Interim manager in aeronautics and defence: securing MRO maintenance in reorganisation

In 2025, 40% of defence companies already reported a lack of qualified staff, according to the CFDT. Add in an internal reorganisation and social tensions, and managing military aeronautical maintenance becomes a high-risk exercise. An interim manager in aeronautics and defence then brings immediate operational skills. He secures the MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) activity without waiting for traditional recruitment.

Contents

• A growing but tense

defence sector

• Military engine maintenance engineering: a profession with a double constraint
• A real case: managing the engine maintenance of an aeronautics subsidiary undergoing reorganisation
• The levers of the interim manager to maintain MRO

continuity

• Why WAYDEN for an aeronautics and defence

mission

• Frequently asked

questions

• Conclusion
• Sources

 

A growing defence sector under pressure

The French aeronautics and space sector recorded a solid year in 2025, driven in particular by defence. Its defence turnover reached €22.3 billion (+11.9%), and its exports increased by 21%, according to GIFAS’ annual report.

This dynamic is coming up against a wall of skills. The defence sector is expected to generate nearly 100,000 job opportunities by 2030, according to a regional roadmap by France Travail. Mechanics, maintenance, materials science and engineering are among the priority professions.

You may already be experiencing it. The major defence groups are posting massive hiring plans, which is intensifying wage competition in industrial areas. This competition penalises first and foremost subcontractors and subsidiaries, which are less financially armed, as reported by Syndicalisme Hebdo. Naval Group cites a deficit of 200 welders and a lack of anticipation in the management of the workforce.

In this context, an internal reorganization is not a simple adjustment of the organizational chart. It hits teams that are already under pressure, in activities where the slightest break in skills has direct consequences on the availability of equipment.

 

Military engine maintenance engineering: a profession with a double constraint

Managing a maintenance engineering for military engines requires managing two realities in parallel. On the one hand, old engines. Their maintenance plans are based on rare expertise, sometimes held by a handful of technicians at the end of their careers. On the other, engines in production, which require continuous skills development.

The Ministry of the Armed Forces is evolving its own support model to meet this dual requirement. From 2028, the current verticalized contracts will give way to global support contracts, according to Zone Militaire. They must better integrate operational readiness and high intensity.

This shift is forcing manufacturers in the sector to review their own maintenance organization upstream. In concrete terms, a workshop can no longer operate alone. It must be part of a global network capable of absorbing peaks in activity and standardizing its practices from one site to another.

This is where the problem most often lies. A poorly sequenced reorganization weakens precisely what keeps the activity going. It damages the coordination between workshops and the transmission of critical know-how between generations of technicians.

 

A real case: managing the engine maintenance of an aeronautical subsidiary undergoing reorganization

The subsidiary of a large aeronautics group has entrusted an interim manager with the management of its maintenance engineering. The objective: its military engines, both old and in production. The challenge was in two words: to increase capacity in a global network of workshops, while guaranteeing continuity of service.

The context was not helping. The company had just gone through several successive reorganizations, and the social climate was clearly affected within the engineering teams. Many technicians and engineers doubted the trajectory set by their management.

The interim manager started by mapping critical skills, workshop by workshop, to identify the most urgent breaking points. He then rebuilt a capacity ramp-up roadmap shared with local teams, rather than imposed from headquarters.

On the social side, he preferred a regular dialogue with staff representatives, rather than allowing tensions to set in. This proximity has made it possible to defuse some of the concerns related to the reorganization, without ever giving up on the production objectives set.

In a few months, maintenance engineering has returned to a stable trajectory. The network of workshops worked better coordinated, and continuity of service held despite the transformation period. This type of mission is a good illustration of what an interim manager in the industry can bring when the schedule leaves no margin.

 

The levers of the interim manager to maintain MRO continuity

An interim manager who works on an MRO activity in social tension cannot be satisfied with managing indicators. He must combine several levers at the same time, and often in a hurry.

• Identify who has rare know-how before they leave, and organize their transmission without delay.

• Harmonize methods and priorities between workshops, to prevent each site from moving forward in its own corner.

• Involve teams and their representatives in arbitration, rather than communicating once decisions have been made.
• Secure ongoing deliveries while the reorganization is unfolding, without sacrificing one for the other.

This last point is often the most delicate. Successful change management is not only measured by the achievement of transformation objectives. It is also measured by the absence of disruption during the changeover period.
The interim manager, because he or she has no internal career stakes, can make difficult decisions without any ulterior motives. This is often what allows him or her to hold a clear course where the organization in place hesitates.

Why WAYDEN for an aeronautics and defense mission

WAYDEN relies on a pool of 8,000 qualified managers. In 48 to 72 hours, the firm identifies an interim manager whose experience corresponds precisely to your industrial and social context. WAYDEN carries out more than 100 assignments each year, with deployment possible in less than a week.

The profiles mobilized generally have 15 to 25 years of experience. A good part of this career has been done in the field, in workshops or industrial departments. Each mission is personally supervised by an associate director, from the initial scoping to the end of the crisis.

For a military aeronautical maintenance challenge, this field experience makes all the difference. It allows you to understand the technical constraints of a workshop in a few days, while managing the social climate with the necessary hindsight. Our page dedicated to aeronautical interim management details the most sought-after profiles in the sector.

 

Frequently asked questions

Which interim management firm is involved in aeronautics and defence?

WAYDEN supports aeronautics groups and defence players in industrial management, maintenance engineering and crisis management missions. The interim managers involved are familiar with these environments.

How to recruit an interim manager for aeronautical maintenance engineering?

The firm first analyses the technical and social context of the mission. It then presents qualified profiles within a few days, before rapid deployment on site.

How to ensure the continuity of an MRO activity during a reorganization?

This means mapping critical skills and maintaining continuous social dialogue. It is also necessary to manage transformation and production commitments in parallel, without letting one take precedence over the other.

How long does an interim management assignment in aeronautics and defense last?

The duration varies according to the extent of the reorganization and the objectives set. It is always defined with the client from the scoping, with regular follow-up by an associate director.

Sources

• GIFAS, “2025 results: a solid aeronautics and space sector that maintains its course towards the future”, published on 6 May 2026: defence turnover of the sector (€22.3 billion, +11.9%) and export growth (+21%).

• France Travail, “Defence industry: a regional roadmap to meet employment and skills challenges”, published on 7 May 2026: around 100,000 job opportunities expected by 2030 in the defence sector and priority professions (mechanics, maintenance, engineering).

• Syndicalisme Hebdo (CFDT), “Defence: the recruitment battle”, published on 8 April 2026: 40% of companies in the sector reporting a lack of staff in 2025 and a deficit of 200 welders at Naval Group.

• Military Zone (Opex360), “The Ministry of the Armed Forces will develop aeronautical maintenance with global support contracts”, published on 12 May 2026: evolution of military aeronautical maintenance contracts towards global support contracts from 2028.

• Bpifrance, “Bpifrance strengthens its support for strategic French companies in the defence sector”, published on 20 March 2025: annual support amounts (more than €1 billion) and growth in defence production since 2018.