Director MRO & Maintenance Planning

Company

Horizon Air

The Team

Guided by our purpose, core values, and leadership principles, we are creating an airline people love. Our managerial teams set the strategies and operational plans to ensure the success of our company. Our shared passion for travel and our guests is what motivates us to achieve excellence each day. If you share our passion for creating an airline people love, we want to hear from you. 

Role Summary

The Director Maintenance Planning & MRO sets the long-term strategy and oversees operational and financial performance of the Maintenance Planning and Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) functions for Horizon Air. This role is responsible for the compliant, timely execution of the Company’s FAA‑approved maintenance program through effective planning, vendor oversight, and operational governance. As a people leader, this role establishes priorities for the heavy and line maintenance planning teams and the Sr. on‑site maintenance partners embedded at MRO and heavy maintenance vendor facilities.  

Key Duties

• Establish strategic goals and direction of the maintenance planning and MRO functions for Horizon Air (QX) as discrete disciplines.  
• Set long-term strategy to ensure all planning functions enable compliant execution of the FAA‑approved maintenance program while minimizing operational disruption.  
• Responsible and accountable for safety, compliance, schedule adherence, vendor performance, and cost control associated with planning and MRO execution.  
• Responsible for budget adherence and financial durability of planning and MRO departments, including C-checks.  
• Oversee the line/long-term maintenance planning functions setting expectations and controls to ensure accurate, compliant, and operationally effective maintenance planning.  
• Ensures maintenance requirements are properly forecasted, sequenced, and aligned with fleet utilization, engineering requirements, and capacity constraints.  
• Establish long‑range maintenance plans with engineering, supply chain, material, operations, finance, and MRO providers.  
• Maintain oversight of interval compliance, deferral control, and planning accuracy.  
• Collaborate with quality, safety, and engineering to address audits, findings, and planning‑driven compliance risks.  
• Oversee heavy maintenance and other long‑dwell maintenance activities executed at external MRO facilities to ensure maintenance is performed in accordance with:  
  • FAA regulations and approved maintenance programs.  
  • Approved task cards, technical data, and company procedures.  
  • Maintains accountability for aircraft airworthiness and quality prior to return‑to‑service following MRO events.  
• Oversee contract management of MRO and heavy maintenance vendors and lead contract scope definition, performance requirements, enforcement mechanisms, and renewal strategies.  
• Partner with supply chain, legal, finance, and quality to ensure contracts support regulatory, operational, and financial objectives.  
• Apply Safety Management System (SMS) principles across both planning and MRO functions.  
• Ensure planning and MRO execution facilitate safe maintenance practices and aircraft airworthiness.  
• Represent planning and MRO activities at the Divisional Analysis Group (DAG) responsible for safety trends, compliance performance, audit results, and risk mitigation actions.  

Job-Specific Experience, Education & Skills

Required 

• Minimum 7 years’ experience in aircraft maintenance planning, heavy maintenance, MRO oversight, or related maintenance operations role.  
• 4 years of leadership experience, with at least 2 of those years directly leading people.  
• Bachelor’s degree or an additional 2 years of relevant training/experience in lieu of this degree. 
• Holds a valid FAA A&P Mechanic Certificate.  
• Working knowledge of FAA regulations and approved maintenance programs.  
• Experience supporting heavy maintenance, long dwell maintenance events, and maintenance planning execution.  
• Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills.  
• Working knowledge of SMS principles.  
• Ability and willingness to travel up to approximately 40%.  
• Experience working with Safety Management Systems (SMS).  
• Exceptional integrity, with impeccable ethics and commitment to safety and compliance.  
• Effective communication (e.g., verbal, written, presentation) and people skills, with the ability to create collaborative relationships that drive outcomes in the best interest of the company.  
• High school diploma or equivalent.  
• Minimum age of 18.  
• Must be authorized to work in the U.S.