Chief Strategy Officer (CSO)

Arulean Air LLC is seeking a highly experienced Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) to design and lead the company's joint fractional ownership program in partnership with Thrive Aviation. The CSO is responsible for the complete program structure, pricing architecture, fleet strategy, and competitive positioning of the venture. A critical dimension of this role is serving as the primary strategic counterpart to Thrive Aviation's senior management, ensuring organizational alignment on program direction, operational requirements, and commercial priorities. The CSO also leads fleet sourcing and long-term planning, and serves as the business-side interface with HACI finance for modeling, budgeting, and Management Committee reporting. The CSO directly manages the Marketing Manager, owns the go-to-market model and program economics, and partners with the Head of Sales on revenue delivery.

Requirements Key Responsibilities

Design the complete joint fractional ownership program with Thrive Aviation: share structures, contract terms, pricing tiers, upgrade/downgrade paths, and ancillary services

Develop and maintain the pricing model for all aircraft types, ensuring profitability under various utilization scenarios

Structure the aircraft buyback and resale program for contract-expired shares

Analyze market data and competitive intelligence to refine positioning against NetJets, Flexjet, PlaneSense, and Airshare

Design the customer journey from initial inquiry through the full ownership lifecycle

2. Strategic Partner Management

Serve as the primary strategic liaison with Thrive Aviation senior management (CEO, COO, VP Operations); maintain close alignment on program design decisions, fleet requirements, operational capacity planning, and commercial strategy

Collaborate with Thrive on fleet mix optimization, Primary Service Area (PSA) definition, and sub-charter strategy

Participate in Management Committee meetings as a core member; prepare strategic agenda items and ensure decisions are documented and tracked

Identify and evaluate potential strategic partnerships (luxury brands, financial institutions, etc.) that enhance the joint program's value proposition

3. Financial Modeling & Business Planning

Develop financial models and business cases in coordination with HACI finance; lead business-side input for budgeting and Management Committee / Steering Committee financial reporting

Monitor program financial performance against targets; identify risks and opportunities early and recommend corrective actions to the CEO

Manage pricing and program economics to sustain margin targets while maintaining market competitiveness

4. Fleet Sourcing & Long-Term Planning

Lead used HJ1 sourcing and acquisition planning in coordination with HACI sales; coordinate with Thrive on third-party aircraft sourcing to ensure fleet mix alignment and program consistency

Plan HJ2 allocation strategy for the fractional program from 2030 onward, coordinating production slots with HACI and fleet integration with Thrive operations

Directly manage the Marketing Manager; partner with the Head of Sales to set and monitor revenue targets, pipeline health, and marketing effectiveness

Establish and maintain a rigorous forecasting and reporting cadence, including monthly performance reviews with the CEO

Drive the go-to-market strategy for fractional share sales in coordination with Head of Sales and Marketing Manager

Align program design decisions with sales and marketing requirements to ensure a consistent and compelling client experience

Required Qualifications Experience

10+ years of experience in business aviation with direct involvement in fractional program design, fleet management, or charter strategy

Proven experience managing strategic partnerships or joint venture relationships where alignment and consensus-building across organizations are essential

Strong financial modeling capabilities; experience with deferred revenue, fleet depreciation, and scenario analysis

Experience with aircraft valuations, residual value forecasting, and used aircraft market dynamics

Demonstrated experience leading a marketing function, and of partnering with a sales organization toward revenue targets

Program Design: Ability to architect multi-tier pricing structures, contract terms, and program rules for fractional aviation ownership

Strategic Partnership Management: Proven ability to build trust and maintain productive working relationships with partner organization leadership; skilled at consensus-building across organizational boundaries

Financial Acumen: Strong ability to build and interpret financial models, business cases, and scenario analyses in the context of a capital-intensive aviation business

Market Intelligence: Ability to analyze competitive positioning and translate insights into program design and pricing decisions

Team Leadership: Proven ability to manage and develop marketing and cross-functional commercial teams toward measurable economic and pipeline outcomes

Communication: Excellent analytical and presentation skills; ability to present to executive stakeholders and joint venture partners with clarity and credibility

Industry Knowledge: Deep understanding of the competitive landscape across fractional operators, managed aircraft programs, and the HNWI private aviation market

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Aviation Management, or a related field required

Advanced degree (MBA or aviation-related) preferred

Preferred Qualifications

Prior program design or strategy role at a fractional operator or aviation consulting firm

Experience leading a sales organization in a high-value, relationship-driven market

Knowledge of FAR Part 91K regulatory environment and DOT fractional ownership program rules (operational compliance managed by Thrive, but strategic understanding required for program design)

Knowledge of aircraft maintenance programs (FlightReady, EMC2) and their impact on total cost of ownership (TCO)

Experience with business aviation software platforms

Familiarity with HondaJet product specifications, performance characteristics, and market positioning

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