Responsible Manager - Spa

Northrop Grumman; Canberra; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Australia seeks an experienced aviation maintenance professional to serve as CASA Part 145 Responsible Manager for the SPA maintenance operation. The role focuses on independent governance, regulatory leadership and ensuring compliance with Part 145 across the organisation.

You will influence how maintenance is planned, authorised and continuously improved, drawing on extensive aviation experience to drive safety, quality and regulatory outcomes.

Qualifications

• 5+ years’ aviation maintenance experience.
• Diploma-level aviation maintenance qualification, DASA/CASA licence, or four-year Bachelor of Engineering.
• Ability to satisfy CASA Form 4 holder requirements.
• Experience within an approved aviation organisation under DASA, CASA, EMAR, EASA or similar framework.

Responsibilities

• Provide independent maintenance governance and regulatory leadership across the SPA Maintenance Organisation.
• Ensure compliance with DASA/CASA Part 145 and the Maintenance Organisation Exposition.
• Lead maintenance standards oversight including certification, approvals and authorisations.
• Oversee competence, training and authorisation of maintenance personnel.
• Engage with regulators on regulatory matters and drive corrective actions.
• Influence maintenance planning, execution and data-driven improvement.

Skills

Aviation maintenance experience

Leadership

Regulatory governance

Stakeholder influence

Education

Diploma-level aviation maintenance qualification

CASA/DASA licence

Bachelor of Engineering

Job description

AUSTRALIAN CITIZENSHIP REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION: Yes

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE TYPE: AU- Secret (NV1)

TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time

Description

You’ve spent your career maintaining and certifying aircraft. Now help set the standard for how the entire maintenance operation performs.

Northrop Grumman Australia has delivered Through-Life Support to the Royal Australian Air Force’s Special Purpose Aircraft (SPA) capability at Fairbairn for more than two decades.

We’re now looking for an experienced aviation maintenance professional to step into a pivotal CASA Part145 Responsible Manager position supporting this unique capability.

If you’re an experienced LAME who has built strong technical and leadership credibility and you’re considering your next career move beyond the tools, this is an opportunity to put that experience to work in a different way.

You’ll move from working within the maintenance system to helping lead the standards behind it.

About the Opportunity

This isn’t a conventional Maintenance Manager position, and it isn’t an operational delivery role.

Acting on behalf of the Accountable Manager, you’ll provide independent maintenance governance and regulatory leadership across the SPA Maintenance Organisation, ensuring compliance with DASA/CASA Part 145 and the Maintenance Organisation Exposition.

You’ll influence how maintenance is planned, authorized, performed and continuously improved, using the technical judgement you’ve developed over your aviation career on a much broader scale.

What You’ll Own

• Lead compliance with DASA/CASA Part 145 and the Maintenance Organisation Exposition
• Provide independent oversight of maintenance standards, certification, approvals and authorisations
• Ensure maintenance personnel remain appropriately competent, trained and authorised
• Oversee production planning and ensure appropriate people, facilities, tooling, maintenance data and technical records are available
• Hold key accountabilities within the Aviation Safety Management System
• Respond to regulatory and quality findings and drive effective corrective action
• Work with the Accountable Manager, Quality Manager, Aviation Safety Manager and operational leadership
• Engage with DASA/CASA on regulatory matters
• Use maintenance performance, audit and quality data to identify opportunities for improvement
• Maintain regulatory independence when operational priorities and maintenance requirements compete.

About You

You’ll bring:

• 5+ years’ aviation maintenance experience
• A Diploma-level aviation maintenance qualification, DASA/CASA licence, or four-year Bachelor of Engineering
• The ability to satisfy CASA Form 4 holder requirements.
• At least two years’ experience within an approved aviation organisation operating under DASA, CASA, EMAR, EASA or another NMAA-acceptable framework
• Strong working knowledge of DASA/CASA regulations and Part 145
• Demonstrated leadership experience and the ability to influence without relying on direct authority
• The ability to obtain and maintain an AGSVA Security clearance of a NV1
• The ability to obtain and hold an ASIC (Aviation Security Identification Card)

Coming from commercial or business aviation? Don’t count yourself out.

Your career doesn’t need to have been entirely in Defence.

If you’ve been thinking about how to take the next step beyond the tools while keeping your career firmly connected to aviation maintenance, we’d particularly like to hear from you.

What we Offer

We have built our benefits to help you define your possible.

• A fast paced and dynamic work environment to meet our high-profile program customer needs (No 2 days are the same!)
• The opportunity to work with some of the industry’s most advanced aircraft types.
• A culture of team success and shared vision.
• Professional Development – further education, leadership development, professional industry memberships and unlimited access to a range of online training
• Purchased annual leave – 2 weeks
• Salary packaging including novated car leases
• Generous paid parental leave – 18 Weeks
• Volunteer and enhanced Reservist Leave
• Health & Wellbeing program & Employee Assistance Program

Everyone Matters

Doing the right thing and sharing success are two values underpinning how we behave at Northrop Grumman. Here, everyone matters including candidates from diverse backgrounds.

We are particularly proud of our commitment to reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as demonstrated through our Second Innovate RAP (2024-2026), and our support for Veteran employment, and welcome Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and Veterans to apply to join our team.

As a Defence security clearance is required for this role, you must be an Australian Citizen. International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) are applicable, as such your nationality may be a factor in determining your suitability for this role. You will also need to satisfy police checks and employment screening verification.

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