Director of Repair Operations, Air-Cert
COMPANY: Air Cert / Pacific Air Industries (a holding of Permanent Equity)
POSITION: Director of Repair Operations, Air-Cert
LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA
HIRING MANAGER: Dave Lavallette, VP Air-Cert
DESCRIPTION
The Company
Since they were founded in 1959, Air-Cert & Pacific Air Industries have been working together to deliver creative part and repair solutions for their military, cargo and commercial customers Air-Cert is an FAA 145 Repair Shop with unlimited ratings for Class 1 and 2 airframe parts and limited ratings for landing gear. In other words, we repair airplane parts so that our top tier customers can get their planes back in the air. Our repairs are accepted by every major Carrier and OEM. Pacific Air is an ASA 100 distribution business focused on providing inventory off the shelf, with 300k+ parts positioned strategically near LAX. They are also approved far and wide. Together, they offer customers a vast array of solutions to find and repair parts to keep planes flying for our 1,000+ customers.
Permanent Equity is a very long-term investment firm that invested in 2019 with a focus on building upon our 60+ year legacy. With their support and encouragement, we have invested in our team and even grown our headcount during the COVID decline. We have also invested heavily into technology, equipment, and inventory. These investments have put us in a pole position coming into the COVID recovery, as seen in our recent business results. Now, we are looking to build upon this momentum, especially within the Air-Cert Operations.
The Opportunity
The Director of Repair Operations will be responsible for making sure all the trains run on time around the specific repairs to be done. They will help us build systems & processes to make sure we are efficiently & effectively procuring inventory, using high fast, high-quality vendors if/when we use outside processing, etc… In general, this role will make sure the Repair team can focus on the Repairs, and the Sales team can focus on customer relationships. Strategically, this role will guide our investments in equipment and technology, helping us make in-source vs. out-source decisions, and partnering with our GM to help build new capabilities. Given all those responsibilities, this individual will play a leadership role at our well established and fast-growing repair shop.
Air-Cert is a very strategic asset for the broader Air-Cert / Pacific Air family. We always look for ways to work together more closely to serve our customers. Generally, Pacific Air can support with procurement and inventory support. Air-Cert frequently provides repairs, part knowledge and creative solutions for hard-to-find parts. Building upon this partnership requires significant standardization in processes and communications, which will require the Director of Operations to play a leading role.
To support you in this broad role, you will have a team with 2 direct reports, significant expertise in our GM, a very experienced team of 6 Technicians and Warehouse, Finance, HR & IT support functions. Additionally, we are ready to invest heavily in revamping our ERP to support your System & Process objectives.
To be successful, you should be ready to build a vision, establish a path to it, communicate that path and dig in to build it block by block. You should find that you are always curious about how we can improve, and excited to win as a team.
An ideal candidate will have:
Demonstrated past success in other Aviation Repair Operations environments
Experience proactively improving processes across departments & functions
Ability to create a work environment focused on excellence, with a collegial atmosphere