How to hire a maintenance controller

How to hire a maintenance controller, step by step

Here's a step-by-step maintenance controller hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The maintenance controller 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?

   Yes

   No

   A maintenance controller's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, maintenance controllers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of maintenance controller salaries for various roles:

   Type of Maintenance Controller	Description	Hourly rate
   Maintenance Controller		$23-50
   Technical Supervisor	A technical supervisor is a leader who offers hands-on leadership for the staff members. Technical supervisors oversee employee performance in a certain department of the organization... Show more	$30-60
   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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Maintenance Control
   • FAA
   • General Maintenance
   • Unscheduled Maintenance
   • Maintenance Planning
   • Aircraft Systems
   • AOG
   • GMM
   • Flight Operations
   • Technical Support
   • Maintenance Events
   • Maintenance Operations
   • Technical Assistance
   • Aviation Maintenance

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Achieve superior safety, logistics reliability, and quality assurance record.
   • Coordinate and manage required logistics support, and direct, document, and monitor aircraft cannibalization.
   • Manage and coordinate extensive activities in support of intercontinental ballistic missile launch facility readiness and space flight operations.
   • Ensure warehouse are in compliance with OSHA state and federal laws.
   • Coordinate travel requirements in support of AOG recovery personnel.
   • Advise, troubleshot, and determine repair procedures using technical publications.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your maintenance controller job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A maintenance controller salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, maintenance controllers' average salary in kentucky is 43% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level maintenance controllers earn 55% less than senior-level maintenance controllers.
   • Certifications. A maintenance controller with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a maintenance controller's salary.

   Average maintenance controller salary

   $72,133yearly

   $34.68 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level maintenance controller salary

   $48,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

4. Writing a maintenance controller job description

   A good maintenance controller job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a maintenance controller job description:

   Maintenance controller job description example

   **350+ pilots and with a similar number cabin attendants

   Duties & Responsibilities:

   • Approve aircraft for return to service

   • Take aircraft out of service

   • Assist with work orders

   • Review & complete log entries and paperwork

   • Communicate with crew members with issues that arise and coordinate a plan to either fix the issue or defer the issue

   • Act as the liaison between Operations & Maintenance, keeping each team informed of maintenance status and timelines

   • Maintain current and accurate aircraft maintenance status in FOS

   • Perform Records reviews and audits

   • Ensure all maintenance performed is in accordance with FAA and company manual requirements.

   • Communicate with all company departments the current status of all aircraft with regards to Airworthiness status of company aircraft

   • Coordinate all items required for return to service of AOG aircraft that are outside of company MX locations

   • Coordinate resolution for deferred discrepancies with company maintenance or contracted maintenance vendors

   • Ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations

   • Maintain a good client relationship with aircraft owners and aircraft maintenance clients

   • Recommend policies and procedures within the maintenance department and interdepartmental procedures

   • Assist DOM & QCM with updating and maintaining aircraft maintenance tracking databases

   Skills and Abilities:

   • Knowledgeable in all provisions of the GMM and those portions of the GOM relevant to maintenance

   • Knowledgeable in the details of the Operations Specifications that are relevant to maintenance

   • Knowledgeable in maintenance requirements pertaining to FAR Part 135 and other applicable regulations necessary for the proper performance of duties

   • Sufficient training in programs necessary to ensure compliance and the ability to supervise properly

   • Proficient in computer skills

   • Ability to prioritize and use time effectively and maintain a strict attention to detail Additional Duties and Responsibilities

   • Ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations

   • Assist with inspecting satellite or contract maintenance facilities as needed

   • Maintain a good client relationship with aircraft owners and aircraft maintenance clients

   • Recommend policies and procedures within maintenance department and interdepartmental procedures

   • Other duties as assigned by the DOM Knowledge,

   Skills and Abilities:

   • Familiar with all provisions of Mountain Aviation's General Maintenance Manual (GMM)

   • Knowledgeable in the details of the Operations Specifications that are relevant to maintenance

   • Experience with the inspection programs associated to the types of aircraft Mountain Aviation operates

   • Knowledgeable in maintenance requirements pertaining to FAR Part 135 and other applicable regulations necessary for the proper performance of duties

   • Sufficient traini

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find maintenance controllers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting maintenance controllers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   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.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new maintenance controller

   Once you've found the maintenance controller 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.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new maintenance controller first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. 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.)

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