Senior Manager, Licenses & Permits

SENIOR MANAGER, COMPLIANCE

Global Aviation – Sodexo Live!

Remote (U.S.) | EST Working Hours Required

POSITION SUMMARY

The Senior Manager, Compliance is responsible for leading and strengthening the Licenses & Permits compliance across the North America (NorAm) Aviation portfolio. This role oversees regulatory compliance processes related to Liquor License, Business Licenses, Health Permits, Privilege Permits, Certificate of Insurance (COI) and related operational requirements while driving operational discipline, risk mitigation, audit readiness, and executive-level reporting.

This position partners closely with Operations, Legal, Finance, HR, and external agencies to ensure timely renewals, regulatory alignment, and proactive management of compliance risks across all locations. The role also supports the strategic evolution of compliance operations through process improvement, reporting automation, governance, and future integration into enterprise analytics platform - Data Cube.

The ideal candidate is highly organized, operationally minded, collaborative, proactive, and comfortable managing multiple complex compliance initiatives in a fast-paced environment.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Compliance Program Leadership

·        Lead and continuously improve the end-to-end licensing and permitting compliance program for Liquor License, Business Licenses, Health Permits, Privilege Permits, Certificate of Insurance, and related regulatory requirements across the Aviation segment.

·        Serve as a strategic advisor to Operations leadership on compliance risks, mitigation strategies, escalations, and operational readiness.

·        Drive accountability and operational discipline through proactive monitoring, reporting, and leadership engagement.

Regulatory & Permit Management

·        Oversee permits and licenses renewals, audits, COI renewals, port requests, and regulatory submissions to maintain full operational compliance.

·        Ensure timely submissions, renewals, and issue resolution across all locations.

·        Maintain audit-ready documentation and centralized compliance records.

Cross-Functional Partnership

·        Lead biweekly compliance reviews with lounge General Managers (GMs) and District Managers (DMs) to evaluate current and upcoming compliance targets.

·        Partner closely with Legal, NorAm Licensing, Operations, Finance, HR, and external agencies to coordinate compliance activities and resolve escalations.

·        Coordinate with Finance on port fee payments, submissions, and compliance-related financial tracking.

Compliance Operations & Reporting

·        Own and continuously enhance the Risk Registry, licenses and permits compliance tracking tools (Smartsheet, SoFi, and future enterprise systems).

·        Monitor compliance trends, identify risks proactively, and escalate issues to senior leadership as appropriate.

·        Develop executive-ready reporting, dashboards, KPIs, and operational summaries.

Training & Change Management

·        Co-lead monthly Compliance Office Hours and oversee Teams channel engagement and support.

·        Support and enhance HMF (Hospitality Management Fundamentals) Licenses & Permits compliance training course.

·        Develop communication materials, SOPs, process documentation, and operational guidance.

Strategic Initiatives & Continuous Improvement

·        Support integration of compliance data into enterprise analytics initiatives, including the Data Cube.

·        Identify automation opportunities and help evolve the compliance function toward scalable, technology-enabled operations.

·        Participate in special projects related to operational excellence, governance, and risk management.

QUALIFICATIONS

·        Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred.

·        7 years of experience in compliance, licensing, operations, contracts administration, program management, or related field.

·        Experience managing multi-site regulatory compliance programs in hospitality, aviation, food service, healthcare, retail, or similarly regulated industries preferred.

·        Strong understanding of operational compliance, regulatory documentation, and audit readiness practices.

·        Experience working cross-functionally with Operations, Legal, HR, Finance, and external agencies.

·        Advanced organizational, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

·        Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities with attention to detail.

·        Experience with Smartsheet, Excel, Power BI, SharePoint, or compliance tracking systems preferred.

·        Ability to manage multiple priorities independently in a fast-paced environment.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

·        Fully remote position within the United States.

·        Candidate must be available to work EST business hours.

·        Occasional travel may be required for training, operational support, audits, or leadership meetings.

PREFERRED LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS

·        Operationally driven and highly proactive

·        Strong executive presence and communication skills

·        Process-oriented with continuous improvement mindset

·        Collaborative and relationship-focused

·        Calm under pressure with strong judgment and decision-making ability

·        Comfortable leading through ambiguity and organizational change