Manager Quality Assurance Maintenance & Engineering

Alaska Airlines, Inc.; SeaTac (WA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 181,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stand-by travel privileges

Well-being programs

401k match

Annual bonus plans

Paid time off

Job summary

Alaska Airlines is seeking a Manager Quality Assurance (QA) for Maintenance & Engineering to execute the QA strategy across audit programs. The role leads auditors, prioritizes work, and ensures rigorous audit standards while coordinating with safety and regulatory teams.

The candidate will drive risk assessments, establish annual audit plans, and deliver formal reports with actionable root-cause analyses. Strong leadership, communication, and aviation safety expertise are essential.

Qualifications

• 5 years of operational process auditing experience.
• 2 years of leadership experience.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a related field.
• Strong analytical skills and safety focus.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.
• Must be authorized to work in the U.S.
• Preferred certifications: FAA, CASE Auditor, CPA/CQA/CIA/ISO QA.

Responsibilities

• Lead auditors and manage time/budget constraints while maintaining quality.
• Support CAMP, Engineering oversight, and SMS with QA surveillance.
• Assign QA resources to cover all auditing requirements, including third-party providers.
• Contribute to QA risk assessments and annual audit planning.
• Communicate audit findings to senior leadership with root-cause analysis.
• Prepare formal audit reports with evidence to support conclusions.
• Oversee corrective actions and their closure.
• Support DAG and SRB with audit summaries, RCA, and trends.
• Liaise with FAA on MPL issues and maintain regulatory compliance.
• Develop risk-based tools to strengthen programs and controls.
• Develop the team through coaching and performance management.

Skills

Auditing

Leadership

Bachelor's degree

Analytical skills

Communication

MS Office

Education baseline

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

High school diploma

Job description

Company

Alaska Airlines

The Team

Guided by our purpose, core values, and leadership principles, we are creating an airline people love. Our corporate teamssetthe strategies and operational plans to ensure the success of our company. Whether we use ourexpertisein accounting, human resources, finance, planning, legal, marketing, or any of our operational divisions, our shared passion for travel and our guests is what motivates us to achieve excellence each day. If you share our passion for creating an airline people love, we want to hear from you.

Role Summary

The Manager Quality Assurance (QA), Maintenance & Engineering (M&E), is responsible for executing on the strategy for quality assurance programs for Alaska Airlines (AS) Maintenance and Engineering functions. As a people leader, this role leads and establishes priorities for the team to understand processes, identify and audit process risks, assess operational performance and compliance, monitor emerging risks, and maintain rigorous standards of audit methodology.

Key Duties

• Lead team of auditors while using effective time management to stay within time/budget constraints and maintaining quality standards to generate a high level of auditee satisfaction.
• Ensure QA surveillance activities continuously support and provide feedback to the Alaska Airlines Continuous Airworthiness Maintenance Program (CAMP), Engineering process oversight, and Safety Management System (SMS).
• Assign QA resources to ensure coverage of all auditing requirements, including:
  • Alaska Airlines internal Maintenance & Engineering practices.
  • Ongoing surveillance and approval of third-party maintenance providers.
  • Reviews supporting the Coordinating Agency for Supplier Evaluation (C.A.S.E.) program and maintaining AS membership in the program.
  • IATA Fuel Quality Pool (IFQP) assessments.
• Partner with the Director Quality Assurance to participate in QA risk assessments and evaluate audit coverage, leveraging audits results and evolving business priorities to guide, adjust, and provide input into the strategy of the annual audit plan(s).
• Make decisions related to the quality and acceptance of audit work products, ensuring comprehensive and accurate results, appropriate root-cause determinations, and timely communication of audit findings to senior leadership while liaising with Alaska Safety to utilize the SMS as a tool to quantify surveillance risk.
• Prepare formal written reports, backed by adequate evidence, to support audit conclusions.
• Evaluate the corrective actions taken by management and third-party vendors to ensure findings are effectively addressed and resolved and oversee tracking, assessment, and resolution of corrective actions by auditors.
• Support the Data Analysis Group (DAG) and the Safety Review Board (SRB) by presenting summaries of audit results, root cause analysis, and trend identification.
• Liaison to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on all Maintenance Provider List (MPL) issues and maintain the MPL in accordance with requirements of the Code of Federal Aviation Regulation (CFAR) 121.368(h).
• Partner with management to develop risk-based tools and techniques to strengthen operational programs, processes, and controls.
• Develop people through effective performance management and ongoing feedback, focusing on delegation for stretch assignments, growing and developing the team for capacity and growth, looking at performance across the team, and time management.

Job-Specific Experience, Education & Skills

Required

• 5 years of experience in operational process auditing, or equivalent in maintenance leadership.
• 2 years of leadership experience.
• Bachelor’s degree, with a focus in a discipline related to this role, or an additional two years of relevant training/experience in lieu of this degree.
• Strong analytical skills, process-driven, and a strong safety advocate.
• Excellent communication (e.g., verbal, written, and listening) and interpersonal skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook).
• Strong communication (e.g., verbal, written, presentation) and interpersonal skills, with the ability to create collaborative relationships.
• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Minimum age of 18.
• Must be authorized to work in the U.S.

Preferred

• Valid FAA Certification (A&P, Powerplant or Repairman) and/or C.A.S.E. Auditor certification.
• Proven ability to quickly understand complex processes, effectively scope assessments, and lead high energy, success-oriented teams.
• Detail oriented and highly organized, with ability to multi-task and work independently with limited guidance in a fast-paced environment.
• Aviation, safety program management or Safety Management Systems (SMS) experience.
• Auditor certification or training (e.g., Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Quality Auditor (CQA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), ISO Quality Auditor).

Job-Specific Leadership Expectations

• Embody our values to own safety, do the right thing, be caring and kind, and deliver performance.
• Proven ability to lead with, engage, and establish credibility with business partners at all levels.
• Ability to develop and lead a team forward in their individual development.

Starting Rate

Salary Range

$120,400 - $180,600 / year

Bonus

Salary Details

Pay will be based on multiple factors, including and not limited to location, relevant experience/level and skillset while balancing internal equity relative to other Alaska/Hawaiian/Horizon employees. Alaska/Hawaiian/Horizon is committed to fair, unbiased compensation along with competitive benefits in all locations in which we operate.

Note: We don’t typically hire at the top of the range.

Total Rewards

Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air pay and benefits can vary by company, location, number of regularly scheduled hours worked, length of employment, and employment status.

• Free stand-by travel privileges on Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines & Horizon Air
• Comprehensive well-being programs including medical, dental and vision benefits
• Generous 401k match program
• Annual bonus plans
• Generous holiday and paid time off

For more information about Alaska/Hawaiian/Horizon Total Rewards please visit our career site and view benefits.

Airport SIDA Badge Requirements

Important notification for employees working at an airport or maintenance hangar: Employees will be required to obtain a SIDA badge provided by the airport authority and maintain good standing in order to keep their SIDA badge. Review the SIDA Badge Requirements document for a comprehensive overview. If an employee does not qualify for a SIDA badge or has their SIDA badge pulled from them, the employee will be terminated.

Regulatory Information

Equal Employment OpportunityPolicy StatementIt is the policy of AlaskaAirlines,Hawaiian Airlinesand Horizon Air tocomply withall applicable federal,stateand local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment and to ensure equal opportunity in all terms, conditions, and benefits of employment or potential employment.

We also prohibit discrimination and harassment against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, geneticinformationand other legally protected categories.

We haveestablishedan EEO Compliance Program under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (“Section 503”) and the Vietnam Era Veteran’s Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (“VEVRAA”).All applicants and employees are treated without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. In addition, we haveestablishedan audit and reporting system to allow for effective measurement of its equal employment opportunity activities.

To implement this policy, we will:

(1) Recruit, hire, train and promote qualified persons in all job titles, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, geneticinformationand any other legally protected categories;

(2) Ensure that employment decisions are based only on valid job requirements; and

(3) Ensure that all personnel actions and employment activities such as compensation, benefits, promotions, layoffs, return from layoff,Alaska Airlines,Hawaiian Airlinesand Horizon Airsponsored programs, and tuition assistance will be administered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information and other legally protected categories.

Government Contractor & Department of Transportation (DOT) RegulationsAlaska Airlines,Hawaiian Airlines& Horizon Air are regulated by the Department of Transportation (DOT – regulations, 49 CFR part 40) and all applicants are advised that post-offer and/or pre-employment drug testing will be conducted to determine the presence of marijuana, cocaine, opioids, phencyclidine (PCP) and amphetamines or a metabolite of these drugs prior to any offer or employment or transfer into a safety-sensitive position. Failure tosubmitto testing or positive indications of drug use willrenderthe applicant ineligible for employment with Alaska Airlines/Hawaiian Airlines/HorizonAirand any employment offer will be withdrawn.

Apply by 7:00 PM Pacific Time on

8/26/2026

FLSA Status

Exempt

Employment Type

Full-Time

Regular/Temporary

Regular

Requisition Type

Management

Location

Seattle - Hangar

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