronautical Information Exchange Model (AIXM) and Aeronautical Data Catalogue); Perform database maintenance by creating regular backups and restores, updating statistics and indexes, and compressing versioned geodatabases; Identifying, diagnosing and resolving database-related errors, performance issues, and other technical problems within the centralised AIM system; Coordinate and ensure seamless aeronautical dataset updating/amendments within the AIM system and specific target databases (ATC TOPSKY, Flight Procedure Design, Cartography, etc.); User Access and Security:  Granting and revoking privileges, managing user accounts, and implementing security measures to protect the database; Managing the infrastructure and software related to the aeronautical database; Create database downloads based on user requests and disseminate information accordingly.

Governance, Compliance & Risk Management -.Develop processes, procedures and protocols to ensure effective governance of flight and flow operations; Monitor and ensure compliance with all relevant regulations, legislation and standards; Identify risks and develop and implement approved mitigation plans and actions to minimise risks or avoid occurrence.

Stakeholder Relations Management - Develop and maintain sound and mutually beneficial relationships with key stakeholders through continued communication and engagement to support ongoing collaboration and alignment; Represent ATNS at relevant national and multilateral forums; Participate in industry and regulatory forums and workgroups on a local, national, and regional level; Provide inputs and guidance to ICAO, CANSO, ATM/CNS Implementation Committee and other appropriate planning groups, sub-groups, working groups and task forces; Build and maintain sound relationships with all relevant business functions and teams within ATNS to enable alignment and collaboration.

Financial Management –Manage expenditure in line with business objectives and priorities, and within approved financial parameters; Provide inputs into the development of the budget; Ensure effective management of operational costs to enable efficient utilisation of financial resources; Ensure compliance with the financial policies and procedures applicable in ATNS; Ensure accountability and reporting on all costs incurred against the approved budget including deviations.

People Management - Manage staff in accordance with HC policies, processes, and practices; Ensure that new employees have been properly on-boarded prior to commencing work; Monitor the time and attendance of subordinates, take appropriate action in the case of absenteeism, and report issues to management and Human Capital; Develop and administer proficiency assessments for flight and flow operations team; Develop and conduct training for identified personnel; Recruit, train, and develop a highly skilled and knowledgeable team; Foster a culture of safety, continuous improvement, and professional development within the team; Ensure the availability of skilled and competent staff in the function to meet the current and future needs aligned to the departmental and overall business strategies; Manage and maintain high performance standards to achieve targets and objectives through application of the HC performance management system and take corrective action promptly and effectively when required; Mentor and coach staff as required to ensure continuous development and availability of the always required; Ensure the transfer of knowledge and skills to enable sustainability within AIM from a succession management perspective; Perform talent reviews in accordance with the HC Talent Management process; Drive employee engagement by creating a positive and productive work environment.

Minimum requirements

Formal Qualifications

             Grade 12

             Core Content/ATS Course

             Obstacle evaluation/Aerodrome Safeguarding Course and/or Flight Procedure Design Course 

             Aeronautical Information Exchange Model (AIXM) Course

             Management qualification (Management Course or Degree)

 Experience

             Minimum 10 years’ experience in Air Traffic Management operations of which at least 5 years’ experience in Obstacle Evaluations and/or Flight Procedure Design

             Experience in aeronautical data quality, collection, analysis and methodology is required

             In-depth knowledge of ICAO documents pertaining to Aerodrome Safeguarding and obstacle assessments (Annex 14 - OLS/Annex 15 - eTOD)

             Experience in standards and regulations for the collection, storage, and use of obstacle and terrain data (Digital datasets)

             Experience in defining requirements/specifications for obstacle analysis and aerodrome safeguarding

             Operational experience and knowledge of co-ordinate systems, aeronautical data and information, including: 

·                Maps/Charts, co-ordinate and map projections

·                Aeronautical Information Exchange Model (AIXM)

·                Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

·                Aeronautical Data Quality (ADQ)

             Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, SharePoint) and other productivity tools

             Project Management Experience

             Team Resource Management

             On the Job Training (OJT) / Training Instructor

If you have not been contacted within 3 weeks of the closing date of this advert, please accept that your application was unsuccessful.

ATNS is an equal opportunity employer that strives to achieve a diverse workforce broadly representative of our people. This position will be filled in line with the objectives of ATNS’ Employment Equity Plan and therefore candidates from designated groups as per the Employment Equity Act of 1998, are encouraged to apply.

People with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Our website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience. By continuing to use our website, you agree to our use of cookies.