Aircraft Painter

Aircraft Painter Oxford – Permanent

About AHUK… Airbus Helicopters is the world’s largest helicopter manufacturer and the company’s site at Oxford Airport is Britain’s civil helicopter hub. AHUK offers considerable experience in helicopter sales, bespoke completions, maintenance and spares support. Its in‑house engineering capabilities include design, customisation, installation, flight‑testing and certification, as well as technical support, maintenance, training and the supply of spares for civil and military applications.

AHUK is the MoD’s chosen provider of helicopters and maintenance for its No.1 Helicopter Flying school (referred to as MFTS) located in RAF Shawbury (Shropshire) and RAF Valley (Anglesey).

We offer a competitive base salary and a robust suite of benefits designed to support your health, wealth, and lifestyle:

• Holiday Allowance:
  We value loyalty and work‑life balance; your annual leave entitlement grows with you, rewarding your commitment with an extra day of leave for each year of service (up to an additional 4 days)
• Health:
  Private Medical Insurance (Bupa). You also have the flexibility to add family members to your policy at an additional cost. Other options include Health‑care Cash Schemes and Den‑Plan
• Future Wealth: up to 8% Company Pension contribution, when you contribute 6%. Plus Yearly Share Incentive Plans, and Discretionary Group Bonuses
• Everyday Savings:
  Access to exclusive shopping discounts, including a cashback card to help your money go further
• Lifestyle:
  Bikes to Work scheme (up to £3,000), Mydrive car purchase scheme, and Technology purchase schemes
• Added Protection:
  Benefit from Personal Accident Insurance, Health‑care Cash Schemes, and professional Financial/Legal advice
• Refer a friend Scheme:
  We offer a generous Referral Bonus for any successfully placed candidates you recommend to the business

• Operate within a Part 145 environment as a dedicated on‑site professional capable of completing minor paint touch‑ups and local resprays
• Supervise third‑party organisations sub‑contracted to carry out full or partial resprays off‑site
• Manage immediate corrosion treatment and preventive coating application
• Perform in‑service livery touch‑ups, including registration changes and logo repairs
• Execute component refinishing on parts such as cowlings, panels, and manufactured parts
• Rectify paint defects on‑site to ensure aircraft presentation meets aesthetic standards prior to release to service, avoiding substandard finishes like visible brush marks or “orange peel”
• Ensure that paint stored in the hangar is stored correctly and is compliant with the regulation
• Manage the selection and ordering of the correct paints as specified within maintenance or modification documentation
• Ensure the control of tooling, equipment, paint facilities, and materials to maintain strict regulatory compliance
• Act as the nominated subject‑matter expert (SME), responsible for the quality of work and the control of processes, methods, and materials used to safely refinish the aircraft to specification
• If desired there is also the opportunity to diversify with regard to hands‑on aircraft engineering involvement and development
• There will be a requirement to travel between Airbus Helicopters and Subcontractor sites, so a flexible approach is required

• Comprehensive understanding of compliance regarding the secure control of paints, processes, and painting techniques
• Proven capability to achieve high‑quality aesthetic standards, resolving complex surface defects without reliance on patchwork fixes
• Excellent supervisory and communication skills required to oversee external third‑party paint contractors
• Ability to work effectively and…