Senior Manager, Safety Management System & Safety Culture

Description

The Senior Manager, Safety Management System & Safety Culture serves as CAE's lead for the development, governance, promotion and continual improvement of the Global Safety Management System. The position is responsible for establishing and maintaining an integrated safety management framework that supports Aviation Safety; Environment Health & Safety; operational risk management, and organizational learning across Corporate, Operations, Civil and Defence & Security business units. Acting as a partner to our Operational Safety team leaders, business stakeholders and leadership, the role drives safety culture, safety promotion, reporting integrity, risk management, and safety capability development. The incumbent ensures that safety management principles are consistently embedded throughout the organization while developing CAE's long-term vision of a unified, world-class global Safety Management System. The role is positioned as the Global SMS owner and Safety Culture focal within the Global Safety & Governance department.

Primary Responsibilities

Safety Management System (SMS) Governance and Program Management

• Serves as the designated lead and coordinator for the Global Safety Management System (SMS), ensuring consistent application, governance, and continual improvement across Corporate, Operations, Civil and Defence & Security business units.

• Establish and maintain CAE’s overarching SMS architecture, governance model, policy framework, and supporting methodologies aligned with, and compliant to, all relevant and applicable international safety and environment management principles and standards.

• Partner with Operational Safety leaders and subject matter experts to ensure SMS processes, procedures and work instructions remain relevant, practical, operationally focused and aligned with evolving business and regulatory and certification requirements.

• Advise the Director Global Safety on SMS strategy, system maturity, emerging industry practices, and safety governance improvements.

Safety Promotion, Reporting Culture and Organizational Learning

• Lead the development, implementation, and continual improvement of the Global Safety Promotion Strategy, ensuring alignment with business objectives, safety priorities, organizational values, and regulatory expectations.

• Develop and oversee Global safety communication campaigns, awareness initiatives, leadership engagement programs, and learning activities that strengthen understanding of safety risks, lessons learned and organizational priorities.

• Promote and strengthen a proactive reporting culture that encourages timely identification and reporting of hazards, events, near misses, unsafe conditions, and operational concerns.

• Collaborate with the Global Operational Safety team, Corporate Communications, Business Unit leadership teams and other stakeholders to improve employee engagement and participation in safety improvement initiatives.

• Coordinate learning responses arising from investigations, hazard reports, trend analysis, audits, and significant safety events.

• Support the planning and delivery of safety engagement initiatives including safety stand-downs, leadership forums, roadshows, workshops, and safety awareness events.

Safety Risk Management

• Maintain oversight of Global safety risk management methodologies, ensuring standardized approaches to hazard identification, risk assessment, risk treatment, and management of change activities across the organization.

• Develop and maintain a safety risk taxonomy, classification framework, and risk profiling methodology to support consistent analysis, decision-making and alignment with the Corporate Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) system.

• Collaborate with Operational Safety leaders, EH&S specialists, and business stakeholders to ensure safety risks are effectively identified, assessed, escalated and managed.

• Contribute to safety risk reviews for significant operational, strategic, organizational, or transformational initiatives, where required.

Safety Assurance, Investigation Oversight and Performance Monitoring

• Oversee the aviation mishap response policy and investigation process, collaborating with Operational Safety leaders to ensure effective investigation coordination, reporting, corrective action management, and organizational learning from aviation incidents, accidents, and post-training event risks.

• Support the development, standardization, and continual improvement of safety assurance activities including safety audits, assessments, evaluations, inspections, and effectiveness reviews undertaken by the Operational Safety and Global Quality Assurance & Compliance Monitoring teams.

• Partner with the Head of Global Operational Safety and the Senior Manager, Safety & Quality Intelligence to establish and continually improve Safety Performance Indicators (SPIs), safety health metrics, predictive indicators, and executive dashboard measures.

• Monitor emerging trends, systemic safety concerns, and SMS performance indicators to identify opportunities for organizational improvement and risk reduction.

Safety Learning, Competence and Capability Development

• Lead the development and implementation of the Safety & Quality learning strategy, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives, safety governance requirements, regulatory expectations, and business priorities.

• Develop modern, scalable, and sustainable learning solutions that improve effectiveness, reduce duplication and support consistent global application.

• Establish mechanisms to evaluate training effectiveness, knowledge retention, behavioural adoption, and organizational impact.

• Partner with operational leaders, subject matter experts and learning teams to continuously improve safety education, awareness, and capability development programs.

People Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of safety professionals, fostering a high-performance, collaborative and customer-focused culture aligned with CAE's values and safety objectives.

• Build strong relationships with all internal and external stakeholders to enhance safety objectives and strengthen organizational safety capability.

Minimum Qualifications

• Current or former Civil or Military pilot qualification together with current or previous operational flying experience in airline, military aviation, business aviation, or advanced aviation training environments.

• Bachelor’s degree in aviation, Aeronautical Science, Aviation Safety, Aerospace Engineering, Human Factors, Occupational Health & Safety, Risk Management.

• Minimum 8-12 years of progressive experience in aviation safety, safety management, flight operations, aviation risk management, aerospace operations, military aviation safety, business aviation safety, airline safety management, or a similar highly regulated operational environment.

• Demonstrated experience managing or supporting Safety Management Systems within an airline, aerospace manufacturer, aviation services organization, defence organization, business aviation operator, military aviation environment, or equivalent complex operation.

• Experience leading safety culture, safety promotion, organizational learning, and safety communications initiatives.

• Demonstrated understanding of flight operations, aviation risk management, operational decision-making, and safety culture in complex aviation environments.

• Experience working with leadership, operational leaders, cross-functional stakeholders, and external parties in a global environment.

• Strong knowledge of Safety Management Systems and the four-pillar SMS framework, ICAO Annex 19, aviation safety investigations, risk management methodologies, and safety performance monitoring.

• Understanding of Environment, Health & Safety program integration within broader safety systems.

• Skilled in stakeholder management, facilitation, communication and influencing across organizational levels in a matrixed organization, without direct authority.

• Experience with safety databases, reporting systems, analytics tools, and digital management systems.

• Strong written communication, presentation, and governance reporting capabilities.

• International travel will be required to support safety initiatives, operational reviews, stakeholder engagement activities, investigations, audits, conferences, and business priorities. 

Preferred Qualifications

• Formal Safety Management System (SMS) qualifications, certifications, or specialized training.

• Experience in aircraft accident investigation

• Experience integrating multiple safety disciplines, regulatory frameworks, or management systems.

• Bilingual (French-English).

Benefits

• Group Insurance

• Telemedicine Employee and Family Assistance Program

• Employee Stock Purchase Plan

• Group RRSP

• CAE Pension Plan/Defined Benefit Plan

• Sabbatical Leave

• Flex Time

• Enhanced Parental Leave

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About CAE

At CAE, our mission is clear: to help make the world a safer place. For nearly 80 years, we’ve driven innovation in simulation, training, and mission readiness to support critical operations worldwide. By leveraging advanced technologies, we empower our customers to operate smarter, faster, and more sustainably. Join a purpose-driven organization where bold ideas are encouraged, collaboration drives progress, and your growth fuels our shared success.

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Position Type

Regular

Equal Opportunity & Accommodations

CAE is committed to providing equal opportunities to all applicants, regardless of race, nationality, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, neurodiversity, veteran status, age, or other characteristics protected by law. We encourage applicants who may not meet every qualification to apply. Reasonable accommodations are available—contact your recruiter or email CAECarrieres-Careers@cae.com if needed.

Data Privacy

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As part of our process, we may use AI‑supported tools to help review applications, with human decision‑making at every step. CAE thanks all applicants for their interest. However, only those whose background and experience match the requirements of the role will be contacted.