Aviation Program Manager

The Aviation Program Manager provides operational and academic leadership for one of COCC’s most dynamic career-technical programs, serving 250+ students seeking careers in aviation. This role builds and sustains the College’s partnership with Leading Edge Flight Academy ( LEFA ) and the Bend airport, oversees compliance with Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA ) and Veterans Administration (VA) requirements, and leads a team of faculty, flight instructors, and staff supporting a fast-paced, year-round training environment.

While the role is administrator-first, it also instructing lecture courses and leading periodic program assessment and review, combining administrative leadership with classroom instruction.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Program Management and Supervision

• Responsible for developing and maintaining aviation external partnerships, which requires weekly coordination meetings with LEFA leadership, monthly meetings with the LEFA flight instructor group, and troubleshooting as needed. This also includes working with the Instructional Dean to ensure the program meets the needs of industry and the College.
• Responsible for establishing and maintaining affiliation agreements with LEFA .
• Responsible for leadership, management, and oversight of all COCC aviation courses. Includes scheduling courses within the College’s year-long scheduling process and ensuring required materials are available.
• Supervision and mentoring of certified flight instructors, full-time, adjunct, and part-time aviation faculty, and student Aviation tutors (recruiting, hiring, orienting, supervising, training, scheduling, finding subs for, and evaluating).
• Coordinate classroom observations for part-time instructors and facilitate peer-team observations for full-time faculty.
• Supervision of the Aviation department classified employees (an operations specialist and a support specialist).
• Partner with the Aviation Operations Specialist/Administrative Assistant to streamline and modernize program processes (e.g., wait list management, invoicing, and flight lab scheduling), including transitioning manual processes to digital systems.
• Collaborate with other departments on campus as required for operations of the program.
• Collaborate on the transition of UAS (drone) program oversight, providing leadership and curriculum continuity during the transition period.
• Create and maintain a program (student) handbook and a faculty handbook, conduct new student orientations, and new student onboarding.
• Responsible for website updates, catalog review, and marketing/recruitment for the program
• Represents the aviation program CTE Council, to the College administration, and at the local, state, and national levels.
• Responsible for oversight of all work related to flight simulators owned by the College (maintenance, purchasing, administration).
• Maintain availability to respond under the College’s Emergency Response Plan in the event of a flight-training accident or incident.

Instruction and Advising

• Design, coordinate, update, schedule and maintain Aviation courses/curriculum in accordance with the FAA and other regulations.
• Instruct lecture courses (in-person, remote, or online) as needed and conduct periodic program assessment and program review.
• Coordinate with full-time faculty on assessment of program and course-level outcomes.
• Ensure COCC Aviation webpage and promotional materials are up to date.
• Serve as the first contact and response for student issues, including disciplinary meetings when necessary.

Reporting, Compliance and Partnerships

• Maintain VA and FAA compliance and reporting requirements for the program, partnering with the Office of Student Financial Aid on VA-related compliance.
• Act as COCC Aviation Program…