Location: On-site, Heathrow 

Hours: Full Time, 37.5 hours per week. Shift pattern: 4 ON 4 OFF / 0700 – 1900 days.

Contract Type: Permanent 

Salary: Competitive

Closing Date: 5th July 2026 

We review applications on a rolling basis and may close the advert early if we receive a high volume of applications.

At Virgin Atlantic Airways, we believe that everyone can take on the world, and it's our vision to become the most loved travel company. As we embark on this next exciting stage of our journey, we’re harnessing our spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation to challenge the status quo.

In a nutshell

Keeping our fleet safe, compliant and ready to fly takes exceptional leadership behind the scenes. As Aircraft Maintenance Manager, you’ll be a key member of our Part-145 Production Management team, leading the safe and effective delivery of aircraft maintenance across our Line, Hangar or Operational Assurance functions.

In this operational leadership role, you’ll balance safety, compliance and operational performance, ensuring maintenance activities support the flying programme while protecting technical reliability and on-time performance. Working across Engineering, Operations and Planning teams, you’ll make informed decisions in a fast-paced environment, lead high-performing teams and drive continuous improvement across our maintenance operation.

Day to day

• Leading the safe, compliant and efficient delivery of aircraft maintenance, ensuring operational priorities, technical reliability and on-time performance are achieved 
• Managing operational resources, staffing and maintenance activity to maximise aircraft availability while maintaining plan stability and regulatory compliance 
• Monitoring aircraft status, maintenance progress and defect management, proactively identifying risks and coordinating effective recovery during operational disruption 
• Championing a strong safety culture by promoting Just Culture principles, ensuring compliance with Part-145 requirements and managing operational risk 
• Leading, coaching and developing engineering teams, supporting capability, engagement, performance and continuous improvement 
• Working collaboratively with Planning, Technical Operations, Airport Operations, Safety and external maintenance providers to deliver a safe and resilient operation 

About You

A confident and collaborative operational leader, the ideal candidate combines strong technical knowledge with sound judgement, inspiring teams to deliver safely, efficiently and consistently in a dynamic maintenance environment.

• A UK CAA Part-66 Aircraft Maintenance Licence or equivalent operational engineering leadership experience within a regulated aviation environment 
• Proven experience leading teams within a Part-145 aircraft maintenance environment, with a strong understanding of aviation safety, compliance and Human Factors 
• Strong operational decision-making skills, with the ability to prioritise effectively and remain calm under pressure in a time-critical environment 
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to collaborate across Engineering, Operations and external partners 
• Experience using engineering maintenance systems and operational reporting tools, alongside a proactive approach to continuous improvement and operational excellence 
• Ability to hold full HAL airside ID

If you're passionate about leading people, driving operational excellence and helping keep one of the world's youngest fleets flying safely and reliably, we'd love to hear from you.