Director of Quality

Director of Quality (Maintenance / Part 145)

Location: Indiana, USA (On-site, 5 days/week)
Sector: Aviation, Completions
Eligibility: US Citizens & Green Card holders only

A well-established US aviation organisation is investing heavily in its completions and MRO capability and is adding senior leadership to match that growth.

This role suits a maintenance quality leader who's come up through inspection / airworthiness / return-to-service environments (often: Chief Inspector track) and is comfortable being visible on the hangar floor and in front of customers.

You'll work closely with the Chief Inspector and operational leadership, taking ownership of the quality system and the standards that ultimately determine whether an aircraft is ready to go back into service - safely, compliantly, and with the customer confident in every decision.

What you'll be responsible for:

• Own and evolve the Quality Management System across a FAA Part 145 maintenance environment, ensuring it's genuinely embedded.
• Act as a senior point of accountability for airworthiness / return to service, including oversight of inspection activity and final release expectations.
• Build strong, credible working relationships with the FAA (and interface effectively with EASA where applicable), including audits, findings and ongoing regulatory engagement.
• Partner tightly with operations to solve quality issues at the source and protect schedule without compromising standards.
• Lead, coach and develop a high-performing QA / QC / Inspection function (with clear distinction of responsibilities and strong escalation pathways).
• Be customer-facing: support quality conversations with VIP / business aviation customers, including situations involving safety holds, findings and release timing.

You must have:

• Meaningful experience in maintenance quality within a FAA Part 145 Repair Station (senior / leadership level).
• Strong command of airworthiness release / return-to-service requirements and what it means, practically, to certify an aircraft back into service.
• Hands-on, hangar-facing credibility - you can talk to technicians and inspectors in their language and you've "been in it."
• Proven track record owning a QMS in a regulated aviation maintenance environment.
• Comfortable operating as the calm, credible voice in front of FAA / EASA stakeholders and internal leadership.
• A&P license (strongly preferred).
• Background supporting VIP / business aviation environments (we can be flexible here if you have strong on customer interaction Part 145 completions/MRO).
• Wide-body / large OEM experience ( Boeing / Airbus aircraft experience ideal).
• SMS exposure is useful, but the priority is maintenance-quality leadership airworthiness.

This is a real opportunity to shape quality by setting standards, influencing behaviours and driving decisions, not just ticking boxes. It's a high visibility role tied directly to growth in completions and MRO, with clear runway to scale into VP-level leadership as the organisation expands.

Interviews are available from next week. If you'd like more details, please get in touch to arrange a call.

Desired Skills and Experience

Meaningful experience in maintenance quality within a FAA Part 145 Repair Station (senior / leadership level).

Strong command of airworthiness release / return-to-service requirements and what it means, practically, to certify an aircraft back into service.

Hands-on, hangar-facing credibility - you can talk to technicians and inspectors in their language and you've "been in it."

Proven track record owning a QMS in a regulated aviation maintenance environment.

Comfortable operating as the calm, credible voice in front of FAA / EASA stakeholders and internal leadership.

A&P license (strongly preferred).

Background supporting VIP / business aviation environments (we can be flexible here if you have strong on customer interaction Part 145 completions/MRO).

Wide-body / large OEM experience ( Boeing / Airbus aircraft experience ideal).

SMS exposure is useful, but the priority is maintenance-quality leadership airworthiness.