Engineering Training Manager

Air Arabia; Sharjah; On-site; AED 300,000 - 540,000; Full time

Job summary

Air Arabia Academy seeks an experienced Engineering Training Manager to lead CAR 147 type training and CAR 145 continuation training for licensed and unlicensed maintenance personnel across Air Arabia Group airlines.

You will own the quality and currency of training manuals, supervise instructors, coordinate with Group AOC, and ensure CAR 147/GCAA audit readiness and compliance.

Qualifications

• 8–10 years of aircraft maintenance engineering experience in CAR-145 (or Part-145).
• 3–5 years in training, quality, or compliance management in CAR-147 environments.
• Strong knowledge of GCAA CAR-66, CAR-145, and CAR-147 requirements.
• Experience with CAR-147 manual systems and QA documentation.
• Budget ownership, cross-charging, and multi-airline stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Line manage Engineering Instructors across CAR 147 and CAR 145.
• Oversee Engineering Training Coordinator functions and scheduling.
• Maintain instructor qualifications and currency per CAR 147 before delivery.
• Harmonize training standards across Group airlines and locations.
• Coordinate manual/course material reviews with CAR 147 Quality Manager.

Skills

Leadership

Training management

Budget ownership

Quality & compliance

Data analysis

Stakeholder management

Education

Aeronautical engineering degree

GCAA CAR-66 licensing

Job description

Job Purpose

Responsible for the end-to-end management of Air Arabia Academy's engineering training function, covering CAR 147 approved type training and CAR 145 continuation (recurrent) training delivered to licensed and unlicensed maintenance personnel across Air Arabia Group airlines. Owns the quality, compliance, and currency of engineering training manuals and material; leads the engineering instructor cadre; coordinates training delivery with each Group AOC; and holds budget and P&L accountability for the engineering training function in partnership with Finance. Acts as the primary interface between the Academy and Group AOC engineering/maintenance leadership on all training matters and works in close collaboration with the CAR 147 Quality Manager to ensure the Academy's engineering training organisation remains compliant and audit-ready at all times.

Key Result Responsibilities

Instructor & Training Delivery Oversight

• Line management of Engineering Instructors across CAR 147 (type training) and CAR 145 (continuation training) disciplines, including performance management, standardisation, and continued competency.
• Oversight of the Engineering Training Coordinator function, ensuring scheduling, resource allocation, and administrative support to instructors is effective across all entities.
• Ensure instructor qualifications, authorisations, and currency are maintained and recorded in line with CAR 147 requirements before instructors deliver training.
• Ensure training delivery standards are consistent across all Group airlines, regardless of the delivering instructor or location.

Manual & Material Compliance

• Own the compliance and currency of all engineering training manuals, course material, and training media used for CAR 145 initial and continuation training, ensuring alignment with GCAA requirements and Academy quality standards.
• Coordinate manual and course material review cycles with the CAR 147 Quality Manager and Academic Quality/Documentation team; elevate material requiring subject‑matter‑expert or QA sign‑off before any update reaches instructors or trainees.
• Maintain a documented review and revision‑control process so manual status (draft, under review, approved) is always clear and traceable.

CAR 145 Continuation Training Coordination

• Coordinate CAR 145 continuation training requirements with each of the Air Arabia Group airlines, aligning training calendars with fleet, licensing, and operational needs.
• Track engineer training compliance status against each individual's licence category, type ratings, and recurrent training due dates; flag upcoming and overdue requirements to the relevant airline engineering leadership.
• Ensure remedial training is identified, scheduled, and delivered to the required standard where competency, audit findings, or licensing gaps are identified, and that completion is properly recorded.

CAR 147 Compliance & Quality

• Work in collaboration with the CAR 147 Quality Manager to maintain the Academy's CAR 147 approval, supporting internal audits, GCAA inspections, and corrective action tracking (with formal compliance determinations remaining the Quality Manager's / Accountable Manager's decision).
• Ensure all approved type rating training is delivered to the standard required by both GCAA and the receiving airline/customer, including where training is delivered on behalf of external customers.
• Maintain the integrity of the CAR 147 examination database, including question bank security, version control, and restricted access, in coordination with the Examination Centre.

.

Airline (AOC) Interface

• Act as the primary point of contact for Air Arabia Group AOCs on engineering training requirements — planning, scheduling, compliance status, and remedial actions.
• Provide regular reporting to airline engineering/maintenance leadership on training compliance status across their engineer population.
• Manage escalations from airlines regarding training capacity, delivery quality, or scheduling conflicts.

Manpower, Budget & Contracts

• Manage engineering training manpower planning in coordination with the Accountable Manager, including instructor recruitment, succession, and capacity planning against Group growth.
• Hold budget and P&L oversight for the engineering training function, ensuring training activity is tracked, allocated, and charged correctly to the relevant airline/customer in collaboration with Finance.
• Coordinate and manage contracts with third‑party training providers, external examiners, and outsourced instructional resources, including performance monitoring of contracted services.

Records & Data Integrity

• Ensure the accuracy and currency of all engineering training records (instructor authorisations, trainee attendance, assessment results, remedial actions) across all Group airlines.
• Support internal and external audits by ensuring training records are complete, retrievable, and consistent with CAR 145/147 record‑keeping requirements.

People Management

• Provides direction, coaching and guidance to team members for their career and professional development.
• Creates a conducive working environment to build and sustain a performance driven, engaged, and committed team.
• Ensures people management responsibilities are handled effectively in line with company procedures.

Qualifications (Academic, training, languages)

• Valid (or recently held) Aircraft Maintenance Engineer Licence issued under GCAA CAR‑66 (or equivalent, e.g. EASA Part‑66), Category B1 and/or B2, ideally with type ratings relevant to the Group fleet (Airbus A320 family) is essential.
• Regulatory and technical credibility with GCAA, Group AOC engineering leadership, and instructional staff.
• Strong leadership of a geographically dispersed instructor team across multiple entities.
• Financial acumen - budget ownership, cost tracking, and cross‑charge accuracy.
• Structured, quality-driven approach to documentation and records management.
• Strong stakeholder and relationship management across airlines, regulators, and third‑party providers.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Training and evaluation skills.
• Data analysis and problem‑solving skills.
• Resource management skills.
• Knowledge of GCAA rules and regulations.
• Demonstrates the ability to contribute and successfully deliver against business strategy and set KPIs.
• Sound judgement on escalation - knowing when a compliance, manual, or corrective‑action matter requires sign‑off from the Quality Manager or Accountable Manager rather than unilateral action.

Work Experience

Essential:

• Minimum 8-10 years' aircraft maintenance engineering experience within a CAR‑145 (or Part‑145) approved maintenance organisation, including exposure to line and/or base maintenance.
• Minimum 3-5 years' experience in a training, quality, or compliance management role within a CAR‑147 (or Part‑147) approved maintenance training organisation, e.g. as a Training Manager, Quality Manager, or Compliance Manager.
• Demonstrated working knowledge of GCAA CAR‑66 (licensing), CAR‑145 (continuing airworthiness maintenance/continuation training) and CAR‑147 (approved maintenance training organisation) requirements.
• Experience managing or contributing to CAR‑147 manual systems (Training Procedures Manual / equivalent) and supporting GCAA audits or inspections.
• Experience managing training budgets, cost tracking, and cross‑charging in a multi‑customer or multi‑airline environment.
• Strong stakeholder management experience, ideally across multiple airlines or AOCs.

Desirable:

• Prior experience as a nominated CAR‑147 Quality Manager, Compliance Manager, or Head of Training.
• Familiarity with EASA Part‑66/145/147 or other equivalent regulatory frameworks.
• Experience with examination/assessment database management and examination security controls.
• A recognised aeronautical engineering qualification (e.g. HND/Bachelor's degree) in addition to the AME licence. Instructor or assessor qualification/experience (e.g. B1/B2 type rating instructor, or GCAA‑recognised instructional qualification).