Managing Director – Technical Operations Planning at United Airlines

Department: Aircraft Maintenance and Support

Compensation · Listed in posting

$201,400 – $262,250/yr

Location: Chicago, Illinois
Type: Full-time
Level: lead/mgmt
Posted: Sep 28, 2026

Description

United Airlines is hiring a Managing Director – Technical Operations Planning to lead the development and integration of maintenance plans and strategy across Technical Operations. The role owns line and base maintenance planning, long-term hangar and capacity strategy, engineering authorizations and fleet projects, maintenance network requirements, and continuous improvement across planning processes. Reporting to the VP – Tech Ops Planning & OSV, the Managing Director leads planning operations, talent development, and cross-functional alignment while maximizing aircraft availability and minimizing downtime. The position is Chicago-based, requires regular NOC presence and approximately 20% travel, and requires no visa sponsorship.

Required Skills

Maintenance planning
Network planning
MEL management
Aircraft routing
Capacity forecasting
Decision modeling
Change leadership

Additional Information

Minimum Education: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Aviation Management, Technology, Operations Management, Business, Supply Chain, Industrial Engineering, Economics, or a related field
Required Previous Experiences: 10+ years in aircraft maintenance planning, engineering, strategy, network or operational planning, or airline/MRO operations in a Part 121 environment
7+ years leading teams, including leaders of leaders, across multiple sites
Experience partnering with network or schedule planning functions and presenting tradeoffs to executives
Preferred Qualifications: Master’s degree or MBA
FAA Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) certificate and Lean Six Sigma or equivalent
Network planning, schedule design, Technical Operations planning, or aircraft routing at a major global airline with multiple fleet types and hubs
Exposure to NOC and Maintenance Control operations
Experience leading a multi-year maintenance, hangar, or capacity plan with measurable operational and financial results
Experience leading a transformation or major planning-tool deployment
Prior experience leading at the Managing Director or equivalent level, preferably at a large industrial corporation
Knowledge of United’s GMM and Maintenance Program
Experience with maintenance planning and scheduling systems, decision modeling, or optimization tools
Change leadership in a multi-site, represented workforce
Understanding of analytics and generative AI tools and the ability to validate their outputs before operational use
Translation Company Name: United Airlines