Chief Instructor

OSM Aviation Academy; Fort Lauderdale (FL); On-site; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Paid time off

Employee travel benefits

Professional development

Job summary

OSM Aviation Academy is expanding its Fort Lauderdale FXE operation and seeks a Chief Instructor to own quality, standardization, and regulatory compliance for flight and ground training. You will report to U.S.

leadership with decision authority over instructional operations and will shape a growing instructor team on a path to scale the program. This is a full-time, on-site leadership role requiring strong aviation regulatory knowledge, practical leadership, and a focus on student outcomes.

Qualifications

• Commercial pilot or ATP certificate with appropriate ratings.
• Current FAA CFI and CFII certificates; MEI strongly preferred.
• At least 2,000 hours as pilot in command.
• Flight training experience as certificated/military instructor: 3 years and 1,000 flight hours, or 1,500 flight hours.
• At least 100 hours of actual/simulated instrument time with instrument instruction experience of 2 years and 250 flight hours, or 400 flight hours.
• Current FAA medical certificate appropriate to duties performed.
• Ability to pass FAA knowledge and proficiency tests for chief instructor designation.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the FAA-approved Chief Instructor for our Part 141 programs.
• Select, develop and standardize the flight and ground instructor team.
• Own instructional quality — stage checks, end-of-course checks and instructor standardization.
• Monitor student progression and act early when a student falls behind.
• Maintain compliance with FAA regulations, curricula and procedures; oversee training records and instructor qualifications.
• Act as the academy's primary FAA point of contact on instructional and Part 141 matters.
• Collaborate with local management, planning, dispatch and maintenance to keep the flight line running.

Skills

Leadership

Regulatory knowledge

Communication

Decision making

Flight training experience

Education

Commercial Pilot or Airline Transport Pilot Certificate

FAA CFI and CFII certificates

MEI preferred

Job description

Shape our training culture and strengthen our growing U.S. flight training operation.

OSM Aviation Academy is expanding its presence at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, developing our established training base into a key U.S. training hub.

We are looking for a Chief Instructor who will help shape that growth and set the standard for how we train, develop, and support the next generation of professional pilots.

This is a full-time, on-site leadership role for an experienced aviation professional who combines strong regulatory knowledge with practical, visible leadership. You will be present on the flight line, work closely with instructors and students, and take genuine ownership of training quality, standardisation, safety, and student outcomes.

More than maintaining compliance, this role is about building a strong instructional culture and creating the foundation for the continued growth of OSM Aviation Academy in the United States.

About OSM Aviation Academy

OSM Aviation Academy is one of Europe’s largest professional pilot training organizations, operating a multi-base training platform across Europe and the United States. We train several hundred students annually and operate a growing, standardized fleet of modern training aircraft and simulators designed for high-utilization professional training environments.

The Academy is in an active investment phase, with significant capital committed to fleet renewal with a 25 Tecnam P-mentor order. Our fleet strategy is centered on modern, efficient training aircraft based on the Tecnam and Diamond platforms, combined with an expanding simulator footprint to support structured, airline-oriented training programs as well as tailored Airline Solutions.

OSM Aviation Academy is executing a clear growth strategy to build a scalable training platform in the United States and are investing further in our Fort Lauderdale Executive (FXE) base. The U.S. operation is being built with a strong focus on technical robustness, predictable aircraft availability, and long-term sustainability.

The Role

The Chief Instructor owns the quality, standardization and regulatory compliance of flight and ground training at FXE.

You will report to U.S. leadership and have genuine decision authority over the instructional operation: you select, develop and standardize your instructor team, you set the training standard, and you are the academy's voice with the FAA on instructional matters.

This is a building job, not a maintenance job. The instructor team will grow substantially over the next two years and you will shape it.

What you will do

• Serve as the FAA-approved Chief Instructor for our Part 141 programs
• Select, develop and standardize the flight and ground instructor team
• Own instructional quality — stage checks, end-of-course checks and instructor standardization
• Monitor student progression and act early when a student falls behind
• Maintain compliance with FAA regulations, approved curricula and academy procedures, including oversight of training records and instructor qualifications
• Act as the academy's primary point of contact with the FAA on instructional and Part 141 matters
• Work closely with local management, planning, dispatch and maintenance to keep the flight line running

What you need

Regulatory eligibility (14 CFR 141.35):

• Commercial Pilot or Airline Transport Pilot Certificate with appropriate category, class and instrument ratings
• Current FAA CFI and CFII certificates; MEI strongly preferred
• At least 2,000 hours as pilot in command
• Flight training experience as a certificated or military flight instructor of at least 3 years and 1,000 flight hours, or 1,500 flight hours
• At least 100 hours of actual or simulated instrument flight time, with instrument instructional experience of at least 2 years and 250 flight hours, or 400 flight hours
• Current FAA medical certificate appropriate to the duties performed
• Ability to pass the FAA knowledge and proficiency tests for chief instructor designation

Experience and character:

• Part 141 experience strongly preferred
• A track record of leading and developing instructors, not just instructing
• Comfort holding a standard when a schedule is under pressure
• Strong communication, organization and decision-making

Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States. This role is full-time and on-site at FXE.

Compensation and benefits

Base salary: $80,000, plus a performance incentive of up to $20,000 per year, tied to measures you control — checkride first-time pass rates, on-time student progression, instructor retention and safety and compliance performance.

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Paid time off
• Employee travel benefits
• Professional development and career growth opportunities
• A supportive and collaborative work environment

Why this role

• You build the instructor team rather than inherit one
• New aircraft and a purpose-built training facility, not inherited constraints
• Full authority over the instructional standard, with the accountability that goes with it
• Your students enter a pipeline connected to one of the world's largest airline crewing organizations
• A base that is scaling — the leadership footprint grows with it