Director MRO Operations

What the position is: The Director, MRO Operations is responsible for developing, commercializing, and expanding Commute Air's internal MRO capabilities to support current Part 121 operations while establishing the foundation for future FAA Part 145 Repair Station growth.

This role serves as the commercial and strategic leader for MRO capability development, identifying opportunities to internalize high-value repairs, reduce external repair spend, improve material availability, increase fleet reliability, and create new revenue opportunities through selective third-party MRO services.

The Director, in coordination with leadership, will establish the business strategy, capability roadmap, economic model, customer-service expectations, and cross‑functional framework required to grow Commute Air's MRO business. While accountable for overall performance of assigned MRO functions, the role is not intended to be a day‑to‑day shop‑floor management position. Operational execution will be driven through the Back Shop Manager and other designated production leaders.

The ideal candidate combines aviation MRO expertise with strong commercial judgment, business development capability, financial acumen, and the ability to translate technical capabilities into measurable business value.

• Component Shop
• Wheel & Brake Shop
• Tooling Operations
• APU Shop
• Thrust Reverser Shop

• Develop and execute the strategic roadmap for Commute Air's internal MRO capabilities, balancing operational requirements, economic value, customer needs, and long‑term commercial opportunity
• Identify and prioritize repair capabilities that can reduce third‑party repair spend, improve turnaround time, increase material availability, and strengthen operational control.
• Evaluate opportunities to expand internal capabilities based on repair volume, market pricing, fleet requirements, capacity utilization, technical complexity, and return on investment.
• Develop the business strategy for transitioning selected internal capabilities into commercially viable third‑party MRO services.
• Identify potential external customer segments, repair opportunities, and market niches aligned with Commute Air’s capabilities and fleet expertise.
• Develop commercial models, pricing strategies, cost structures, and business cases for new MRO capabilities and customer opportunities.
• Establish a clear make-versus-buy framework to guide repair sourcing decisions and maximize enterprise value. /li
• Partner with Procurement and Materials to optimize vendor relationships, negotiate repair economics, and identify opportunities to improve the external repair supply chain.

• Establish a customer‑focused operating philosophy for MRO services, with emphasis on responsiveness, turnaround time, quality, reliability, communication, and overall customer experience.
• Develop relationships with potential external MRO customers, suppliers, OEMs, repair vendors, and industry partners to identify growth opportunities.
• Serve as a senior commercial point of contact for strategic MRO customers and partners as third‑party repair capabilities are developed.
• Translate customer requirements into operational, technical, pricing, and capability‑development priorities.
• Establish service‑level expectations and performance measures for future third‑party MRO customers.
• Develop strategies to differentiate Commute Air’s MRO offering through speed, quality, technical expertise, competitive economics, and customer service.
• Support development of proposals, statements of work, pricing models, contracts, and commercial agreements for future MRO customers.

• 10–15 years of progressive experience in aviation…