Head of Maintenance & Engineering - Air Cargo

LOGISTICS EXECUTIVE GROUP; Dubai; On-site; AED 200,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

A dynamic cargo airline in Dubai is seeking a Head of Maintenance & Engineering to lead their regulatory compliance and MRO transformation efforts. The ideal candidate has 15-20 years of leadership experience in aviation, especially with B767 and B737NG fleets. This is a high-impact role with full accountability for airworthiness and technical integrity, offering an exciting opportunity to shape a legacy operation into a high-performing engineering organization.

Qualifications

• Proven track record in heavy check management and reliability programmes.
• Demonstrated leadership of large, multi-discipline engineering teams.
• Excellent regulatory knowledge (Part-145 compliance).

Responsibilities

• Own regulatory accountability for airworthiness under civil aviation authority.
• Ensure full compliance with maintenance organisation standards.
• Lead the change programme transitioning M&E into a standalone MRO.

Skills

Leadership in maintenance operations

Experience with B767 and B737NG fleets

Vendor negotiation skills

Strong communication skills

Education

15-20 years leadership experience in aviation or MRO

Job description

Head of Maintenance & Engineering - Air Cargo

About the job Head of Maintenance & Engineering - Air Cargo

Our client is a dynamic cargo airline operating across The Middle East, Africa and Asia regional markets, with a fleet comprising B767F. B737F (NG) aircraft. The airline is scaling up its operations, driving higher reliability, safety compliance and commercial maturity, and is set on transforming its Maintenance & Engineering function into a standalone, externally‑competitive MRO business.
They seek a highly experienced Head of M&E, report directly to the Chief Executive Officer and hold regulatory accountability as the Accountable Manager for Maintenance & Engineering. This role carries full business ownership for airworthiness, technical integrity, cost control, manpower, vendor strategy and the transformation journey. It offers a rare opportunity to shape a legacy operation into an agile, high‑performing engineering organisation with commercial ambitions.

Safety, Airworthiness & Compliance

• Own the regulatory accountability for airworthiness under national civil aviation authority oversight.
• Ensure full compliance with Part‑145/Continuing Airworthiness, MOE, CAME and maintenance organisation exposition standards.
• Govern defect control, concession management and rectification performance.
• Maintain audit integrity, full traceability of records (AD/SB, life‑limited parts, back‑to‑birth) and timely closure of findings.

Maintenance Planning & Control

• Instigate a structured planning model (T‑120/T‑60/T‑30/T‑15) aligned to operational schedules and fleet utilisation.
• Establish a centralised Maintenance Control Centre fully integrated with the IOC for daily fleet health visibility.
• Lead pre‑emptive risk identification, planning discipline and reduction of reactionary maintenance.
• Oversee scheduled and unscheduled maintenance (A‑/B‑/C‑checks, structural programmes, reliability actions) for the full fleet.
• Define the make‑versus‑buy strategy for heavy checks, execute internal work and manage third‑party oversight.
• Enforce safety, productivity and turnaround performance standards across all line stations and base maintenance.

Reliability & Engineering

• Lead the reliability programme and engineering services across all fleet types, including chronic defect elimination, MSG‑3 methodology, and ETOPS readiness.
• Develop technical bulletins and troubleshooting playbooks (especially for B767 and B737NG system issues).
• Build a predictive reliability dashboard and root‑cause analytics for chronic and repeat snags.

Materials, Spares & AOG Logistics

• Drive end‑to‑end spares and logistics management: forecasting, rotables, repair cycles, warranty recovery and pooling.
• Implement a 24/7 AOG desk with measurable SLAs and rapid response mechanisms.
• Improve inventory turns, repair turnaround time and vendor accountability via performance metrics.

People, Competency & Culture

• Lead the organisational structure, staffing and succession across all M&E departments.
• Build a cross‑skilled workforce by integrating airframe, avionics and electrical competencies.
• Own the M&E P&L, control cost per block hour, and optimise CapEx and Opex efficiency.
• Negotiate vendor and repair contracts, parts lease agreements and PBH/pooling arrangements.
• Drive warranty recovery, repair savings and resource optimisation; establish commercial frameworks and SLAs for future third‑party work.

Transformation Mandate – Building the MRO

• Lead the change programme transitioning the M&E function into a standalone, profit‑capable MRO.
• Design the MRO operating model, governance structure and roadmap for approvals.
• Build capability in facilities, tooling, manpower and regulatory alignment for external work.
• Develop commercial products, pricing and service SLAs for third‑party maintenance services.

🔹 Qualifications & Experience

• Minimum 15‑20 years of leadership experience in airline or stand‑alone MRO maintenance & engineering operations.
• Deep, hands‑on experience with B767 and B737NG fleets (technical systems, reliability, heavy maintenance programmes).
• Eligible and credible to serve as an accountable postholder with the national Civil Aviation Authority.
• Proven track record in heavy check management, reliability programmes, process discipline and maintenance transformation.
• Strong commercial acumen: full P&L ownership, vendor negotiation experience and business planning capability.
• Demonstrated leadership of large, multi‑discipline engineering/maintenance teams; experience in Africa or emerging‑market aviation an advantage.
• Excellent regulatory knowledge (Part‑145, continuing airworthiness regimes) and strong communication skills.
• Pragmatic, resilient, strategic thinker with strong ethics, ability to drive change, build high‑performing teams and embed a disciplined maintenance culture.