Director, New Program Management

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd•Miami, FL

23h•Onsite

About The Position

This strategic, forward-thinking leadership role within the Newbuild organization is instrumental in shaping the earliest phases of ship development, prior to contract signing. The Director will drive strategic alignment between brand vision, operational feasibility, and long-term business goals, leading cross-functional collaboration with brand teams, technical experts, and shipyard partners to define ship concepts, assess feasibility, and guide decision-making. Responsibilities include developing project business cases with corporate and brand strategy teams, driving design concept development, and ensuring operational and business processes are well established. The role focuses on establishing new programs and projects as a business to manage the scale and complexity of shipbuilding, including building the project organization, defining the project charter and ways of working, enabling design and investment decisions, and driving progress towards critical milestones and quality gates. Additionally, the Director will lead a high-performing team addressing critical and strategic challenges within a Newbuild project, overseeing daily operations as a general manager, ensuring all business functions (project strategy, costing and financial, program management, and commercial negotiations) are in sync. This involves managing multiple high-impact initiatives, from strategic and executive reviews to continuous process improvements, while mentoring direct reports. The Director acts as a conduit for collaboration between departments and represents the project to brand and corporate leadership, requiring strong communication, strategic thinking, and relationship-building skills.

Requirements

MBA or equivalent advanced business degree from a top-tier institution required.
Minimum of 10-15 years of experience in strategy, ideally within a leading consulting firm or corporate strategy function.
Strong financial acumen, with expertise in quantitative analysis, ROI modeling, and familiarity with tools such as Hyperion Studio, Essbase, SAS, or R.
Proven ability to apply structured problem-solving frameworks and develop actionable solutions.
Demonstrated success in delivering executive-level presentations and translating insights into execution.
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
Track record of high performance, as evidenced by reviews, recognition, and results.
Exceptional strategic thinking and analytical capabilities, with the ability to synthesize complex data into clear, actionable insights.
Strong communication and influencing skills, with confidence in engaging senior stakeholders.
Quick learner with the ability to connect diverse information sources to business strategy.
Deep understanding of value creation in the cruise industry and familiarity with key corporate data.
High integrity and discretion in handling confidential information.

Nice To Haves

Experience in the cruise or broader vacation industry is preferred.
Experience with M&A or equity analysis is a plus.

Responsibilities

Serve as the leader of the Miami based operations for the new program under development
Lead a cross functional team of leaders across a matrix organization – both directly and indirectly reporting to you
Develop project governance and project charters to launch a new program with clear roles, responsibilities, and operational practices
Monitor the project health including the success of key project processes in design, technical development, financial, and risk management
Develop updates and presentations to executive leadership and C-suite (both written and oral) on a regular basis – capturing the project status, enabling key decisions, and managing risks
Oversee the financial process and budget framework for projects
Lead the Risk management process across all project disciplines
Serve as the link to the corporation including the Brand and Group executive leadership
Guide the commercial development process including business case alignment and contract negotiations with the shipyard
Develop project strategies and initiatives
Develop relationships across the corporation with executive stakeholders and brand customers – VP, SVP, and EVP communication on a regular basis
Provide mentorship and daily leadership to a dedicated project core team
Performs other duties as required.