Aircraft Maintenance Lead

Gilead Sciences•Santa Clara, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Aircraft Maintenance Lead helps ensure the safe, compliant, and reliable operation of Gilead’s corporate aviation fleet. The role supports the planning and execution of aircraft maintenance programs and major maintenance events, partnering with flight operations, maintenance providers, and other stakeholders to keep aircraft airworthy and mission-ready. It combines technical expertise with project leadership across maintenance planning, vendor coordination, regulatory compliance, documentation, and operational decision-making that affects aircraft availability, safety, and reliability. The position is based onsite in Santa Clara, California. It also supports aircraft across the fleet according to operational and mission requirements, including maintenance projects and unscheduled or aircraft-on-ground events. The role includes people-leader responsibilities related to creating inclusion, developing talent, and empowering teams.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and five years of experience, or a master’s degree and three years of experience.
Ability to work evenings, nights, weekends, and other nontraditional schedules as needed for a 24-hour operation.
Ability to provide operational support outside normal business hours.
Willingness to travel domestically and internationally up to 20% of the time.
Ability to lift up to 51 pounds.
Strong team orientation and willingness to support responsibilities across the aircraft fleet.

Nice To Haves

FAA Airframe and Powerplant certificate.
At least five years of corporate or business aviation maintenance experience.
Hands-on maintenance experience with Gulfstream aircraft, including the G500, G600, G650, G700, or G800.
Experience planning and coordinating aircraft maintenance projects, managing vendors, and maintaining regulatory compliance.
Working knowledge of FAA maintenance regulations, manufacturer service programs, technical publications, maintenance tracking systems, and aircraft-record requirements.
Continuing education in aviation maintenance through an accredited school or manufacturer training program.
Manufacturer-approved maintenance training on applicable Gulfstream aircraft.
FAA Inspection Authorization.
Experience managing major inspections, aircraft modifications, refurbishment projects, and maintenance events at external maintenance facilities.
Experience with budgeting, proposal review, contract scope management, invoice validation, warranty recovery, and vendor performance management.
Ability to organize complex maintenance projects, evaluate competing priorities, manage risk, and make sound operational decisions.
Effective written and verbal communication skills and ability to collaborate with flight crews, Flight Operations, vendors, senior leadership, and executive management.

Responsibilities

Plan, coordinate, and oversee scheduled and unscheduled maintenance activities across Gilead’s aircraft fleet.
Implement and maintain internal maintenance procedures in accordance with FAA regulations, manufacturer requirements, the approved maintenance program, and company requirements.
Schedule periodic inspections, overhauls, repairs, modifications, and other maintenance events.
Track inspections, service schedules, life-limited components, Airworthiness Directives, service bulletins, and other compliance requirements.
Maintain complete, accurate, and audit-ready aircraft maintenance records and supporting documentation.
Support the hiring and training of maintenance personnel in collaboration with the Director of Maintenance.
Develop maintenance project plans covering scope, milestones, resources, dependencies, acceptance criteria, aircraft availability, and return-to-service objectives.
Coordinate aircraft availability with the Director of Maintenance, Flight Operations, and other stakeholders to minimize operational disruption.
Track project status, risks, open items, schedule changes, and decisions through aircraft redelivery and project closeout.
Lead post-event reviews and document lessons learned to improve future maintenance projects.
Coordinate with manufacturers, maintenance, repair and overhaul providers, repair stations, parts suppliers, engineering resources, and other vendors.
Prepare specifications and bid requests for external repairs, inspections, maintenance, and modifications.
Manage customer-supplied parts, vendor deliverables, change requests, discrepancies, and maintenance-event scope changes.
Oversee external maintenance activities to verify progress, quality, documentation, cost, and regulatory compliance.
Evaluate vendor performance with the Director of Maintenance and support continued use of qualified maintenance providers.
Monitor compliance with applicable FAA regulations, Airworthiness Directives, mandatory service information, manufacturer service programs, and company requirements.
Verify that maintenance records, logbook entries, return-to-service documentation, and project closeout packages are complete and accurate.
Monitor regulatory and manufacturer changes affecting assigned aircraft and initiate required actions.
Participate in the Safety Management System and apply risk-management principles to maintenance decisions and project execution.
Support annual aircraft maintenance budgeting, project forecasting, invoice review, warranty recovery, and cost monitoring.
Monitor aircraft reliability, recurring discrepancies, downtime, maintenance performance, and dispatch availability.
Identify technical and process trends and implement corrective, preventive, and continuous-improvement actions.
Assess maintenance risks and make timely decisions within delegated authority regarding work priorities, vendor support, scheduling, and aircraft availability.
Communicate maintenance status, risks, anticipated downtime, and recovery plans to the Director of Maintenance, flight crews, scheduling personnel, and other stakeholders.
Support aircraft-on-ground and unscheduled maintenance events through troubleshooting coordination, parts sourcing, vendor mobilization, and recovery planning.
Maintain confidentiality of company, passenger, trip, aircraft, and maintenance information.
Coordinate inventories of aircraft spares, tooling, and ground-support equipment.
Oversee maintenance and upkeep of the aviation hangar, maintenance areas, and supporting office facilities.
Support security and environmental activities, including chemical documentation, Safety Data Sheets, fire drills, and safety training.
Coordinate the safe storage, handling, and disposal of maintenance materials.
Collaborate across the Flight Department and support any fleet aircraft based on operational and mission requirements.
Create inclusion by modeling inclusive team management and embedding the value of diversity.
Develop talent by understanding employees’ skills, experience, aspirations, and potential, and coaching them on performance and development.
Empower teams by aligning goals with organizational objectives, holding teams accountable, removing barriers, and connecting them to the broader organization.