Aircraft Sourcing Manager - Sales & Buyers ; Santa Barbara, On-Site

Aircraft Sourcing Manager - Sales & Buyers Wanted (Santa Barbara, On‑Site)

At Silver Air, we’ve built a rare private‑aviation operation focused on safety, transparency, and client advocacy. Our Flight Club™ membership and on‑demand charter business give clients access to a global fleet through one of the most trusted names in private aviation.

Department: Charter Sales

Location: Santa Barbara

Compensation: $72,000 – $80,000 per year, DOE + relocation assistance (Downtown On‑Site Santa Barbara HQ – 2 blocks from the beach)

You'll be the first line of defense between our Private Jet Advisors (PJAs) and the operator marketplace. When a PJA needs aircraft options for a client trip, you source them. When an operator sends pricing, you negotiate it. When a deal doesn’t make commercial sense, you kill it. When it does, you package clean, margin‑smart options so our sales team can focus on building client relationships and closing business.

It’s a pit‑style role: fast, commercial, high‑stakes. You’ll manage 15–25 active sourcing requests simultaneously, negotiate with operators in real time, and make confident calls with incomplete information.

• 8:30 AM – Check overnight requests. Three urgent trips: SBA to Aspen (tomorrow), LAX to Cabo (Friday), Miami to Teterboro (repositioning play).
• 9:00 AM – Query 12 operators for the Aspen trip via Avinode. Target margin 18%. Receive quotes $14K‑$22K; counter three of them.
• 10:15 AM – Operator calls about Cabo trip with a fuel surcharge. Push back to $500 instead of $1,200.
• 11:00 AM – PJA needs a sanity check on a Paris‑London‑Geneva multi‑leg. Flag crew time‑out at London; source workaround and present two options with cost deltas.
• 1:00 PM – Kill a trip. Operator’s aircraft fails safety minimums, pricing is underwater, timeline unrealistic. Explain to PJA.
• 3:30 PM – Flight Club member wants a rush quote for tomorrow. Source four vetted options in 90 minutes, rank by value and reliability, hand them off with margin breakdowns.

• Source aircraft via Avinode, operator networks, and vendor relationships across domestic and international markets.
• Negotiate pricing, ferry positioning, fuel surcharges, overnight costs, and terms – aggressively but professionally.
• Apply margin targets to every trip; know when we’re at 22% vs. 12%, and escalated deals out of parameters.
• Filter out low‑quality operators before they reach the sales team.
• Say "no" to bad deals with confidence and clear commercial rationale.

• Remove sourcing burden so PJAs focus on client strategy, discovery, and closing.
• Deliver vetted "go‑forward" options ranked by safety, operator quality, margin, and feasibility.
• Anticipate questions: crew duty limits, repositioning logic, international requirements, fuel stops, de‑ice capabilities.
• Flag red flags: questionable operators, unrealistic timelines, weather/airport restrictions, regulatory roadblocks.
• Support complex itineraries requiring multi‑leg sourcing, international permits, or unusual routing.

• Build and maintain a network of reliable domestic and international operators.
• Track operator performance: on‑time record, AOG incidents, crew professionalism, aircraft condition.
• Maintain vendor scorecards and blackout calendars so we always know who’s available and trustworthy.
• Partner with Safety and Ops on vendor qualification and ongoing compliance.
• Be firm, fair, fast, and protect Silver Air’s reputation in every operator interaction.

• 3–5 years in charter brokerage, aviation sales, dispatch, trip coordination, or high‑pressure inside sales with vendor negotiation and tight deadlines.
• Proven track record negotiating with charter operators – pushed for better rates, walked away from bad deals, built lasting relationships.
• Hands‑on experience with Avinode and trip management platforms like Jet Insight, FOS, or similar (required).
• Working knowledge of CRM systems (Hub Spot preferred) and comfort learning new tech quickly.

• Understa…