Technical Planner - Heavy Maintenance Planning

United Airlines; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 73,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Flight privileges

Paid time off

401(k)

Parental leave

Commuter

Job summary

United Airlines in Chicago is seeking a Technical Planner for Heavy Maintenance Planning to manage base maintenance visits, build work packages, and coordinate with Materials, Tooling and Engineering to set up visits for success.

You will analyze data, identify optimization opportunities, and implement improvements while partnering with cross-functional teams to ensure on-time releases and cost efficiency; prior maintenance planning experience preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in aircraft maintenance or maintenance planning.
• Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, Supply Chain/ Logistics, Business or related field.
• 1+ years technical experience.
• Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills with ability to interact at all levels.
• Data analysis and quantitative modeling techniques (statistical, optimization, simulation).
• Able to juggle several projects with appropriate prioritization.
• Proficient in Excel and PowerPoint.
• Demonstrated work ethic through previous employment or team projects.

Responsibilities

• Create and deliver on-time work maintenance packages for stations/fleet within scope and budgeted labor hours, span and cost.
• Provide support to the maintenance station and work with Maintenance Programs, Engineering, Records, and other Planning groups to resolve issues.
• Coordinate with airframe vendor management, materials, QC and tooling to prepare for aircraft induction.
• Review post-visit information and analyze historical data to identify improvement opportunities to the maintenance program, scheduling, or visit workflow.
• Propose and implement solutions.
• Modify work packages as necessary to account for hangar plan changes or work added/deleted.
• Coordinate changes with the station and other affected groups.
• Work with Airframe Contracts, Engineering, Reliability and Project Planning to capture key reliability projects in visit scope while considering impact of visit cost and span time.

Skills

Data analysis

Communication

Prioritization

Team collaboration

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in aircraft maintenance or maintenance planning

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Technical Planner - Heavy Maintenance Planning

Location Chicago, Illinois, United States | Job Type Full-Time | Posted Date 10/09/2026

Achieving our goals starts with supporting yours. Grow your career, access top-tier health and wellness benefits, build lasting connections with your team and our customers, and travel the world using our extensive route network.

Come join us to create what’s next. Let’s define tomorrow, together.

Description

At United, we have some of the best aircraft in the world. Our Technical Operations team is full of aircraft maintenance technicians, engineers, planners, ground equipment and facilities professionals, and supply chain teams that help make sure they’re well taken care of and ready to get our customers to their desired destinations. If you’re ready to work on our planes, join our Tech Ops experts and help keep our fleet in tip-top shape.

The Base Maintenance Technical Planner is responsible for the management of aircraft heavy maintenance visits at internal and vendor facilities. This includes building work packages to include all critical maintenance tasks, coordination with other key work groups such as Materials, Tooling, and Engineering to ensure the visit is set-up for success, supporting the station while the aircraft is in work and ensuring successful release of the aircraft. This position also includes research and data analysis in order to identify optimization opportunities and creative solutions. Candidates should have problem solving skills and an innovative mindset in addition to technical knowledge.

• Create and deliver on-time work maintenance packages for the stations/fleet within work scope and budgeted labor hours, span and cost.
• Provide support to the maintenance station and work with Maintenance Programs, Engineering, Records, and other Planning groups to resolve issues.
• Coordinate with the airframe vendor management team, materials, QC and tooling to prepare for the induction of the aircraft.
• Review post-visit information and analyze historical data to identify improvement opportunities to the maintenance program, scheduling, or visit workflow.
• Propose and implement solutions.
• Modify work packages as necessary to account for hangar plan changes or work to be added or deleted.
• Coordinate changes with the station and other affected groups.
• Work with Airframe Contracts, Engineering, Reliability and Project Planning to capture key reliability projects in visit work scope while considering impact of visit cost and span time.

Qualifications

What’s needed to succeed (Minimum Qualifications):

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in aircraft maintenance or maintenance planning experience
• Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, Supply Chain/Logistics, Business or related field
• 1+ years technical experience
• Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills, with ability to effectively interact at all levels (including executive) and team with all internal and external business partners
• Data analysis and quantitative modeling techniques (e.g., statistical, optimization, simulation, spreadsheet)
• Be adept at juggling several projects and initiatives simultaneously through appropriate prioritization
• Proficient in Excel and PowerPoint
• Demonstrated work ethic through previous employment or team projects

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

• Aerospace, Mechanical, Industrial or Electrical Engineering
• FAA Airframe and Powerplant License
• Lean/Six Sigma Certification
• Experience working for an airline, aviation, or related technical field (including internships)
• Aircraft maintenance or maintenance planning experienceAircraft Maintenance or engineering background
• Familiarity with aircraft Maintenance Programs
• Knowledge of aircraft systems
• Familiarity with Project Planning
• Exposure to continuous improvement principles and tool
• Financial calculation (labor hours, materials, etc.)

• Demonstrates an understanding of capabilities and limitations of generative AI tools and effectively leverages them for research, analysis, content creation and problem solving, applies critical thinking to validate AI-generated outputs while adhering to company policies related to responsible AI use, data privacy and security

The base pay range for this role is $73,150.00 to $95,224.00.

The base salary range/hourly rate listed is dependent on job-related, factors such as experience, education, and skills. This position is also eligible for bonus and/or long-term incentive compensation awards.

You may be eligible for the following competitive benefits: medical, dental, vision, life, accident & disability, parental leave, employee assistance program, commuter, paid holidays, paid time off, 401(k) and flight privileges.

United Airlines is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, veteran status, or any other protected category under applicable law. We provide reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. To request an accommodation, contact [e-mail]