Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced Production Manager to lead day-to-day operations at our Houston facility and support the continued growth of our organization. This individual will be responsible for leading production activities within our repair station, ensuring work is planned, prioritized, and executed safely, efficiently, and in compliance with FAA, EASA, customer, and company requirements.

This role provides leadership across our production organization and works in close partnership with Procurement and Supply Chain to balance customer priorities, workforce capacity, production schedules, material availability, and operational performance to consistently achieve delivery commitments.

While the primary focus of this position is production leadership, AV8 recognizes the value of candidates who bring experience in both manufacturing operations and procurement. Candidates with purchasing, supply chain, or materials management experience are highly preferred and will be well positioned to drive cross-functional alignment and operational excellence.

The ideal candidate is a visible, hands-on leader who thrives in a fast-paced aerospace MRO environment and is passionate about developing teams, improving processes, and driving operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities
• Lead daily production operations across receiving, teardown, inspection, plating, assembly, testing, painting, and shipping.
• Establish and communicate production priorities, schedules, and performance expectations.
• Monitor workflow and work-in-process (WIP) to identify and remove production bottlenecks.
• Partner closely with Procurement and Supply Chain teams to ensure material availability supports production schedules and customer commitments.
• Lead workforce and production planning efforts, partnering closely with Engineering and Quality teams to ensure labor and material resources align with customer demand and operational priorities.
• Balance labor, equipment, materials, and capacity to optimize operational performance.
• Coach, mentor, and develop supervisors and production personnel.
• Promote a culture of safety, quality, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure compliance with FAA Part 145 regulations, EASA requirements, company procedures, and customer specifications.
• Support internal, customer, FAA, and EASA audits.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on productivity, efficiency, and turnaround time.
• Track and report key performance metrics, including on-time delivery, labor efficiency, schedule attainment, safety, and throughput.

Required Qualifications
• 10+ years of manufacturing or aerospace operations experience, including at least 3 years leading production teams in aerospace manufacturing, aircraft component repair, MRO, or another highly regulated environment.
• Demonstrated success leading teams of 20 or more employees and improving safety, quality, delivery, and productivity.
• Strong experience with production planning, scheduling, workflow management, capacity planning, and resource allocation, with the ability to balance customer priorities, labor, material availability, equipment capacity, and production schedules.
• Experience partnering effectively with Purchasing and Supply Chain teams to support operational objectives.
• Experience operating within highly regulated environments and ensuring compliance with industry, customer, and quality requirements.
• Hands-on leadership style with strong communication, employee development, problem-solving, and change-management skills.
• Experience utilizing ERP/MRP systems to support production planning, scheduling, and operational performance.

Highly Preferred Qualifications
• Prior purchasing, procurement, supply chain, or materials management experience.
• Experience leading or influencing both production and procurement functions within an aerospace, MRO, or other highly regulated manufacturing environment.
• FAA Part 145 or EASA repair station experience.
• Aircraft component or landing gear overhaul experience.
• AvSight experience.
• Certifications such as A&P, Lean, Six Sigma, APICS, or Project Management.

What Success Looks Like

The successful candidate will:
• Lead a safe, compliant, and high-performing operation.
• Improve productivity, labor utilization, and operational throughput.
• Deliver exceptional on-time performance and turnaround times.
• Develop and mentor production leaders and employees.
• Foster a culture of accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate effectively across Operations, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and Customer Service teams.

We offer:
• A collaborative, hands-on culture where ideas take flight and your voice matters.
• Competitive pay and benefits and room to grow.
• A supportive crew of aviation pros who are passionate about what they do.