Director of Program Aviation Operations

Responsibilities

• Direct global DOS INL/A aviation operations across fixed-wing, rotary-wing, ISR, and mission-support platforms, sustaining mission execution rates across deployed operating locations.
• Lead daily flight operations, crew scheduling, mission planning, dispatch, risk assessment, and operational coordination to ensure safe, on-time, and fully compliant mission launch and recovery.
• Provides general management and leadership to operational functions.
• Provides guidance and oversight to operations and mission requirements both CONUS and OCONUS.
• Facilitate all operational requirements supporting mission.
• Maintain liaison with INL/A, associate contract leads, and other stakeholders as required to affect all plans, coordination, briefings, de-confliction, and execution of INL/A directed activity.
• Serve as subject matter experts regarding policy and operational practices.
• Cook up with government leadership, maintenance, logistics, security, host-nation partners, and contractor teams to align aircraft, crews, and resources with 100% approved mission priorities.
• Monitor mission status, aircraft availability, weather, airspace, crew duty limits, and threat conditions to reduce delays, mitigate risk, and maintain continuous operational readiness.
• Oversee contractor performance against KPIs for mission completion, safety, staffing, response time, and schedule adherence, driving measurable improvements in accountability and operational effectiveness.
• Report daily operational readiness, mission execution metrics, risk items, and resource constraints to senior government stakeholders, enabling timely decisions and improved mission outcomes.
• Improve aviation operations processes by analyzing mission trends, bottlenecks, and after-action findings to increase sortie completion, reduce operational downtime, and enhance program efficiency.
• Tracks performance measures and goals to ensure variances in established procedures are clearly identified and corrective actions defined to ensure the services provided to the customer are of the highest standards and continually enhance the overall mission of the Department of State Air Wing at CONUS and OCONUS locations.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years’ experience (15 years w/out bachelor’s degree) in management and operation of a mixed rotary and fixed-wing aircraft fleet.
• 2,000 hours total flight time and a demonstrated working knowledge of aviation operations (i.e., aerial applications) and knowledge of assigned countries and respective operational environments (i.e., Central / South America, Middle East, MEA, and Caribbean countries).
• Should have experience in at least 1 aviation project of similar scope and at least 15 years overall aviation work experience due to the role as direct interface between INL/A and associate contracts in day-to-day aviation missions.
• FAA Commercial and Instrument Airman’s Certificate Airplane SEL.
• Branch 15 Aviation MOS series or another Commercial / military equivalent.
• BA/BS degree or equivalent experience as listed.