Aviation Operational Excellence Lead

United Airlines; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

United Airlines is seeking a Manager in Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) to lead operational improvement initiatives at Line Maintenance locations. You will identify inefficiencies, drive measurable productivity gains and partner with local leadership to sustain improvements.

You will guide teams in structured problem-solving, align with Process Standards, and translate changes into field operations while coaching frontline staff in Lean practices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or related experience in IE, business or supply chain.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or equivalent certification or experience.
• 3+ years in continuous improvement, operations or process optimization.
• Experience leading large, cross-functional improvement initiatives.
• Strong data analytics and root-cause analysis abilities.
• Ability to influence frontline teams and station leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead and execute operational improvement initiatives across Line Maintenance locations.
• Identify inefficiencies and deliver measurable productivity improvements.
• Partner with station leadership and SMEs to embed improvements.
• Own local portfolio of CI initiatives delivering performance gains.
• Lead structured problem-solving to address performance gaps.
• Develop sustainment plans and performance tracking mechanisms.
• Translate changes into the local operating environment and ensure adoption.
• Coach supervisors and frontline teams in Lean practices.

Skills

Lean Six Sigma Green Belt

Data analysis

Problem solving

Communication skills

Influencing others

Education

Bachelor's degree or related experience (Industrial Engineering, Business, Supply Chain)

Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) license or equivalent

Job description

United Airlines is seeking a Manager in Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) to lead operational improvement initiatives at Line Maintenance locations. You will identify inefficiencies, drive measurable productivity gains and partner with local leadership to sustain improvements.

You will guide teams in structured problem-solving, align with Process Standards, and translate changes into field operations while coaching frontline staff in Lean practices.