Project Planning Jobs in Illinois (NOW HIRING)

Achieving our goals starts with supporting yours. Grow your career, access top-tier health and wellness benefits, build lasting connections with your team and our customers, and travel the world using our extensive route network.

Come join us to create what's next. Lets define tomorrow, together.

At United, we have some of the best aircraft in the world. Our Technical Operations team is full of aircraft maintenance technicians, engineers, planners, ground equipment and facilities professionals, and supply chain teams that help make sure they're well taken care of and ready to get our customers to their desired destinations. If you're ready to work on our planes, join our Tech Ops experts and help keep our fleet in tip-top shape.

The Senior Project Planning Specialist - EA Planning & Execution is responsible for supporting the development, coordination, and execution of maintenance and engineering project plans within Technical Operations. This role partners closely with Engineering, Supply Chain, Maintenance Planning, and operational stakeholders to ensure regulatory, reliability, and strategic engineering initiatives are executed efficiently and within established timelines, operational constraints, and performance metrics. The position plays a critical role in optimizing project accomplishment strategies through data analysis, cross-functional coordination, and maintenance planning expertise. This role is responsible for managing complex project schedules, evaluating operational impacts, and supporting long-term planning initiatives related to aircraft maintenance programs and engineering modifications. The Senior Project Planning Specialist leverages analytical modeling, data visualization, and performance tracking tools to identify risks, improve execution efficiency, and support continuous improvement initiatives across Technical Operations. Through collaboration with cross-functional teams, this position helps drive operational reliability, and effective project execution within a fast-paced airline environment.

• Develop, manage, and implement maintenance and execution plans for engineering, regulatory, and reliability-related projects, ensuring alignment with operational requirements, aircraft maintenance schedules, resource availability, and established performance metrics
• Coordinate with Engineering, Supply Chain, Maintenance Planning, and operational stakeholders to support timely execution of engineering projects, resolve planning constraints, manage project dependencies, and ensure effective communication across cross-functional teams
• Conduct data mining, quantitative analysis, modeling, and visualization activities to support project planning, operational performance tracking, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Develop reporting tools, dashboards, and analytical insights used to support data-driven decision-making and executive reporting
• Perform cost-benefit analyses, operational impact assessments, and scenario modeling to support engineering project prioritization, accomplishment strategies within Technical Operations
• Monitor project schedules, execution timelines, operational risks, and key performance indicators to identify potential delays, resource conflicts, or operational impacts, while proactively recommending mitigation strategies and process improvements

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, Supply Chain/Logistics, Business or relevant experience
• 2+ years of experience in planning, strategy, or equivalent role
• 2+ years of experience in managing projects
• Knowledge of aircraft systems, structures or maintenance programs
• Experience using data analysis and quantitative modeling techniques (e.g. statistical, optimization, simulation, spreadsheet)
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
• Exceptional interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills, with ability to effectively interact at all levels and team with all business partners
• Ability to handle simultaneous projects and adapt to a fast-paced, changing environment
• Creative thinking and problem‑solving skills
• Up to 20% travel
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship
• Successful completion of interview required to meet job qualification
• Reliable, punctual attendance is an essential function of the position

• Master's degree, MBA, or advanced studies in Engineering, Mathematics, or Statistics
• Experience in airline planning or analysis functions
• Project Management or Lean Six Sigma Certification
• Proficiency in data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Spotfire, PowerBI)
• Knowledge of SQL or other programming languages
• Knowledge of supply chain processes
• Knowledge of airline finance

The base pay range for this role is $81,795.00 to $106,602.00. The base salary range/hourly rate listed is dependent on job-related, factors such as experience, education, and skills. This position is also eligible for bonus and/or long-term incentive compensation awards.

You may be eligible for the following competitive benefits: medical, dental, vision, life, accident & disability, parental leave, employee assistance program, commuter, paid holidays, paid time off, 401(k) and flight privileges.

United Airlines is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, veteran status, or any other protected category under applicable law. We provide reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. To request an accommodation, contact JobAccommodations@united.com