Director of Aircraft Maintenance

The Department of State Police is seeking a Director of Aircraft Maintenance.  The Air Wing Maintenance Section ensures the safety and reliability of all State Police Aircraft. The Director of Aircraft Maintenance is responsible for the maintenance of State Police Aircraft, both fixed and rotary wing.  The Director is responsible for compliance with all state and federal guidelines regarding maintenance of aircraft, maintenance schedules based on flight hours, activity and usage. The Director is responsible for maintaining all proper licenses and paperwork, not only for the aircraft, but also for a fully operational aircraft maintenance facility.  Responsibilities also include training and certification of all maintenance mechanics and maintaining proper inventory of parts and equipment to ensure little or no disruption to air support.

The Director of Aircraft Maintenance must ensure that Aircraft Maintenance Mechanics are competent at the duties and responsibilities of their positions and dedicated to providing excellent service. 

The State Police Air Wing provides air support for State Police missions including search and rescue in regular as well as adverse weather conditions, fire suppression, surveillance of wildlife and transport of government officials and prisoners.

The Director of Aircraft Maintenance must have a broad, diverse background in the maintenance of fixed and rotary wing aircraft and be able to recognize and diagnose the problems associated with specific aircraft. 

The Director of Aircraft Maintenance must be able to determine if an aircraft has or has not received scheduled maintenance, or if the work performed is substandard or unacceptable. As aircraft are worn out and replaced, this person, as the technical expert in aircraft for the State Police, must make recommendations on new equipment, based on the mission of the State Police Air Wing, the practicality of maintenance and budget constraints. The person in this position is frequently called upon to decide if an aircraft can be safely flown from its location to the maintenance facility.  If the aircraft cannot be flown, he/she must then dispatch maintenance personnel to affect repair.  The maintenance of aircraft used in search and rescue and fire suppression is much more extensive than that of regular passenger flight. The Director of Aircraft Maintenance must weigh factors such as can the aircraft be used in adverse weather conditions, carrying water and other fire suppression materials, fly for longer periods than regular flights if on a search and rescue mission, etc., dependent upon the mission requirements.  As many of these missions could happen at any time, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, the Director of Aircraft Maintenance must ensure staff is ready to assist in the maintenance of aircraft quickly and effectively.

The Director of Aircraft Maintenance must have the first-hand knowledge of the capabilities of a law enforcement air wing, which includes search and rescue, fire suppression, air support for high-speed chases and surveillance of wildlife in crowded heavily populated areas in addition to regular transport of government officials and prisoners.
This position is responsible for the administrative functions of the Air Wing Maintenance Section. Administrative duties include:

• The scheduling of Aircraft Mechanics duties and responsibilities.  
• Prioritizing work to be completed on the aircraft.
• Deciding which work can be completed by existing staff, or if maintenance needs to be contracted out.
• Responsible for adhering to a preventive maintenance schedule in conjunction with FAA guidelines.
• Responsible for ensuring that the mechanics working on the aircraft have all the certifications and training necessary to safely work on the aircraft.This position is responsible to the Director of the Air Wing for the overall operation of a Federal Aviation Administration approved maintenance facility.  These responsibilities include but are not limited to:
• Compliance with all federal aviation administration regulations and technical data approved by the administrator.
• Ensure that proper licenses and paperwork associated with the repair of the aircraft are maintained at all times.
• Ensure that revisions to maintenance facility manual of standard operating procedures are in compliance with FAA regulations, by maintaining contact with local FAA officials to assure airworthy aircraft are available to Air Wing pilots on an as needed basis.
• Ensures the compliance and maintenance of an up-to-date technical data file and library, including overhaul manuals, current revisions, service bulletins, airframe and powerplant manuals and specifications, FAA airworthiness directives and all applicable Federal Air regulations. 
• This position ensures and ascertains through inspection that all work done by employees and contractors is performed in accordance with the FAA and manufacturers specifications.
• Additional responsibilities include ascertaining that all work records are properly executed by the responsible Mechanic once the task is completed.  This includes writing the inspection work sheets before the job is started, as well as checking the sheets after the job is completed to be sure all work is in compliance with regulations; ensures Mechanics have adhered to Quality Assurance protocols.
• Maintain an inventory schedule of parts and equipment in accordance with FAA and manufacturers guidelines regarding usage schedules.
• Determine the necessity of replacing worn out parts and equipment.
• Inform Administrative Assistant of necessity of upcoming purchases.As the Air Wing moves toward accreditation, it has become increasingly necessary to maintain a computerized inventory system to properly report the cost of anticipated repair and replacement of worn parts and equipment.  It is the job of the Director of Aircraft Maintenance to properly report this information to the Unit Commander of the Airwing and the Administrative Assistant, who is in charge of buying parts, equipment and maintenance contracts. 

  Preferred Knowledge, Skills And Abilities:

• The types and uses of aircraft.
• Principles, practices and techniques of aircraft operation.
• Knowledge of the preventive maintenance procedures followed in connection with the operation of aircraft, airports, seaplane bases and heliports.
• Knowledge of the types and causes of aircraft malfunctions.
• Knowledge of the principles and techniques of navigation pertaining to aircraft operation.
• Knowledge of search and rescue and well as aircraft fire suppression requirements.
• Knowledge of computer tracking of maintenance and inventory.
• Knowledge of FAA policies and procedures regarding aircraft maintenance.
• Extensive knowledge of management of Aircraft Maintenance Technician supervision, including planning, organization, directing, motivating controlling and decision making.
• Extensive knowledge of aircraft preventive maintenance.
• Ability to be trained by specific aircraft manufacturers in the maintenance of airframe and power plants of different aircraft; ability to assess the training needs of staff to be able to competently be able to work on aircraft.
• Ability to interpret documents such as flight plans, aircraft specification manuals, etc.
• Ability to maintain a calm manner in stressful emergency situations.
• Ability to maintain a computerized inventory system. 
• Five or more years of experience in the maintenance of aircraft with 10 or more passenger seats either with an air carrier or a certified repair station, 1 year of which must have been as a maintenance inspector.
• At least 1 year of experience in the supervision of other maintenance mechanics.

Required Knowledge And Experience:

• Possession of a current and valid Federal Aviation Administration Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) and Inspection Authorization licenses.
• FAA mechanics certification in both airframe and powerplant ratings for a minimum of three years. 
• Factory trained in the Airbus EC/H-135 and Cessna C208 aircraft.
• Factory trained in the Turbomeca Arrius LVL 2 Helicopter Engine and Pratt and Whitney PT-6 aircraft engines.

Minimum Entrance Requirements:

Applicants must have at least (A) five (5) years of full-time or, equivalent part-time, professional, administrative, supervisory, or managerial experience in a particular specialty (i.e. scientific, professional, or technical) and must possess current license and/or registration requirements established for the performance of the position, of which (B) at least one (1) year must have been in a project management, supervisory or managerial capacity or (C) any equivalent combination of the required experience and substitutions below.

Substitutions:

I. A certificate in a relevant or related field may be substituted for one (1) year of the required (A) experience.

II. A Bachelor's degree in a related field may be substituted for two (2) years of the required (A) experience.

III. A Graduate degree in a related field may be substituted for three (3) years of the (A) required experience.

IV. A Doctorate degree in a related field may be substituted for four (4) years of the (A) required experience.

Comprehensive Benefits

When you embark on a career with the Commonwealth, you are offered an outstanding suite of employee benefits that add to the overall value of your compensation package. We take pride in providing a work experience that supports you, your loved ones, and your future.

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An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer.  Females, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

The Commonwealth is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other basis covered by appropriate law.  Research suggests that qualified women, Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC) may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100% of the job requirements.  We encourage individuals who believe they have the skills necessary to thrive to apply for this role.