Lead Pilot & Flight Operations Manager | Citation CJ1+ | Part 91
About the role
CSI Recruiting is working with a privately-owned energy company to hire a Lead Pilot to fly a Citation CJ1+ and manage this company’s corporate aviation department from Fort Worth, Texas in a Part 91 environment. This position is the company’s lone pilot – there is no co-pilot or SIC. The role owns safety, dispatch reliability, aircraft readiness, FAA and company compliance, insurance compliance, maintenance coordination, scheduling and travel logistics, vendor relationships, budget and cost control, crew development, and passenger experience. The Lead Pilot is expected to make independent, safety-first decisions while maximizing aircraft availability and completing company travel reliably and cost-effectively, without allowing schedule, cost, or passenger pressure to compromise safety. This is a hands-on aviation leadership role for an experienced aviator, practical financial operator, and trusted adviser to company leadership. This role will also work with and transport the ownership group of family members.
Responsibilities
- Establishes and protects a safety-first culture, using independent judgment about weather, aircraft condition, crew readiness, airport suitability, and operational risk.
- Ensures each flight complies with FAA Part 91 regulations, company procedures, aircraft limitations, and accepted industry practices.
- Maintains current SOPs, checklists, risk-assessment tools, emergency-response plans, and safety documentation.
- Leads safety discussions and operational reviews.
- Incorporates appropriate Safety Management System principles.
- Reports safety concerns, significant maintenance issues, and operational risks directly to company leadership.
- Keeps the Citation CJ1+ flight-ready by coordinating inspections, scheduled maintenance, discrepancies, parts availability, vendor capacity, and maintenance timing (including software updates and renewals).
- Maintains all insurance compliance requirements for the airplane and communicates to senior management all insurance renewals, changes to policies and updates.
- Prepares contingency plans for weather, maintenance, crew availability, and other interruptions.
- Coordinates directly with executive leadership on company travel and arranges fuel, ground handling, customs and permits, catering, rental vehicles, ground transportation, and contract-crew support.
- Anticipates problems, develops backup plans, and communicates schedule changes, aircraft availability, risks, and disruptions promptly to passengers, crew, leadership, and service providers.
- Owns cost-conscious flight-department operations by evaluating fuel pricing and stops, handling and airport fees, repositioning, crew expenses, passenger transportation, and maintenance consequences.
- Tracks operating expenses and meaningful cost trends.
- Assists with the creation of the annual aviation operating budget.
- Reviews fuel, maintenance, training, subscription, FBO, hangar, contract-pilot, and trip-related costs.
- Analyzes potential parts replacements / upgrades for operational improvements and efficiencies and brings those suggestions to senior management.
Requirements
- Airline Transport Pilot Certificate
- FAA First Class Medical Certificate
- Citation CJ1+ series type rating
- At least 5,000 hours of total flight time
- At least 2,000 hours of Pilot in Command time
- At least 1,000 hours of turbine Pilot in Command time
- At least 1,000 hours of multi-engine flight time
- Significant Part 91 corporate aviation experience
- Strong understanding of FAA regulations, aircraft performance, and operational risk management
- Experience coordinating aircraft maintenance and working with maintenance providers
- Ability to pass required background and drug testing
- Ability to work a variable schedule while responding to changing travel needs
Qualifications
- Prior responsibility for leading a corporate flight department
- Experience managing maintenance events and reviewing maintenance work scopes
- Experience preparing and managing an aviation operating budget
- Track record of reducing operating costs without sacrificing safety or reliability
- Experience negotiating with maintenance providers, FBOs, fuel vendors, and training providers
- Work history includes background working directly with a CEO, ownership group, or senior executive team