Corporate Aviation Director

Mente Group is excited to announce the launch of a brand-new Flight Department, based in the Southern Bay Area, CA, and operating a large-cabin Gulfstream (G700). The department will be part of Mente’s flight department management model and will report to the Corporate Aviation Director. The Corporate Aviation Director will be employed directly by our client.

We're seeking an experienced Corporate Aviation Director to lead this department from the ground up — serving as a liaison between Mente Group and the client, providing the client with strategic aviation guidance and counsel, building the team, setting the standard, and overseeing every aspect of a world-class private flight operation.

THE ROLE:

The Corporate Aviation Director owns the company's aviation program end-to-end — aircraft fleet management, fractional aviation usage, flight scheduling, maintenance planning, vendor oversight, performance reporting, and financial management — ensuring operations stay safe, reliable, cost-effective, and aligned with executive travel needs and business priorities.

Core responsibilities:

• Act as the client’s on-site representative, translating the client's travel needs and business priorities into an operating plan the flight department runs on.
• Own the client's aircraft fleet strategy, including utilization, readiness, lifecycle planning, aircraft basing, and periodic assessments of replacement needs and cost-effectiveness.
• Manage fractional aviation hours, including forecasting, usage tracking, scheduling coordination, and cost oversight.
• Coordinate asset utilization between multiple operating platforms.
• Develop and maintain vendor routines, including service reviews, performance discussions, issue resolution, and accountability to agreed service levels.
• Ensure pilots, maintenance staff, and cabin crew are current on required licensing and recurrent training.
• Partner with the client's corporate security function to align ground transportation, itinerary handling, and related travel-security protocols with flight department operations.
• Establish, monitor, and report on key performance indicators — safety, reliability, utilization, cost, service quality, and vendor performance — and prepare aviation reporting and executive updates summarizing performance, trends, risks, and recommended actions.
• Own the aviation program's day-to-day financial administration — approving invoices, tracking operating costs, keeping budgets and forecasts current and collecting and maintaining documentation to support tax and regulatory reporting.
• Cultivate relationships with the client's leadership team, aircraft operators, and industry contacts that keep the program running smoothly.
• Coordinate seamlessly with additional administrative, financial, and security leads to ensure maximum safety and efficiency for client’s travelers.

QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS:

• Bachelor's degree, ideally in aviation, business, or a related discipline — or comparable hands-on experience in lieu of a degree.
• Significant aviation leadership experience — 7+ years managing various aspects of a flight department and 5+ years of general aviation experience.
• Working command of FAA Part 91 requirements and the safety practices that keep a flight department audit-ready.
• Solid grounding in aircraft fleet operations, maintenance planning, flight scheduling, and vendor management.
• Comfortable owning a multi-million-dollar aviation budget — building forecasts, negotiating vendor contracts, and reporting out on performance.
• Comfortable operating as a trusted advisor across many audiences, from company executives to outside vendors and aircraft operators.
• Track record of building and leading teams that consistently perform at a high level.
• Strong analytical, communication, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• A discreet, service-oriented approach suited to supporting a private client's travel needs at the highest level.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be accessible by phone or email 24/7 except when on scheduled time off.
• Must be willing to work nights, weekends, holidays as needed.
• Work hours can extend beyond normal office hours.
• Domestic and international travel may be required.
• Ability to lift items weighing up to 40lbs from floor to shoulder level.
• Physical ability to perform all required job functions must not be hindered.
• Must be able to work alone with minimal supervision.