Senior Manager - Line Maintenance Operations Excellence

United Airlines; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

United Airlines is seeking a Senior Manager in Chicago to lead continuous improvement across the Line Maintenance network. You will drive operational efficiency, coach a distributed CPI team, and partner with analytics to deliver measurable gains in productivity and execution.

This role requires travel and strong leadership across multiple hubs. The role emphasizes sustaining improvements, implementing scalable solutions, and embedding a culture of Lean across field operations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Business, Supply Chain or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in continuous improvement, operations or process optimization within a complex operational environment.
• Experience leading large, cross-functional improvement initiatives or transformation efforts.
• Demonstrated experience delivering measurable operational or financial impact through continuous improvement initiatives.
• Experience leading teams and developing talent in a continuous improvement or operational environment.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills with deep experience in root-cause analysis and structured problem-solving.
• Proven ability to influence senior leadership and frontline operational teams across a distributed organization.

Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver CPI initiatives across United's Line Maintenance hubs and stations.
• Develop and coach CPI professionals; prioritize opportunities and improve execution.
• Partner with Line Maintenance leadership, standards, projects, execution and analytics teams to implement scalable solutions.
• Ensure sustainment plans and tracking to maintain improvements over time.
• Own a portfolio of CI initiatives aligned to Director Ops Excellence roadmap and Tech Ops priorities.
• Lead structured problem-solving to address KPI gaps, productivity shortfalls, delays, and cancellations.
• Collaborate with Training teams to ensure field adoption and sustainment of new processes.

Skills

Problem solving

Analytical skills

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Influence senior leadership

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree Industrial Engineering, Business, Supply Chain or related field

Tools

DMAIC

Value stream mapping

Root-cause analysis

Kaizen events

Lean Six Sigma Black Belt

Job description

This Senior Manager role within the Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) function is responsible for leading and driving operational improvement initiatives across United's Line Maintenance network. This role oversees a team of geographically separated CPI professionals focused on identifying inefficiencies, solving complex operational challenges, and delivering measurable improvements in technician productivity, operational efficiency, and execution consistency.

The role is regionally aligned, supporting a defined set of hubs and line stations, and serves as the primary field-facing leader for continuous improvement within and across those locations. The Senior Manager partners closely with Line Maintenance leadership, process standards, projects & execution and analytics teams to prioritize opportunities, implement scalable solutions and ensure long-term sustainment of improvements.

• Translate the Standards & Excellence roadmap into regional Line Maintenance improvement priorities, and serve as a trusted partner to local and regional Line Maintenance leaders by identifying constraints and opportunities, and helping shape practical improvement priorities across assigned locations
• Lead and develop a team of Continuous Improvement professionals, providing direction, prioritization and coaching to deliver Line Maintenance operational improvement
• Own and manage a portfolio of continuous improvement initiatives across assigned hubs and stations, aligned to the Director Ops Excellence roadmap, Tech Ops priorities and measurable operational and financial impact
• Lead structured problem-solving efforts to address Line Maintenance performance gaps such as missed KPIs, productivity shortfalls, delays and cancellations
• Serve as the primary field facing implementation leader for Tech Ops initiatives implemented across designated field locations, ensuring changes are effectively translated, implemented and adopted within Line Maintenance operations
• Partner with regional Line Maintenance leadership and frontline teams to ensure initiatives are practical, scalable and executable in the field
• Collaborate with Process Standards, Projects & Execution and Analytics teams to align priorities, embed improvements into standard processes and validate sustained outcomes
• Establish sustainment plans and performance tracking mechanisms to ensure improvements are embedded, monitored and maintained over time
• Build and reinforce a culture of continuous improvement across assigned locations, coaching leaders and frontline teams in structured problem-solving and Lean practices
• Support the development of a CI education and training program
• Partner with Line Maintenance Process SMEs to interface with Training teams, identify supervisor and frontline capability gaps, shape practical training content and delivery, and help ensure training supports field adoption and sustainment of new or updated processes

What's needed to succeed (Minimum Qualifications):

• Bachelor's degree Industrial Engineering, Business, Supply Chain or related experience
• 5+ years of experience in continuous improvement, operations or process optimization within a complex operational environment
• Experience leading large, cross-functional improvement initiatives or transformation efforts
• Demonstrated experience delivering measurable operational or financial impact through continuous improvement initiatives
• Experience leading teams and developing talent in a continuous improvement or operational environment
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills, with deep experience in root-cause analysis and structured problem-solving
• Proven ability to influence senior leadership and frontline operational teams across a distributed organization
• Strong business acumen with the ability to connect operational improvements to financial outcomes
• Travel 25 to 50% of the time
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship
• Successful completion of interview required to meet job qualification
• Reliable, punctual attendance is an essential function of the position

What will help you propel from the pack (Preferred Qualifications):

• Master's degree or related experience
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or equivalent continuous improvement certification
• Experience in Tech Ops, Line Maintenance, MRO, airline operations or other large-scale operational environments
• Experience leading multi-site or enterprise-level continuous improvement initiatives
• Experience applying Lean and Six Sigma methodologies, including DMAIC, value stream mapping, waste identification and root-cause analysis
• Experience facilitating Kaizen events, workshops or large cross-functional working sessions
• Experience working in regulated environments, such as FAA / GMM
• Familiarity with Theory of Constraints or similar system optimization methodologies