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