Airworthiness & Compliance Manager

Salus Aviation; Hawke's Bay; On-site; NZD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health card

Healthcare

Birthday & Anniversary celebrations

Volunteer time

Holiday Home access

Excellence at Altitude culture

Free parking

Job summary

Salus Aviation is seeking an experienced Airworthiness & Compliance Manager to join our MRO Services leadership team in Ardmore, New Zealand. You will oversee airworthiness, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement across our growing fleet and international operations.

The role involves collaboration with regulators, OEMs, and international teams, with travel within New Zealand and abroad. Permanent full-time, Monday–Friday, 40 hours per week.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in helicopter aviation engineering.
• Strong knowledge of airworthiness and regulatory compliance (NZCAA, FAA, EASA).
• Experience conducting audits and compliance reviews.
• Proven ability to lead and influence stakeholders across functions.
• Commitment to safety and improving reliability.

Responsibilities

• Promote and monitor engineering standards, quality, and regulatory compliance.
• Lead M-LOSA programme administration and development.
• Provide airworthiness oversight for the Salus fleet, including maintenance planning and records.
• Support aircraft acquisitions, lease transitions, and international start-ups.
• Liaise with OEMs, regulators, fleet teams, and international operations.
• Develop robust airworthiness oversight systems and improve fleet availability.

Skills

10+ years exp

Airworthiness knowledge

Regulatory compliance

Audits & reviews

Leadership

Safety culture

Stakeholder influence

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Organisational skills

Travel readiness

Job description

The Role

Salus Aviation is seeking an experienced and commercially minded Airworthiness & Compliance Manager to join our MRO Services leadership team. Reporting to the EGM Engineering, this is a rare opportunity to play a pivotal role in ensuring engineering excellence, regulatory compliance, and airworthiness oversight across our growing fleet and international operations.

Based in Ardmore, with occasional travel within New Zealand and internationally, this role combines technical leadership, compliance oversight, airworthiness management, and continuous improvement initiatives that directly support our mission of achieving "Excellence at Altitude".

This position offers significant exposure to international helicopter operations, with technical support provided to operations in locations including South Africa, Gabon, Guinea, and Peru.

Responsibilities

• Promoting and monitoring engineering standards, quality, and regulatory compliance across maintenance and overhaul operations.
• Leading the administration and development of the company's M-LOSA programme.
• Providing airworthiness oversight for the Salus fleet, including maintenance planning, reliability monitoring, AD/SB management, and aircraft records administration.
• Supporting aircraft acquisitions, lease transitions, new aircraft introductions, and international operational start-ups.
• Acting as a key liaison with OEMs, regulators, fleet management teams, and international operations.
• Develop and maintain robust airworthiness oversight systems.
• Monitor fleet performance and identify opportunities to improve aircraft availability and reliability.
• Provide technical and logistical support for domestic and international operations.
• Support strategic engineering projects, including fleet expansion and new product introductions.
• Build strong relationships with internal teams, customers, regulators, OEMs, and international stakeholders.
• Act as a role model for Salus Aviation's values, culture, and safety standards.

About You

• 10+ years' experience within a helicopter aviation engineering environment.
• Strong knowledge of airworthiness and technical compliance requirements across NZCAA, FAA, and EASA regulatory frameworks.
• Demonstrated understanding of aviation industry standards and best practices, including BARS and IOGP.
• Experience conducting engineering audits and compliance reviews.
• Proven ability to drive operational improvements and deliver positive business outcomes.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic environment.
• A collaborative leadership style with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels.
• A genuine commitment to safety and fostering a strong safety culture.

Why Join Salus Aviation?

You will be joining a business that is committed to safety, excellence, innovation, and customer success. You'll have the opportunity to influence the future direction of our maintenance operations while working alongside a team of highly skilled aviation professionals. This is an outstanding opportunity for an established maintenance leader looking to make a significant impact within a growing and respected aviation organisation.

Permanent full time work, Monday to Friday, 40 hours per week

Benefits

• $500 Employee Benefits card (Extraordinary) from three months service for healthcare
• Celebrations on Birthdays and Anniversaries
• Humanity Time - Volunteering time for charities
• Holiday Home access via Marram Trust
• Work in a highly motivated team focused on "Excellence at Altitude"
• South Auckland Location with free parking
• We are a great company who look after our staff and our business is expanding and growing around the world. Joining us gives you stability and an amazing opportunity to work for a company that is growing and going places!

Please note: you need to be eligible to work in New Zealand and will be required to undergo and pass pre-employment drug and alcohol tests.