Director Engineering Programs

Alaska Airlines • WA-SeaTac, WA

1d

About The Position

The Director Engineering Programs sets the long-term strategy and oversees the execution of Engineering Programs at Alaska Airlines. As a people leader, this role establishes strategic goals and direction for a team of Engineers and Technical Experts, ensuring the safety, compliance and reliability of the AS Fleet, overseeing Engineering Maintenance Programs, Reliability Engineering, Fleet Managers and Engineering Technical Publications.

Requirements

• 8 years of experience in engineering (e.g., airline, shop, manufacturer, etc.).
• 5 years of leadership experience, with at least 2 of those years directly leading people.
• Bachelor’s degree, with a focus in aerospace, aeronautical or mechanical engineering, or a related discipline, or an additional two years of relevant training/experience in lieu of this degree.
• Knowledge of FAA regulations and oversight functions (for both aircraft and engine operating airworthiness certificates).
• Excellent communication skills: verbal (both informal working teams and formal executive presentations), and in clear/concise written documents).
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to create collaborative relationships that drive outcomes in the best interest of the company with others in the organization and key external business partners.
• High school diploma or equivalent is required.
• Minimum age of 18.
• Must be authorized to work in the U.S.

Nice To Haves

• Expert proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, and Outlook).

Responsibilities

• Establish strategic goals and direction for a team of Engineers and Technical Experts, providing leadership, overall administration, and general direction to the engineering programs department.
• Set long-term strategy and directs operational excellence, overseeing improvements to the reliability program.
• Trends reliability for the fleet type and provides direction to the fleet team on areas for focus and improvement.
• Directs Alaska Airlines’ engineering maintenance program.
• Directs Maintenance & Engineering (M&E) technical publications and oversees OEM Boeing/ Airbus technical information integration and strategy.
• Ensures engineering support is provided in the form of adequate maintenance procedures, required modification and repair instructions, and assistance in the correction of chronic and systemic problems.
• Ensures all related aircraft maintenance program instructions, work documents, and control procedures are developed and administered in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, Alaska policy, and industry best practices.
• Sponsors and recommends new preventive maintenance procedures and reliability improvement changes in the interest of safety and cost reduction.
• Serves as an advisory member on the Reliability Analysis Program (RAP) control board.
• Serves as board member on Alaska’s Maintenance Review Board (MRB).
• Assists in M&E system assessments by serving as an advisor when attending the following meetings: Data Analysis Group (DAG), Continuous Analysis and Surveillance Working Group (CASWG), Safety Review Board (SRB) and Continuous Analysis & Surveillance (CAS).
• Stays abreast of existing and proposed Alaska and FAA regulations and forwards recommendations in response to proposed regulation changes.
• Assists in the development of new or revised divisional policies and programs as required for attainment of M&E objectives.
• Supports Safety Management Systems (SMS) within the M&E organization using the SMS policies and procedures as outlined in the SMS Manual of the General Procedures Manual (GPM).
• Defined the multi-year fleet reliability roadmap and integrated OEM analytics into core maintenance programs while leading the IAHM and D302 regulatory initiatives—including gap analysis, safety-case development, procedures/training, and proving/validation aligned with FAA Order 8900.1 and AC 43-218.
• Assess predictive maintenance industry solutions with clear business cases and a tooling‑agnostic efficacy framework and partner with ITS/Supply Chain on integrations and commercial outcomes.
• Convert alerts to actionable tasking (cards/ECs/TRAX), run a 24/7 alert‑to‑action process with Maintenance Control/Line/Heavy/AOG, and institutionalize oversight in CASS/MRB and Technical Publications/SMS.

Benefits

• Free stand-by travel privileges on Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines & Horizon Air with high priority status
• Select number of confirmed travel credits provided annually
• Comprehensive well-being programs including medical, dental and vision benefits
• Generous 401k match program
• Quarterly and annual bonus plans
• Generous holiday and paid time off

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director