Airbus hiring in Mobile, Alabama, tops 300 with more being added

If a new job in Alabama’s expanding aerospace sector is among your new year’s resolutions, Airbus Americas’ U.S. Manufacturing Facility in Mobile is seeking qualified candidates.

The $600 million A320 family final assembly line, which began production officially with its September inauguration, will accept applications through Jan. 12 for the following positions:

Quality inspector – Final Assembly Line
Quality inspector – Flight Line
Quality conformance specialist
Aircraft mechanics – structure installation
Aircraft mechanics – aircraft cabin interior installation
Aircraft mechanics – aircraft electrical installation

Airbus Americas’ spokeswoman Kristi Tucker said the latest hiring wave will complement the more than 300 already hired as training shifts to Mobile after more than two years of dispatching trainees to the Toulouse, France-based planemaker’s facilities in France and Germany.

“The majority of all of our new hires went overseas to train for some period of time based on their job roles, ranging from three to nine months. Now, we have some expats working in Mobile to continue that training. Eventually those trained will become the trainers to any new hires,” Tucker said. “Our final trainees are returning and will all be on site‎, and we’re all looking forward to first flights and first deliveries.”

The first of the Mobile-assembled narrow-body planes is slated for delivery to Jet Blue in the second quarter of 2016, while American Airlines will accept delivery of the second A321 at a later date, she said.

Of the more than 300 hired to date, Tucker confirmed more than half hail from Mobile and Baldwin counties and barely 10 percent are from out of state. Meanwhile, 16 percent of the current Airbus workforce in Mobile is female, and U.S. military veterans account for 31 percent. 
   
For those interested in the latest hiring wave, the positions available represent a wide range of experience and skill level.

The hourly pay range for both quality inspector positions is $20-$23. The final assembly line inspector requires at least a high school diploma and five years of experience, preferably with an international aviation company. The flight line inspector should have at least seven years of experience with preference given to aircraft or quality test engineers. Click here for the complete job description and additional requirements.

The quality conformance specialist, meanwhile, should have at least five years of experience – preferably in aircraft manufacturing, lean manufacturing or quality inspection with an international aviation company – and a degree in aerospace/industrial engineering or business/quality management is preferred. Salary information was not immediately available, but the complete job description and additional requirements are available here.

Tucker confirmed “more than 10, fewer than 20” will be hired for the remaining installation positions in the latest wave with hiring ongoing in 2016.

All three aircraft mechanic categories require at least a high school diploma or GED and one or more years’ experience, preferably in the aircraft sector.

Structure mechanics are responsible for the structural installation of parts and major components in the manufacturing of the aircraft, while aircraft cabin interior mechanics are responsible for cabin furnishing installation on the aircraft with a focus on a specified area such as cabin equipment, floor covering, cockpit, cargo and doors. Electrical mechanics are responsible for the electrical installations, connections, bonding, measure and troubleshooting with a focus on basic aircraft installation, cabin installation, cockpit and cargo and ground testing.

Salary information for the mechanics’ positions was not immediately available, but the complete job descriptions and additional requirements are available here.

Airbus’ U.S. Manufacturing Facility at Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley joins global operations in Toulouse; Hamburg, Germany; and Tianjin, China, and is expected to employ about 1,000 people at peak production of 40 to 50 aircraft by 2018.

The Alabama Industrial Development Training program oversees all employment postings and pre-employment training for the A320 final assembly line in Mobile. For a complete list of available positions associated with the Mobile project as they become available, check the AIDT website regularly.

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