West Star is the fastest growing maintenance repair organization in the industry, and we recognize this is the result of our talented team of trusted employees working together to deliver customer service excellence. We are committed to providing our employees with personal and professional growth opportunities while fostering a culture of respect and well-being with a small company feel. 

When you join our team, we don’t think you should have to wait for your benefits to kick in. That’s why when you start, they start with you! This includes medical, dental, 401K match, time off accruals, weekly pay days and much more. We don’t want you to live to work, we want you to work and live.

What you can expect as a Program Director of Avionics at West Star:

The Program Director of Avionics is responsible for the overall leadership, performance, and strategic direction of the Avionics Department within the Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) operation. This role ensures the safe, compliant, efficient, and profitable execution of all avionics installations, modifications, repairs, troubleshooting, and certification activities. The Avionics Director leads personnel development, customer satisfaction, operational excellence, and regulatory compliance while supporting company growth objectives and maintaining industry-leading quality standards.

You will be ESSENTIAL to many FUNCTIONS including:

Leadership & Team Development

• Provide leadership, direction, and accountability for all avionics department personnel.
• Develop and maintain a high-performance culture focused on safety, quality, accountability, and customer service.
• Recruit, develop, mentor, and retain avionics leaders, technicians, and support personnel.
• Establish succession plans and career development pathways for avionics personnel.
• Conduct regular performance reviews and professional development discussions.
• Foster teamwork and collaboration across Maintenance, Interiors, Paint, Engineering, Quality, and Program Management departments.

Operational Management

• Oversee daily avionics operations to ensure efficient workflow execution and resource utilization.
• Ensure projects are completed safely, on schedule, within budget, and in compliance with customer requirements.
• Drive department productivity and labor efficiency improvements.
• Monitor departmental capacity planning, workforce utilization, and labor forecasting.
• Coordinate workforce requirements and staffing levels to support current and future workload demands.
• Manage department resources, tooling, facilities, and equipment requirements.

Regulatory Compliance & Safety

• Ensure compliance with all FAA, EASA, OEM, and company regulatory requirements.
• Maintain readiness for FAA audits, customer audits, and quality system evaluations.
• Promote and maintain an active Safety Management System (SMS) culture.
• Ensure all avionics maintenance records, paperwork, and certifications are completed accurately.
• Support corrective action investigations and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Drive safety awareness and hazard identification throughout the department.

Customer Experience

• Partner with Program Managers and Customer Representatives to ensure exceptional customer communication and satisfaction.
• Support customer meetings, project reviews, and technical discussions.
• Assist with dispute resolution and customer concern investigations.
• Ensure customer expectations are understood and effectively communicated throughout the organization.
• Promote a customer-focused culture across all avionics operations.

Financial Performance

• Develop and manage departmental operating budgets.
• Monitor labor performance, overtime utilization, and departmental spending.
• Drive profitability through operational efficiency and cost control initiatives.
• Establish and track departmental Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
• Support quoting and estimating processes to ensure accurate labor forecasting.
• Identify opportunities for revenue growth and expanded service offerings.

Training & Workforce Development

• Establish training requirements and technical competency standards.
• Ensure technician certifications, qualifications, and recurrent training requirements remain current.
• Support apprenticeship, technician development, and leadership development programs.
• Partner with Training Department leadership to identify skill gaps and future workforce needs.
• Promote cross-training initiatives that increase workforce flexibility.

Continuous Improvement

• Lead process improvement initiatives.
• Identify bottlenecks and implement corrective actions to improve throughput.
• Utilize operational metrics and data analytics to drive decision-making.
• Champion best practices and standardization across avionics operations.
• Lead root cause analysis efforts for quality escapes and operational inefficiencies.

Strategic Planning

• Develop department strategies aligned with company objectives.
• Evaluate emerging avionics technologies, market trends, and service opportunities.
• Support capital investment planning and facility expansion initiatives.
• Participate in annual business planning activities.
• Collaborate with executive leadership on long-term growth strategies.

What you’ll need to bring with you:

Your Education
High school diploma or equivalent required.
Four-year management degree (preferred).

 Your Experience
Minimum of 20 years of experience in aircraft avionics.
Minimum of 15 years of leadership experience managing large-scale teams, complex programs, and operational performance within an MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) environment.
Proven track record with 15+ years of progressive responsibility in people leadership, customer relationship management, financial performance, and operational excellence. 
Extensive experience leading cross-functional teams while driving safety, quality, productivity, customer satisfaction, and profitability objectives.
Demonstrated ability to develop talent, manage organizational change, and lead strategic initiatives in a fast-paced aviation services environment.

Your Initiative:   
Self-motivated with a proven ability to cultivate innovation, drive team results and tackle tough challenges.
Capable of building and developing effective management teams, communicating with clarity, and using situational adaptability.
Diffuse or manage conflict with a collaborative and results-oriented approach.
Provide routine updates to VP on key initiatives including Staffing, Operational effectiveness, Safety and Customer NPS.

Your Sense of Responsibility:      
Hold avionics leaders accountable for service delivery including all aspects of operations including team management, safety, quality, and customer service.
Ensure program managers are infusing routine communication and coaching to their teams about safety, quality, and SOP use.
Model effective employee and customer-oriented leadership.
Responsible for avionics program managers and their team performance (onboarding, coaching, formal training, performance pulse, and conversations).
Responsible for Avionics department, safety, operational excellence, quality, financial management, customer satisfaction, and workforce development

 Other particulars:

 Physical Requirements                  
Routine walking, bending, and squatting or sitting.
Routine or repetitive physical motion with arms and hands.
Advanced computer operations and software (Outlook, SharePoint, PowerPoint, Excel, Power BI).

Supervision                                       
Work under supervision of VP/GM.
Directly supervise Avionics Program Managers, Team Leads, Operations Coordinator and Technical Specialists
Collaboratively work with other Directors and Senior Leaders.

Compensation & Benefit Information

The following information is disclosed according to state specific requirements. If the position applied to is not in a state with these requirements, the following information may not apply. The salary range for this position generally ranges between $170k-$200k. Actual rate will vary and may be above or below the range based on various factors including but not limited to location, experience and performance. The range listed is just one component of the total compensation package. Other forms of compensation include a semi-annual discretionary bonus, as well as medical, dental, vision, life, disability, 401(k), paid holidays and vacation time.

West Star Aviation’s Benefits

• Benefits Effective Day One for Eligible Employees
• Medical, Dental and Vision Coverage with Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) options
• Life Insurance, Disability Benefits & Supplemental Benefits
• 401(k) Plan with Employee Contributions & Employer Match
• Paid Company Holidays & Weekly Paid Time Off Accruals
• Flexible Work Schedules include 5x8, 4x10 and 3x12
• Weekly Competitive & Industry Leading Pay means you are paid more often
• Bonus Opportunity based on Company and Site Performance
• Internal Mobility & Career Advancement opportunities