How to hire an aircraft maintenance supervisor

Aircraft maintenance supervisor hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring aircraft maintenance supervisors in the United States:

In the United States, the median cost per hire an aircraft maintenance supervisor is $1,633.
It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new aircraft maintenance supervisor to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire an aircraft maintenance supervisor, step by step

To hire an aircraft maintenance supervisor, you should create an ideal candidate profile, determine a budget, and post and promote your job. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a aircraft maintenance supervisor:

Here's a step-by-step aircraft maintenance supervisor hiring guide:

Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
Step 3: Make a budget
Step 4: Write an aircraft maintenance supervisor job description
Step 5: Post your job
Step 6: Interview candidates
Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new aircraft maintenance supervisor
Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an aircraft maintenance supervisor do?

An aircraft maintenance supervisor heads a team of mechanics and technicians that maintains aircraft. They ensure that all protocols mandated by aviation regulations and policies are followed. They are responsible for ensuring that maintenance personnel work efficiently, adhere to safety guidelines, and maintain all assigned aircraft. An aircraft maintenance supervisor must have experience in aviation as well as having good communication skills and organizational skills.

Learn more about the specifics of what an aircraft maintenance supervisor does

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Identify your hiring needs

The aircraft maintenance supervisor hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

Determine employee vs contractor status

Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an aircraft maintenance supervisor to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an aircraft maintenance supervisor that fits the bill.

This list presents aircraft maintenance supervisor salaries for various positions.

Type of Aircraft Maintenance Supervisor	Description	Hourly rate
Aircraft Maintenance Supervisor		$28-46
Section Chief	A section chief's job varies with the type of organization. In most cases, a section chief is the head of a given section in an organization that is tasked with performing certain duties... Show more	$17-78
Lead Mechanic	A lead mechanic coordinates the teams of mechanics and ensures the timely completion of repairs. Lead mechanics supervise their subordinates, order mechanical parts, and inspect their work making sure that the standards are met... Show more	$19-35

Create an ideal candidate profile
Common skills:
- Maintenance Tasks
- OSHA
- Airframe
- Hazardous Materials
- Maintenance Functions
- Landing Gear
- Unscheduled Maintenance
- Test Equipment
- Aircraft Systems
- Maintenance Manuals
- Technical Guidance
- Technical Publications
- FAA
- Technical Orders
Check all skills
Responsibilities:
- Coordinate and manage required logistics support, and direct, document, and monitor aircraft cannibalization.
- Perform data entries and maintain aircraft and engine component logbooks IAW FAA regulations and USAF technical orders and instructions.
- Perform routine maintenance and inspections on HVAC systems.
- Operate and maintain ground handling equipment used for moving and hoisting aircrafts.
- Perform airfield crash and rescue firefighting tasks involving rotary and fix wing aircraft.
- Interpret schematics and diagrams, technical publications, and fault isolation trees to perform maintenance, troubleshoot and repair malfunctioning systems.
More aircraft maintenance supervisor duties

Make a budget

Including a salary range in the aircraft maintenance supervisor job description is a good way to get more applicants. An aircraft maintenance supervisor salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

For example, the average salary for an aircraft maintenance supervisor in South Dakota may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level aircraft maintenance supervisor. Additionally, an aircraft maintenance supervisor with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

Average aircraft maintenance supervisor salary

$77,005yearly

$37.02 hourly rate

Entry-level aircraft maintenance supervisor salary

$60,000 yearly salary

Updated December 5, 2025

Average aircraft maintenance supervisor salary by state

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	California	$99,096	$48
2	District of Columbia	$93,617	$45
3	Texas	$90,162	$43
4	New Jersey	$88,759	$43
5	Colorado	$86,278	$41
6	Hawaii	$82,060	$39
7	New York	$81,480	$39
8	Mississippi	$75,898	$36
9	Georgia	$72,916	$35
10	North Carolina	$70,609	$34
11	Connecticut	$65,598	$32
12	Ohio	$65,105	$31
13	Arizona	$62,474	$30
14	Florida	$60,404	$29

Average aircraft maintenance supervisor salary by company

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
1	Airborne Maintenance & Engineering Services	$76,061	$36.57	13
2	United	$75,890	$36.49	2
3	Immaculate Flight	$74,251	$35.70	3
4	JetStream Ground Services	$74,240	$35.69
5	Air National Guard	$74,188	$35.67
6	Meyer Tool	$74,148	$35.65
7	Flightstar Aircraft Services, LLC	$73,830	$35.50	2
8	Commercial Jet	$73,570	$35.37	11
9	General Electric	$71,294	$34.28	6
10	LAUNCH Technical Workforce Solutions	$70,837	$34.06
11	L3Harris	$68,815	$33.08	3
12	American Airlines	$68,448	$32.91	5
13	Lockheed Martin	$67,766	$32.58	76
14	Frontier Airlines	$67,661	$32.53	3
15	Vencore	$64,247	$30.89
16	Amerijet International	$64,173	$30.85	2
17	Sierra Nevada	$63,861	$30.70	11

Writing an aircraft maintenance supervisor job description
An aircraft maintenance supervisor job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an aircraft maintenance supervisor job description:
Aircraft maintenance supervisor job description example
Minimum 2 years of experience in the maintenance of high turbo prop aircraft
Minimum 5-10 years of aviation maintenance experience required
Supervisory experience with proven leadership success required
Must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. for any employer without sponsorship
Must be able to pass a Drug and Alcohol Screen, FBI fingerprint screening, 10-year criminal background check education and experience
High School Diploma/Equivalent
Working knowledge of MS Office applications

Silver Airways also offers excellent benefits including travel benefits with our airline and more

* Silver Airways is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer committed to treating all team members in a fair and equitable manner in all aspects of employment, including, but not limited to: recruitment, selection, hiring, assignment, re-assignment, promotion, transfer, compensation, discipline and performance management, and termination. Silver Airways prohibits discrimination, harassment, and retaliation that is based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, ancestry or genetic information, veteran status, pregnancy or childbirth-related medical conditions, age, disability or handicap, citizenship status, or any other category or characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. The expectation to treat all team members in manner that is inclusive and free of discrimination is universal. It applies to our leaders, managers, supervisors, team members, vendors, consultants and contractors. EOE/VETERANS/DISABLED

Post your job

To find aircraft maintenance supervisors for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any aircraft maintenance supervisors they would recommend.
Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level aircraft maintenance supervisors with the right educational background.
Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

Post your job online:

Post your aircraft maintenance supervisor job on Zippia to find and recruit aircraft maintenance supervisor candidates who meet your exact specifications.
Use field-specific websites.
Post a job on free websites.

Interview candidates

To successfully recruit aircraft maintenance supervisors, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

Send a job offer and onboard your new aircraft maintenance supervisor

Once you've found the aircraft maintenance supervisor candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new aircraft maintenance supervisor. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

Go through the hiring process checklist

Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
Define job responsibilities and requirements
Establish budget and timeline
Determine hiring decision makers for the role
Write job description
Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
Promote the job internally
Process applications through applicant tracking system
Review resumes and cover letters
Shortlist candidates for screening
Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
Conduct background checks on top candidates
Check references of top candidates
Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
Extend offer to top candidate(s)
Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

How much does it cost to hire an aircraft maintenance supervisor?

Recruiting aircraft maintenance supervisors involves both the one-time costs of hiring and the ongoing costs of adding a new employee to your team. Your spending during the hiring process will mostly be on things like promoting the job on job boards, reviewing and interviewing candidates, and onboarding the new hire. Ongoing costs will obviously involve the employee's salary, but also may include things like benefits.

You can expect to pay around $77,005 per year for an aircraft maintenance supervisor, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for aircraft maintenance supervisors in the US typically range between $28 and $46 an hour.

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Hiring aircraft maintenance supervisors FAQs

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How to hire an Aircraft Maintenance Supervisor

Updated December 5, 2025

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How to hire an aircraft maintenance supervisor