Aircraft Maintenance Project Manager

Join Our Team at Keewatin Air - Your Career, our Commitment, Let's Make a Difference!

With over 50 years of distinguished service and 120,000 flight hours, Keewatin Air stands as the premier choice for air medical transport in the Canadian Arctic. Our advanced fleet, equipped with cutting-edge medical technology, delivers critical care in the most remote and challenging environments, profoundly impacting the communities we serve.

From isolated locations to hospital transfers, our highly trained teams meticulously manage every aspect of the transport process, showcasing our unwavering commitment to excellence.

We are more than a transport service, we are a lifeline for the Arctic, dedicated to compassion and excellence in every mission.

Locations: Cambridge Bay, Churchill, Iqaluit, Igloolik, Ottawa, Rankin Inlet, Thompson, Winnipeg, and Yellowknife

Job Summary

The Aircraft Maintenance Project Manager supports upcoming fleet expansion projects, including aircraft acquisition, onboarding, modification, certification, and entry into service.

This is a term position commencing ASAP with the potential to transition into a full-time role based on organizational requirements and future fleet initiatives.

The successful candidate will have a strong aircraft maintenance background combined with demonstrated project management experience. They will be responsible for coordinating aircraft projects from initial technical assessment and acquisition through modification, regulatory approval, operational readiness, and final entry into service.

This position will work closely with Maintenance, Flight Operations, Quality Assurance, Finance, external maintenance organizations, aircraft vendors, equipment suppliers, and regulatory stakeholders.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Minimum seven (7) years of relevant aviation experience, with significant exposure to aircraft maintenance, technical operations, aircraft modifications, fleet onboarding, or related project activities.
• Demonstrated experience managing or coordinating aircraft onboarding, induction, modification, or entry-into-service projects.
• Strong working knowledge of aircraft maintenance programs, technical records, regulatory compliance, and continuing airworthiness requirements.
• Experience coordinating projects involving AMOs, OEMs, engineering organizations, suppliers, and other aviation service providers.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple workstreams, schedules, budgets, vendors, and project priorities concurrently.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare concise executive-level project reporting.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to technical and regulatory detail.
• 50% Travel is required to support aircraft inspections, maintenance facilities, modification programs, and aircraft delivery activities.
• Strong computer and technology skills; specific project management software experience is an asset.
• Transport Canada Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) license an asset.
• Demonstrated experience working within a Canadian commercial aviation environment including experience with aircraft acquisition, pre-purchase inspections, imports/exports, conformity inspections, and aircraft lease or purchase transitions.
• Demonstrated experience with Transport Canada regulatory requirements applicable to aircraft maintenance, modifications, certification, and commercial operations.
• Experience managing major inspections, refurbishment programs, avionics upgrades, cabin modifications, or aircraft reconfiguration projects.
• Formal project management training or PMP designation. Note: Significant, multi-year, proven and verified work experience managing large projects will be considered in lieu of formal training /designation.
• Experience with Pilatus PC-12 and/or PC-24 aircraft is an asset,
• Experience reviewing aircraft technical records, maintenance status reports, life-limited components, inspection status, and modification/STC documentation.
• Experience with special-mission, air ambulance, medevac, or other highly modified aircraft is an asset.

Responsibilities and Accountabilities

• Leads and coordinates aircraft onboarding and entry-into-service projects from acquisition through operational deployment.
• Develops and maintains detailed project plans, schedules, milestones, budgets, risk registers, and completion tracking.
• Coordinates aircraft pre-purchase and technical evaluations, including maintenance status, aircraft records, component status, modifications, and configuration requirements.
• Manages aircraft modification and refurbishment projects, including mission equipment, avionics, communications, cabin configuration, medical interiors, and other operational requirements.
• Ensures aircraft configuration, maintenance documentation, technical records, and required modifications comply with applicable regulatory and company requirements.
• Supports regulatory compliance activities associated with aircraft importation, registration, modification, certification, and entry into service.
• Reviews maintenance forecasts and identifies upcoming major inspections, component limitations, life-limited items, overhaul requirements, and other significant maintenance events that may affect aircraft acquisition or deployment.
• Tracks project costs, commitments, purchase requirements, change orders, and budget variances.
• Identifies project risks, schedule conflicts, technical issues, and cost exposures and develops appropriate mitigation plans.
• Coordinates aircraft downtime and modification schedules to minimize operational disruption.
• Ensures required aircraft records, manuals, certifications, approvals, and supporting documentation are complete before aircrafts are released into service.
• Provides regular project status reporting and briefings to senior management, highlighting schedule, budget, technical risks, regulatory items, decisions required, and outstanding actions.
• Supports additional/ongoing fleet renewal, aircraft acquisition, maintenance, and operational improvement initiatives as required.

Working Conditions

• This position combines office-based responsibilities with regular travel to support operations and business initiatives. Standard office hours are Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with occasional after-hours support and schedule flexibility required to accommodate travel and operational demands.

• Tools & Equipment: Daily use of desktop or laptop computers, Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) for audit reports, data analysis, and presentations
• Physical Demands: May involve prolonged periods of sitting, computer use, and occasional standing or walking.

• Collaboration: Regular interaction with flight operations teams, and regulatory bodies. Strong communication and interpersonal skills are vital.
• May Work in Hangars and Repair Stations including Airport Ramp that may require working directly on the tarmac, which can be exposed to various weather conditions.

Do you want to build a career in aviation with a leader in the air ambulance industry? Are you ready to commit to your professional success and join an equally committed organization? Are you seeking competitive compensation and benefits?

Benefits

KAL offers employees a competitive salary along with a comprehensive benefits package, which includes:

• Company Events

• Critical Illness Insurance Coverage

• Employee Educational Assistance

• Employee Share Purchase Plan (ESPP)

• Discount Travel, car rental, retail, and gym membership

• Group Insurance (Dental Care, Extended Health Care, Life Insurance, Short Term Disability, Long Term Disability, and Vision Coverage)
• RRSP match
• Retention Bonus
• Wage Increase (Annual)

At Keewatin Air, we actively encourage and support employee career development by providing internal training programs that assist employees in growing professionally within the organization. Also, we support employees who wish to pursue educational opportunities outside of the company at established educational institutions.

Mission

We will distinguish ourselves by being the leaders in safe, high quality aeromedical service and air transport, through a total commitment of improving service, listening to our customer needs, and an uncompromising integrity in everything we do

Values

• Leadership— We will lead the aeromedical field by consistently providing excellence in patient care and education.
• Safety— We will separate ourselves in the air transportation field through our uncompromising commitment to Safety.
• Adaptability— We are able to exceed our customer's expectations by providing exceptional, reliable services in the remote and challenging environments in which we operate.
• Growth— We encourage the development and continuous improvement of our operations through innovation and forward-thinking.
• Communication— We maximize our operations through clear, effective, and efficient communication with our stakeholders.
• Teamwork— We invest in the growth and development of each employee through mentorship, encouragement, and training.
• Respect - We foster an atmosphere and culture of respect, honesty, and fairness for all members of our team.

Keewatin Air LP values and support employment equity and workplace diversity and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. We thank all applicants but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.