Aerospace
Certified hands, signed off right.
Maintenance technicians, avionics, structures assembly, inspection, engineering and test for MROs, OEMs and their suppliers. Certification, platform and eligibility checked before you see a name.
- 6 functions
- from the hangar floor and the assembly jig through inspection, engineering and test
- Eligibility first
- export control and clearance requirements confirmed before skills are even discussed
- Platform specific
- airframe, engine and system experience matched to what you actually fly or build
Aerospace
In aerospace, who can do the work is decided before how well.
We staff maintenance, repair and overhaul shops, aircraft and engine manufacturers, and the suppliers behind them: airframe and powerplant technicians, avionics, structures and composites, non-destructive testing and quality inspection, design and stress engineering, and test.
Aerospace hiring has a gate most industries do not. Export control, citizenship and security clearance requirements decide who is eligible before anyone discusses ability, and getting that wrong costs weeks. We establish eligibility first, in writing.
The second filter is the platform. A technician current on one airframe or engine family is valuable on another, but not immediately, and an inspector's authority depends on the certification they hold. We match both to your work rather than to a job title.
Functions
What we actually recruit for.
Pick one and you get what they actually produce, the seniority we fill, and the tools and standards a screen has to cover.
Scheduled checks, unscheduled repairs, component changes and the logbook entry that returns an aircraft to service.
- Seniority we fill
- Mechanic through to lead technician and crew chief
- Tools
- AMM and IPCTorque and rigging toolingMaintenance tracking systemsBorescope
- Standards
- FAA A&P certificate14 CFR Part 14514 CFR Part 43
Scheduled checks, unscheduled repairs, component changes and the logbook entry that returns an aircraft to service.
- Seniority we fill
- Mechanic through to lead technician and crew chief
- Tools
- AMM and IPCTorque and rigging toolingMaintenance tracking systemsBorescope
- Standards
- FAA A&P certificate14 CFR Part 14514 CFR Part 43
The vocabulary
What we recruit against.
Eligibility, certification and platform. Those three questions decide almost every aerospace shortlist we build.
Eligibility
- ITAR
- EAR
- US person status
- Secret clearance
- Top Secret clearance
Certifications
- FAA A&P
- FAA repairman
- NAS 410 Level 2 and 3
- FCC GROL
- EASA Part 66
Engineering tools
- CATIA
- Siemens NX
- NASTRAN
- Teamcenter
- LabVIEW
- MATLAB
Standards
- AS9100D
- AS9102
- NADCAP
- 14 CFR Part 145
- 14 CFR Part 25
- DO-178C
Eligible, certified, current on the platform. Three questions that decide an aerospace shortlist before experience is even discussed.
Screening
How we screen for aerospace.
Aerospace screening starts with questions a hiring manager is not always allowed to ask in an interview, and a recruiter has to ask properly. Eligibility comes before skill.
- 01
Eligibility established
Export control status, citizenship where the programme requires it, and any existing clearance. Confirmed in writing first, because nothing else matters if this fails.
- 02
Certificates verified
A&P certificates checked against the FAA registry, NDT levels and methods confirmed against the employer's written practice, not taken from the resume.
- 03
Platform and depth established
Which airframe, engine or system, which checks or assemblies, and whether they performed the work, inspected it or signed for it.
- 04
Shift and tooling confirmed
Night and weekend shifts, AOG call outs, and whether the candidate brings their own tooling, confirmed before anyone is put forward.
- 05
A reference from a lead or inspector
Somebody who checked their work and would sign behind it, not a general supervisor.
Straight answer
Where the market is actually tight.
What our recruiters see running these searches. Experience rather than a guarantee.
| Role | What the market looks like | Realistic shortlist |
|---|---|---|
| Structures assemblers | Available near established aerospace clusters, competing with every OEM nearby. | Two to three weeks |
| A&P technicians | Tight nationally, and tighter for specific airframes and heavy check experience. | Three to five weeks |
| Avionics technicians | Tight. Troubleshooting depth is rarer than the certificate. | Three to five weeks |
| NDT inspectors, Level 2 | Very tight, and method specific. Level 3 is scarcer still. | Four to six weeks |
| Stress and design engineers | Competitive, and narrowed sharply by clearance requirements. | Four to six weeks |
| Cleared engineers and technicians | The hardest aerospace hire we run. An active clearance is worth weeks. | Six weeks and up |
If a programme requires a clearance the candidate does not yet hold, the timeline is set by the clearance process rather than by recruitment. Say so early and we will plan the search around it.
Shapes
Three shapes this usually takes.
Aerospace demand is driven by build rates, maintenance seasons and programme milestones.
Rate increase and line support
Assemblers, inspectors and leads against a production rate.
- When it fits
- A rate increase, a new line, recovery from a backlog.
- The arrangement
- Contract or contract-to-hire, with the people you want to keep converting.
Heavy check and MRO surge
A&P and avionics technicians for a maintenance season or an induction schedule.
- When it fits
- Heavy checks, modification programmes, a fleet induction.
- The arrangement
- Contract for the season, with tooling, shift and travel agreed up front.
Programme engineering
Design, stress and test engineers for a programme phase or a certification milestone.
- When it fits
- New development, a certification campaign, a repair substantiation backlog.
- The arrangement
- Contract or contract-to-hire, with eligibility confirmed before submission.
Before you call
What to have ready before you call.
Five specifics here are worth more than a full job description.
- Export control and clearance requirements for the programme
- The airframe, engine or system the person will work on
- Certificates required, and NDT methods and levels if relevant
- Whether the role performs, inspects or signs off the work
- The shift pattern, AOG expectations and tooling arrangements
- The rate or salary band, and any travel or relocation support
Open roles
A sample of aerospace roles we fill.
Questions
Before you call.
Yes, and we confirm the level and status before submission. Cleared candidates are the scarcest in this industry, so tell us early whether an active clearance is required or whether the candidate can be sponsored.
Raising the rate, or inducting a fleet?
Tell us the platform, the certifications and the eligibility requirement. The more specific the brief, the shorter the search.