Assistant Operations Manager

Assistant Operations Manager

Job Title: Assistant Operations Manager

Department: Operations

Reports To: Operations Manager

DOT Code: DOT

FLSA Status: Exempt

Salary Range: $54,000 - $65,000 per year

Position Summary

The Assistant Operations Manager supports daily operations of an FAA-regulated aviation organization operating under 14 CFR Part 21 and Part 145. This includes ensuring safe, efficient, and compliant production, maintenance, inspection, repair, overhaul, and quality-control activities. The Assistant Operations Manager will work closely with the Operations Manager, Quality and Engineering, to ensure that all work is performed in accordance with FAA regulations, approved data, customer requirements, company procedures, and the organization's approved manuals.

Essential Duties and Key Responsibilities

• Perform work as a technician 20+ hours a week
• Support in maintaining compliance with FAA requirements under 14 CFR Part 21 and 145.
• Support compliance with the Repair Station Manual (RSM), Quality Control Manual (QCM), Production/Quality procedures, and other FAA-approved or accepted company manuals.
• Ensure personnel follow approved procedures, work instructions, engineering data, and applicable FAA requirements.
• Assist with FAA inspections, audits, investigations, and corrective actions.
• Support preparation for FAA surveillance and maintain readiness for regulatory and customer audits.
• Ensure required records and documentation are complete, accurate, traceable, and properly retained.

Part 21 Production Support

• Assist with oversight of manufacturing and production activities performed under the organization's Part 21 authorization.
• Ensure production personnel work from current and approved technical data.
• Support configuration control, material traceability, inspection requirements, and production documentation.
• Coordinate with Engineering and Quality regarding nonconformances, deviations, discrepancies, and corrective actions.

Part 145 Repair Station Operations

• Assist with daily inspection, overhaul, modification, and repair activities.
• Monitor workflow, manpower, tooling, equipment, and facility requirements to meet production schedules.
• Ensure maintenance and repair work is accomplished using current applicable maintenance data.
• Verify that required inspections and inspections buy-backs are completed by appropriately authorized personnel.
• Assist with ensuring personnel qualifications, training, and authorization requirements are maintained.
• Support proper completion and review of work orders.
• Ensure parts, materials, tools, and equipment are properly controlled and identified.

Quality & Safety

• Promote a strong safety and quality culture throughout the organization.
• Work with the Quality/Inspection Department to identify and resolve quality issues.
• Assist with root-cause investigations and corrective/preventive actions.
• Monitor recurring discrepancies and trends and recommend improvements.
• Ensure suspected unapproved parts, nonconforming materials, and questionable components are properly identified, segregated, and reported in accordance with company procedures.
• Support internal audits and continuous improvement initiatives.

Personnel Management

• Supervise and direct production, maintenance, inspection, and support personnel.
• Help establish daily priorities and allocate personnel according to workload and qualifications.
• Help monitor employee performance, attendance, training, and compliance with company procedures.
• Assist with employee coaching, performance evaluations, and disciplinary matters when required.
• Promote teamwork, accountability, professionalism, and adherence to aviation safety standards.

Authority

• Direct daily operational activities.
• Assign qualified personnel to work.
• Stop work when safety, quality, regulatory compliance, or airworthiness may be compromised.
• Escalate nonconforming conditions and regulatory concerns to appropriate management.
• Recommend corrective actions and process improvements.
• Coordinate resources necessary to meet operational requirements

Planning & Operation

• Monitor work-in-progress and identify potential schedule or resource problems.
• Help develop and implement process improvements that increase efficiency without compromising safety or regulatory compliance.

Documentation & Recordkeeping

• Ensure work orders, inspection records, production records, FAA-required documentation are properly completed.
• Verify that records are legible, accurate, traceable, and retained according to applicable requirements.
• Assist with maintaining employee training and qualification records.
• Support document-control activities and ensure personnel are using current revisions of applicable manuals and technical data.

Required Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Previous experience in an FAA Part 145 repair station, Part 21 production environment, or comparable aviation maintenance/manufacturing organization.
• Working knowledge of FAA regulations applicable to the organization's operations.
• Familiarity with repair station manuals, quality systems, maintenance records, and technical data.
• Experience supervising or leading repair and/or manufacturing personnel.
• Strong understanding of aviation safety and quality-control principles.
• Ability to read and interpret technical manuals, drawings, work instructions, and engineering documentation.
• Strong communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.

Preferred Experience

• 3+ years of aviation maintenance, manufacturing, MRO, or aerospace experience.
• 2+ years of supervisory or management experience.
• Experience with FAA and customer audits.
• Experience with corrective action and root-cause analysis.
• Familiarity with AS9100.
• Experience with ERP systems.
• FAA Airframe and/or Powerplant certificate

Key Performance Indicators

• Safety performance.
• On-time delivery.
• Productivity and labor utilization.
• Work-order accuracy and documentation quality.
• Audit performance and corrective-action closure.
• Employee training and qualification compliance.
• Continuous improvement results.

Work Environment

• Primarily performed in an aviation maintenance, repair, overhaul, manufacturing, or production environment.
• Required to work on aircraft components, machinery, chemicals, tools, and industrial equipment.
• May require occasional overtime, weekends, or extended hours based on operational requirements.
• Must comply with all company safety procedures and PPE requirements.

Benefits

• Paid Time Off
• 401k
• 401k Matching
• Medical Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Group Life Insurance
• Short Term Disability
• Long Term Disability
• EAP

VT Volant Aerospace provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, VT Volant complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment.