Manager - Long-Term Reliability Strategy

Manager - Long-Term Reliability Strategy

Location Chicago, Illinois, United States This job is associated with 2 categories See allJob IdWHQ00026998Tech Ops / Maintenance - Management & AdministrativeJob TypeFull-TimePosted Date 10/21/2026

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Description

At United, we have some of the best aircraft in the world. Our Technical Operations team is full of aircraft maintenance technicians, engineers, planners, ground equipment and facilities professionals, and supply chain teams that help make sure they’re well taken care of and ready to get our customers to their desired destinations. If you’re ready to work on our planes, join our Tech Ops experts and help keep our fleet in tip-top shape.

Job Overview and Responsibilities

The Manager – Long-Term Reliability Strategy works as part of the Reliability and Maintenance Programs team and leads United’s technical response to age-related reliability risks across all fleets. The manager directs a team of engineers in developing prioritized, data-driven initiatives and guides those initiatives from technical research and business-case development through organizational alignment and implementation.

Serving as a strategic integrator across Engineering & Reliability, Finance, Supply Chain, Maintenance Planning, and operational teams, the role connects work owned by multiple groups into a cohesive long-term strategy. The manager translates complex technical and organizational efforts into clear executive narratives that support investment decisions, establish priorities, and communicate progress toward a sustainable fleet lifecycle strategy.

Develop and maintain an enterprise-wide aging-aircraft reliability strategy and portfolio across all fleets. Establish priorities, identify emerging technical and operational risks, define strategic objectives, and connect individual initiatives into a cohesive long-term roadmap that supports fleet reliability, aircraft availability, regulatory compliance, and cost-effective operations

Coordinate aging-aircraft efforts across Maintenance Programs, Fleet Engineering, Fleet Management, Reliability, Finance, Supply Chain, Maintenance Planning, and operational teams. Build alignment among groups with different priorities, clarify organizational dependencies, and ensure that maintenance program initiatives are coordinated with the broader work underway across Engineering & Reliability

Guide the development, prioritization, approval, and implementation of data-driven maintenance programs and engineering initiatives addressing age-related failure modes and reliability risks. Ensure recommendations include appropriate technical research, project justification, cost-benefit analysis, risk assessment, implementation planning, and coordination of regulatory approvals when required

Develop and deliver executive presentations, recurring aging-aircraft reviews, strategy documents, technical summaries, and business cases. Translate complex technical work into clear decision-oriented narratives that communicate priorities, organizational progress, financial and operational trade-offs, implementation needs, and the relationship between individual projects and the broader aging-aircraft strategy

Lead, develop, and provide technical direction to a team of engineers responsible for aging-aircraft reliability initiatives. Establish expectations, allocate resources, guide technical problem-solving and decision-making, review recommendations, remove barriers, provide constructive feedback, and ensure the team’s work is rigorous, actionable, and aligned with organizational priorities

Qualifications

What’s needed to succeed (Minimum Qualifications):

Bachelor's degree

Engineering or related technical field

Minimum 5 years' experience in a data-driven engineering or business role

Working knowledge of both Boeing and Airbus aircraft

Engineering skillsets that can be applied to a range of aircraft systems and maintenance programs use cases

Ability to analyze complex technical issues

Detailed project management skills for regulatory compliance responsibilities

Excellent verbal communication and technical writing

Must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship

Successful completion of interview required to meet job qualification

Reliable, punctual attendance is an essential function of the position

What will help you propel from the pack (Preferred Qualifications):

Airline experience, OEM experience or operations experience in a similar industry

Experience working with aircraft, engine, ground equipment or other asset fault data

Familiarity with MSG-3 philosophy and application in the development and evolution of a maintenance program

Knowledge of airline operations and maintenance execution

Experience developing and presenting business cases, including cost-benefit analyses, to support decision-making

Demonstrates an understanding of the capabilities and limitations of generative AI tools and effectively leverages them for research, analysis, content creations, and problem-solving

Applies critical thinking to validate AI-generated outputs while adhering to company policies related to responsible AI use, data privacy, and security

The base pay range for this role is $129,675.00 to $168,794.00.

The base salary range/hourly rate listed is dependent on job-related, factors such as experience, education, and skills. This position is also eligible for bonus and/or long-term incentive compensation awards.