Manager, Maintenance Operations

About You and The Role

As Manager, Maintenance Operations, you will provide operational oversight, program management, and problem-solving leadership for maintenance execution across Texas, with potential to support broader Southwest Region operations as needed. This role reports to the Regional Director of Maintenance Operations and helps translate regional priorities into clear site-level execution. You will drive operating cadence, improve maintenance performance, remove blockers, and help teams execute safely and consistently. Success in this role requires strong field presence, disciplined follow-through, and the ability to influence teams without relying on direct reporting authority. This role is designed to strengthen fleet readiness, maintenance throughput, safety, quality, and operational consistency.

What You'll Do

You will help lead the daily and weekly operating rhythm for assigned maintenance operations, ensuring teams are focused on the right priorities and risks are surfaced early. You will use metrics, field insight, and structured problem solving to improve uptime, repair flow, backlog control, and execution quality. You will partner cross-functionally with Flight Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Training, Safety, Quality, and Business Operations to resolve issues that impact fleet readiness. You will support launches, expansions, retrofits, process improvements, and other regional priorities. You will help ensure maintenance standards are consistently understood, followed, and improved as operations scale.

• Drive maintenance execution across assigned Texas operations and support broader regional priorities as needed.
• Establish and maintain operating cadence for metrics, backlog reviews, escalations, recovery plans, and action follow-up.
• Provide dotted-line leadership to Maintenance Leads, Associate Leads, and site maintenance teams.
• Monitor and improve key maintenance metrics, including uptime, repair turnaround time, technician efficiency, backlog aging, and repeat defects.
• Identify operational blockers and coordinate cross-functional solutions related to parts, tooling, staffing, documentation, training, and technical issues.
• Lead maintenance improvement initiatives from diagnosis through implementation.
• Support safety, quality, procedural adherence, record accuracy, and audit readiness.
• Assist with launch readiness, site expansion, fleet upgrades, retrofits, and regional maintenance programs.

What You'll Bring

• 7+ years of experience in service operations, fleet operations, technical operations, aerospace, robotics, manufacturing maintenance, or another high-reliability hardware environment.
• Experience providing operational leadership in a fast-paced maintenance or technical environment.
• Strong understanding of work-order flow, inspections, preventive maintenance, corrective maintenance, return-to-service processes, tooling, parts readiness, and documentation discipline.
• Demonstrated ability to manage KPIs, diagnose performance gaps, and drive measurable improvement.
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to turn field observations and data into clear actions.
• Ability to influence cross-functional teams and drive accountability without direct reporting authority.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to clarify priorities, escalate risks, and align stakeholders.
• Willingness to travel across assigned geographical territory and periodically support other regional operations as business needs require.

Success Metrics 

• Fleet uptime and operational readiness
• Aircraft service-level performance
• First time repair rate
• Repair turnaround time
• Technician efficiency and maintenance throughput
• Preventive maintenance completion
• Backlog size, aging, and risk level
• Safety performance, procedural adherence, record accuracy, and audit readiness

What Else You Need to Know

Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship, or other characteristics protected by state, federal or local law or our other policies.
 
We value diversity at Zipline and welcome applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech. If you like the sound of this position but are not sure if you are the perfect fit, please apply!