MFTS Maintenance Operations Manager in Shrewsbury

About Our Team Airbus Helicopters is the world’s largest helicopter manufacturer and the company’s site at Oxford Airport is Britain’s civil helicopter hub. AHUK offers considerable experience in helicopter sales, bespoke completions, maintenance and spares support. Its in‑house engineering capabilities include design, customisation, installation, flight‑testing and certification, as well as technical support, maintenance, training and the supply of spares for civil and military applications. AHUK is the MoD’s chosen provider of helicopters and maintenance for its No.1 Helicopter Flying school (referred to as MFTS) located in RAF Shawbury (Shropshire) and RAF Valley (Anglesey).

Description / Overall Purpose Of The Job As the MFTS Maintenance Operations Manager, you are responsible for the management and execution of all Part‑145 activities across the MFTS MRO facilities and line stations. Your mission is to ensure that our fleet is maintained to the highest safety and quality standards, ensuring maximum aircraft availability to meet the rigorous demands of the Daily Flying Programme. You will act as the primary engineering focal point for the MoD at both Shawbury and Valley, ensuring full compliance with UK CAA Part‑145 and CAP 562 Leaflet B40 regulations while fostering a "Just Culture" and a proactive safety environment.

Main Responsibilities

• Operational Leadership & Execution – Oversee the UK MFTS (RW) Engineering Team to ensure base and line maintenance are delivered on time, within cost, and to exacting quality standards.
• Technical Quality – Ensure the satisfactory completion and certification of all work in accordance with work orders, approved MOE procedures, and CAA standards.
• Workmanship – Guarantee that the quality of workmanship across the engineering workforce is exemplary and acceptable to the organisation and the UK CAA.
• Supply Chain Integrity – Oversee incoming inspections, classification, segregation, and storage of components and materials per manufacturer recommendations.

Resource & Infrastructure Management

• Resource Management – Ensure the team is appropriately staffed with qualified, authorised personnel. Manage training records and competency assessments to maintain operational readiness.
• Facility Readiness – Ensure the availability of hangars, workshops and specialised office/store accommodation appropriate to the planned work scope.
• Working Environment – Maintain an environment that supports technical excellence, including the provision of all necessary technical documents and secure record storage.
• Contracted Support – Ensure any sub‑contracted work is correctly detailed in work orders and fulfilled regarding strict inspection and quality control.

Safety & Regulatory Compliance

• Safety Culture – Lead the implementation of Safety Policy and Human Factors (HF) initiatives on the hangar floor, fostering a proactive "Just Culture".
• Safety & Compliance – Act as the aircraft incident/accident focal point. Ensure all occurrences are reported via the QMS and that all activity aligns with CAA Pt 145 and Part CAMO requirements.
• Audit Ownership – Directly respond to and resolve compliance deficiencies identified by independent audits within your remit.
• Personnel Competence – Ensure all personnel under your control are competent, qualified and authorised to perform their assigned duties.

Stakeholder Communication & Escalation

• Reporting – Establish regular reviews with the Part‑145 Maintenance Manager to elevate any discrepancies or difficulties regarding maintenance standards.
• Critical Alerts – Formally notify the Accountable Manager of any emerging financial deficiencies or significant personnel shortages (e.g. >25% staff absence).
• Strategic Reporting – Provide regular performance insights to the AHUK Management Team and contribute to the MFTS Continuous Improvement Programme.

Knowledge And Skills

Essential Experience & Qualifications

• Licensing – Licensed B1 and/or B2 C‑rated engineer with Type Ratings on H135/H145 platforms.
• Education – Degree‑level qualification in Engineering or Management (BEng, BSc, MEng, or MSc).
• Leadership – Extensive technical experience in Aviation/Aerospace, with proven experience in technical and commercial leadership.
• Regulatory Knowledge – Deep expertise in CAA Pt 145, Part CAMO and Continued Airworthiness Management (CAM).
• Systems – High proficiency in MS Office and experience with SAP/ERP software.

Desirable

• Direct experience with UK Military Aviation or the UK MFTS ecosystem.
• Project/Change Management certifications (e.g. PRINCE2) or IOSH qualifications.
• A background in Aircraft Fleet Planning.

Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Fleet Availability – Maintain aircraft availability levels to support a mission availability of 95% of the Daily Flying Programme.
• Punctuality – Ensure 100% On‑Time Delivery (OTD) for the Daily Flying Programme.
• Maintenance Efficiency – Achieve >95% OTD for aircraft exiting Base Maintenance.
• Safety – Maintain TF1 Safety rates in strict alignment with AHUK objectives.

Additional Requirements

Due to the nature of this position you will require DBS Security Clearance and be eligible for SC clearance. Applicants must meet any/all requirements of Export Compliance Regulations. All candidates must possess the current, legal right to work in the United Kingdom; Airbus will not be able to offer sponsorship for any employment visa.

The Reward

• Private Medical Insurance (Bupa) – single cover for employees paid by the company.
• Pension – Employees are auto‑enrolled into the Airbus Group UK Retirement Fund. Initially AH contributes 6%, employee 4% basic.
• Share Incentive Plan and ESOP – annual share schemes at company discretion.
• Success Share, discretionary group bonus scheme (conditions apply).
• Bikes to Work (up to £3,000) – employee purchase scheme.
• Technology – employee purchase scheme.
• Mydrive – employee car purchase scheme.
• Den‑Plan – employee purchase scheme.
• Health‑care Cash Scheme.
• Personal Accident Insurance – employee purchase scheme.
• Health Assessments.
• Travel Insurance.
• Shopping vouchers/discounts.
• Financial/Legal Advice (e.g. will‑writing, lasting power of attorney).

Data Protection & Equality By submitting your CV or application you are consenting to Airbus using and storing information about you for monitoring purposes relating to your application or future employment. This information will only be used by Airbus. Airbus is committed to achieving workforce diversity and creating an inclusive working environment. We welcome all applications irrespective of social and cultural background, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation or religious belief. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early should we receive an overwhelming response. After this date the applications will then be reviewed, feedback will be given and interviews will be arranged. Please direct any questions relating to this job posting to contact.recruitment.ahuk@airbus.com in the first instance for the attention of the HR Team. Thank you for your time and interest in this opportunity. We look forward to considering your application.