Director of Maritime Refits & Strategic Projects
Job ID 8402 Date posted 27/05/2025 Date closes 22/06/2025 City SOUTHAMPTON State HAMPSHIRE Country United Kingdom Job Type Full TimeJob Description
Are you a strategic leader with a passion for maritime excellence and large-scale project delivery? Carnival UK is seeking a dynamic and experienced Director, Refits & Strategic Projects to lead our fleetwide Asset Management programme across the P&O Cruises and Cunard brands.
In this pivotal role, you will oversee the planning, execution, and delivery of our rolling refit programme and strategic dry dock projects. You’ll collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to ensure our vessels remain fit-for-purpose, compliant, and aligned with our corporate goals—delivering exceptional guest satisfaction through world-class ship condition.
Key Objectives:
- Lead the end-to-end delivery of refit and strategic projects, ensuring alignment with timelines, budgets, and specifications.
- Manage a cross-functional team including Senior Managers, Superintendents, and external contractors.
- Act as the primary contact for major dry dockings and strategic initiatives, including emergency interventions.
- Develop and maintain strategic project plans, capital budgets, and vessel condition roadmaps.
- Ensure compliance with SOLAS, IMO, Class, and Flag regulations.
- Drive continuous improvement through effective stakeholder engagement, governance, and reporting.
- Create and implement Executive summary reports for future strategic changes needed within the fleet
- Identify and recommend costed resource requirements to support development and planning
Our role categories range from CUK15 (entry level) to CUK1 (Brand President) so you can clearly see internal development opportunities. This role is a CUK05 and is offered on a full time, permanent basis, with at least three days based in our Southampton office.
About You
Fresh ideas and different perspectives are what excite us most and help us to succeed. Alongside bringing these to the role, you’ll also need:
- A Certificate of Competency or a marine-related degree/HND/HNC.
- Extensive experience in dry dock and maritime operations, with project budgets up to £100M.
- Strong understanding of maritime regulations and commercial project management.
- Proven leadership in managing diverse teams and complex logistics.
- Excellent communication, problem-solving, and stakeholder management skills.
- Project Management qualifications and sea-time experience (desirable).
Being part of our team has its advantages…
This is a high-impact leadership role where you'll shape the future of our fleets operational excellence. You'll work in a collaborative, values driven environment that champions innovation, safety and sustainability.
We’re a holiday company so we know there’s more to life than work. Our comprehensive range of benefits are designed to help your personal and financial health and wellbeing.
- Employee Discounted Cruising plus Friends and Family offers
- Annual bonus
- Minimum 25 days leave, bank holiday allowance and holiday trading scheme
- Employee-led networks
- Employee Assistance and Wellbeing programmes
- Recognition scheme with prizes and awards
- Contributory Defined Contribution Pension scheme
- Company paid private medical and dental insurance and health assessment
- In-house Occupational Health help and access to digital GP
- Life Assurance
- Parental and adoption leave
- Employee Shares Plan
- Electric Car and Cycle to Work schemes
- Onsite restaurant offering range of healthy cooked and grab and go meals
- Discounted retail and leisure via discounts portal
We work flexibly and will help you to find a healthy balance of remote working and time in our fantastic Southampton office, collaborating, taking part in events and getting to know people that makes working with us so rewarding. We welcome the opportunity to discuss reduced hours and job share arrangements.
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#Job Functions: Engineering; Project Management; Quality Assurance;
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