Shop Manager Chatsworth, CA

Shop Manager

This is a full time/direct hire position offering a competitive salary with full benefits package.

The Shop Manager runs the floor of the company's FAA Part 145 repair station. Twelve repair technicians and a technical records administrator report to this position. The Shop Manager sets and holds repair priorities across the shop, manages activity and productivity against turn-time and quality commitments, develops the technical skill of the team, handles day-to-day personnel matters, and signs off on the quality of the work and the documentation that leaves the building. This is a management seat. The person in it needs enough hands-on component repair depth to judge the team's work and to teach it.

The company is an FAA and EASA certificated Part 145 component repair station in Chatsworth, California, specializing in aircraft accessory, hydraulic, and electro-mechanical repair. They are a small shop doing serious work. Their customers include Boeing, FedEx, Singapore Airlines, LATAM, and Asiana, and they hold top-tier standing on Boeing's supplier scorecard. Revenue has grown roughly two and a half times since 2024, and customers continue to hand the company larger and more complex programs. This is a shop where a strong technician's work is visible and where the growth is real rather than aspirational.

The Shop Manager takes day-to-day leadership of the floor from the start, and the path from there runs toward broader operations leadership as the shop grows. We will invest in the training, authorizations, and certifications that go with it, including Inspection Authorization and additional OEM and process qualifications. We are looking for someone who wants to build a career here.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Set and hold daily and weekly repair priorities across the shop so that customer turn-time commitments are met and the highest-value work moves first.
• Own shop activity and technician productivity. Track work in process, arrears, and turn time against targets, and act on the units that are slipping.
• Review and approve the team's repair work, parts lists, and completed work packages, including non-conformance reports and inspection buy-backs, before final certification. Return work that does not meet standard.
• Own the accuracy and completeness of the documentation that leaves the shop. The technical records administrator reports to this position.
• Execute and sign FAA Form 8130-3 tags for work performed within the scope of the repair station's Air Agency Certificate and the individual's authorization, certifying applicable parts as airworthy for return to service.
• Maintain compliance with 14 CFR Part 145, the station's Repair Station Manual (RSM) and Quality Control Manual (QCM), and all applicable Airworthiness Directives (ADs) and Service Bulletins (SBs).
• Ensure proper use, calibration, and control of tools, test equipment, and calibrated instruments.
• Assign work by technician capability and by where that technician needs to develop, and build the shop's bench strength on the repairs where it is thin today.
• Enforce safety protocols, shop cleanliness (FOD control), and compliance with Cal/OSHA and company safety policies.
• Communicate with customers, vendors, and regulatory representatives (FAA, DAR) regarding work status and technical findings.
• Work alongside technicians on difficult repairs where this position's technical judgment is needed. This is expected to be a minority of the week, not the core of the job.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Directly supervise twelve repair technicians and a technical records administrator.
• Set performance standards for the team, monitor performance against them, and provide feedback both ad hoc and in annual performance reviews.
• Build and run the training plan for the shop. Identify where skills are thin, assign the training, and verify that it took.
• Interview, hire, and onboard new technicians alongside the General Manager, and own the first ninety days of a new hire.
• Handle day-to-day personnel administration, including timekeeping and attendance in ADP, time-off approval, and the first line of employee relations matters, working with Human Resources.
• Handle employee discipline and termination as needed and in accordance with company policy.
• Hold the team accountable to quality work delivered on time.

Minimum Required Qualifications:

• High School diploma or equivalent required.
• FAA Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) Certificate in good standing is strongly preferred. Equivalent hands-on component repair experience within an FAA Part 145 repair station will be considered in lieu of an A&P certificate.
• 7 or more years of aircraft component repair experience, with significant time in FAA Part 145 repair station environments.
• At least 5 years directly supervising a team of repair technicians, mechanics, or inspectors, with responsibility for assignments, performance, and development. Experience managing a team of ten or more is preferred.
• Hands-on repair experience with accessory, hydraulic, pneumatic, or electro-mechanical components, deep enough to evaluate and approve the team's work rather than be trained by it.
• Thorough knowledge of FAA regulations, repair station operations, and airworthiness requirements.
• Strong understanding of aircraft maintenance documentation, technical publications, and quality systems.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills; ability to produce clear documentation.
• Proven mechanical aptitude.
• Experience reading and interpreting engineering drawings, manufacturer maintenance/overhaul manuals, ADs, and SBs.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Strong attention to detail and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to multi-task and meet deadlines.
• Ability to read, speak and write in English.
• Highly dependable and reliable with a strong work ethic.
• Must be able to pass a background check and drug and alcohol testing.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Inspection Authorization (IA).
• Direct overhaul experience with hydraulic, pneumatic, electro-mechanical, and accessory components such as valves, actuators, pumps, indicators, and lighting systems.
• Experience working from OEM Component Maintenance Manuals (CMMs) and standing up repair processes for components that are new to a shop.
• Familiarity with FAA Form 8130-3 issuance and repair station recordkeeping systems.
• Exposure to EASA Part 145 requirements and to OEM or airline supplier quality scorecards.
• Experience training and developing junior technicians.
• Experience running a shop through growth in both headcount and volume.