Director, Aviation Advisory

Portside is a leading provider of modern software solutions for the global aviation industry. As a fast-growing SaaS company, we operate across three key verticals: business aviation, regional commercial aviation, and aircraft leasing & finance. With nearly 300 team members spread across five continents, we support over 1,000 enterprise customers, helping them streamline and manage all aspects of their day-to-day operations. LeaseWorks, a member of the Portside family, offers cloud-based asset management, customer relationship management, and other software solutions designed to help airlines and aircraft lessors save time, reduce costs, optimize revenue, and manage risk. Job Summary We are seeking an experienced Director, Aviation Advisory with a deep background in the aviation leasing industry to lead strategic customer engagements, oversee solution implementations, and act as a trusted advisor to our clients. In this role, you will collaborate closely with lessors, airlines, and internal teams to design and implement operational workflows related to fleet acquisition, financing, leasing, and asset lifecycle management. You will lead customer-facing project teams, ensure successful delivery, and champion platform adoption and value. This position also plays an important role in representing the company externally — sharing our vision and product direction with industry stakeholders, speaking at industry events, and promoting best practices in digital transformation for aviation leasing. Key Responsibilities Lead end-to-end implementation projects for new and existing customers, ensuring timely and successful delivery aligned with business objectives. Act as a strategic advisor to lessors and airline customers on fleet management, lease administration, and asset lifecycle processes. Develop a deep understanding of the company’s products and platform (Salesforce-based) and guide customers in leveraging capabilities to streamline operations. Maintain strong, trust-based customer relationships and serve as the primary point of contact for project direction, escalations, and strategic discussions. Identify process gaps, translate business needs into system requirements, and work with Product and Engineering to shape product enhancements. Drive platform adoption through training, continuous guidance, and proactive customer engagement. Monitor customer health, retention drivers, and operational performance to ensure long-term success. Represent the company at industry conferences, workshops, and customer advisory forums to share best practices and thought leadership. Contribute to internal methodology, playbooks, knowledge base, and process improvements. Qualifications 3+ years of management or leadership experience within the aircraft leasing industry (lessor, airline technical records team, portfolio management, contracts, commercial, or similar). Strong understanding of lease structures, asset financing, maintenance reserves, redelivery, and contract lifecycle processes. Demonstrated success in leading implementation projects or operational process transformation initiatives. Ability to lead discussions with executive stakeholders, translate business requirements, and influence decision-making. Excellent communication, presentation, and relationship-building skills. Passion for digital transformation and operational improvement within leasing. Salesforce platform familiarity or willingness to develop product configuration understanding (technical skills not required but advantageous). What We Offer Fully remote work Generous time off policy Opportunities for professional development and career advancement. Dynamic, collaborative, and fast-growing work environment. #J-18808-Ljbffr