Head of LHR Maintenance Operational Control

British Airways PLC; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading airline company is seeking a Head of LHR Maintenance Operational Control to lead and coordinate all maintenance operations at London Heathrow. The ideal candidate will have strong leadership skills, a strategic mindset, and experience in managing operational teams in a dynamic environment. Responsibilities include overseeing maintenance delivery, managing teams, and ensuring safety and efficiency. This role offers significant development opportunities along with competitive staff travel benefits and an inclusive culture.

Benefits

Unlimited basic and premium standby tickets

Discounted airfares for friends and family

Opportunities for personal development

Qualifications

• Demonstrated success in managing large-scale operational teams.
• Experience in delivering strategic transformation in high-pressure settings.
• Proven ability leading change in a complex, industrial environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead coordination of LHR maintenance operations.
• Design workforce model for LHR Maintenance.
• Manage central control team to ensure operational resilience.
• Oversee Aircraft Workshops and manage operational risks.
• Collaborate across teams for operational outcomes.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Operational precision

Strategic awareness

Education

Appropriate technical qualification or engineering degree

Job description

A career without limits

As the nation's flag carrier, we take great pride in connecting Britain with the world and the world with Britain.

It's something we've been doing for over 100 years, ever since we launched the world's first international scheduled air service between London and Paris.

This originality has been in our blood since day one. It's the spirit we share with the people that fly with us, our partners, and our colleagues.

So, whether you are a reassuring voice on the end of a phone, a smile at the door, under a wing keeping the turbines spinning or landing us gently in far-flung places, a job at British Airways is yours to make.

We know great things can happen when you're inspired to think big and bring your ambition to work every day, which is why, at British Airways the sky is never the limit.

The role:

Head of LHR Maintenance Operational Control

As the pace of our operation accelerates and our fleet continues to grow, we're investing in the systems, people, and capabilities that keep British Airways moving. Our commitment to engineering excellence is grounded in operational precision, collaborative decision-making, and real-time performance.

At London Heathrow, our Engineering and Maintenance teams are critical to keeping our aircraft safe, serviceable, and ready to fly. As Head of LHR Maintenance Operational Control, you'll co-ordinate our on the day LHR Maintenance departments across LHR, ensuring that people, resources, and plans come together seamlessly to support one of the world's busiest airline hubs.

You'll be at the heart of our daily delivery, guiding teams through complex challenges, mitigating disruption, and safeguarding aircraft availability through responsive leadership and operational foresight.

What You'll Do:

• Lead the real-time coordination of all LHR maintenance operations, ensuring delivery of the maintenance plan with agility, precision, and safety.
• Design and implement an integrated, flexible workforce model that supports production areas across LHR Maintenance and enables rapid operational decision-making.
• Manage a central control team of Operational Duty Managers and a dedicated engineering resource pool to ensure operational resilience and surge capacity when it matters most.
• Oversee Aircraft Workshops, ensuring capability and work prioritisation are fully aligned with operational demands while maintaining cost effectiveness.
• Monitor and mitigate operational risks, leading tailored interventions to maintain delivery and minimise disruption across the maintenance programme.
• Collaborate across Engineering and Maintenance (including Planning, Supply Chain, and Technical teams) to drive shared accountability for operational outcomes.
• Govern operational performance through clear execution frameworks, data-led insight, and rigorous adherence to best-in-class processes and compliance standards.
• Inspire a culture of operational excellence, leading teams through fast-paced challenges while embedding modern, collaborative ways of working.

What You'll Bring to British Airways:

• A confident, responsive leadership style with a sharp focus on performance, safety, and customer impact.
• A calm, solutions-focused mindset, particularly in high-pressure, time-critical situations.
• Strong influencing and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to align diverse teams and functions behind common goals.
• Strategic awareness with the ability to translate long-term objectives into day-to-day action.
• A passion for driving continuous improvement and empowering teams to succeed in a dynamic, safety-first environment.

Your Experience:

• Demonstrated success in managing large-scale operational teams and/or complex maintenance environments. (essential)
• Track record of delivering strategic transformation and operational resilience in high-pressure settings. (essential)
• Experience working within regulated environments. (essential)
• Proven experience of leading change in a complex, high quality, industrial unionised environment. (essential)
• Detailed knowledge of maintenance integrated processes and systems. (desirable)
• Strong knowledge of H&S legislation and regulatory compliance. (desirable)
• Appropriate technical qualification or engineering degree. (desirable)

What we offer:

We believe that all the people who work with us should feel valued for the part they play. It's one of the reasons our rewards go far beyond a competitive salary.

From the day you join us, you'll get access to brilliant staff travel benefits including unlimited basic and premium standby tickets on British Airways flights. You'll also receive up to 30 discounted Hotline' airfares per year for yourself, friends, and family.

At British Airways you'll have the chance to take on new challenges and move forward in a way that feels right for you. We encourage all those who work for us to consider opportunities right across our business to help you develop and progress.

We never stand still, and we don't expect our people to either.

Inclusion & Diversity

At British Airways we all have a part to play in creating an inclusive place to work. Diverse representation among our people is really important to us and we recognise that all our colleagues are uniquely different and bring their own originality, creativity and identity to work.

Inclusion and diversity is a key driver of innovation and we're committed to creating a culture where everyone can be themselves. We're looking for people from all backgrounds and cultures to join us and be a part of our journey to become a Better BA as we continue to connect Britain with the world and the world with Britain.