Lead, Program Management

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd•Miami, FL

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The Lead, Program Management supporting the Design planning owns the integrated planning backbone for the Newbuild Design portfolio — building and maintaining the schedules and frameworks that drive scalable, efficient design execution across an integrated design and naval architecture process. Reporting to the Senior Manager, Design Planning & Analytics, the role translates the design process into time-bound plans, orchestrating timelines, milestones, dependencies, and file submissions across all phases, workstreams, and quality gates. The role works in close coordination with Newbuild executive leadership, Brand, architectural partners, shipyards, local offices, and Project Management. Partnering with design integration teams and cross-functional partners, the Lead keeps planning proactive, transparent, and balanced against time, cost, scope, and quality — while feeding structured planning data into automated dashboards and KPIs through the reporting and analytics function.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree with a concentration in Project Management, Construction / Architecture (Shipbuilding experience preferred), Business Management, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.
5–7 years in project planning, scheduling, or project management within large-scale capital programs, preferably in design, architecture, or construction.
Demonstrated experience building and managing integrated project schedules for complex, multi-disciplinary design programs.
Proficiency in MS Office Suite, MS Project, Adobe Workfront, or equivalent enterprise scheduling and project management tools.
Strong command of industry-standard scheduling practices, including critical-path methodology, dependency management, and milestone tracking.
Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple concurrent project schedules.
Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with a proactive approach to risk identification and mitigation.
Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to translate complex planning data into clear, actionable insights for diverse audiences.
Collaborative mindset with the ability to work across disciplines, cultures, and geographies (US and EU design studios, shipyard partners).
Results-driven, with a high sense of accountability and ownership.

Nice To Haves

Shipbuilding, cruise, hospitality, or similarly complex design environments is a strong advantage.

Responsibilities

Own, build, and maintain the integrated design master schedule, aligned to design maturity phases and quality gates, using enterprise scheduling tools.
Ensure planning structures reflect the pre-conditions, margins, progressive maturity, and value- and cost-driven design principles required at each phase.
Keep design schedules synchronized with shipyard build sequences and program-level milestones so deliverables land ahead of contractual and construction needs.
Build and manage design file submission schedules and deliverable packages across Newbuild, Brand, local offices, and shipyards, enforcing timeline alignment across all stakeholder groups.
Identify and track the pre-conditions and progressive maturity targets required to clear design quality gates and critical design milestones.
Provide early warning on at-risk submissions and drive recovery planning with the relevant owners.
Identify cross-program critical-path dependencies and run scenario analyses to optimize schedule, scope, and resource trade-offs with relevant stakeholders, translating outcomes into planning synergies and defined projects.
Develop strategic workforce-planning and tactical design-planning models and tools that surface capacity gaps, opportunities, and the resources needed to hold the plan.
Act as the planning liaison between design project teams, external partners, and internal departments — PMO, Naval Architecture, Maritime Technology, and Brand — to establish coherent timelines and milestones aligned to overall program objectives.
Support portfolio scalability by applying lessons from lead-vessel planning to follow-on ship classes and by reinforcing consistent planning practices across US and EU design studios.
Feed structured, current planning data into reporting and analytics so dashboards and KPIs reflect true schedule status at portfolio, project, and executive levels.
Partner with the reporting and analytics team to automate planning inputs and reduce manual tracking, improving the speed and reliability of executive-facing status.
Provide strategic governance over design planning by ensuring consistent adoption of enterprise-wide planning principles and templates, aligned to established newbuild project standards.
Evolve the planning framework through lessons learned and leading practices, supporting consistent process and value- and cost-driven implementation at each phase.
Study operational needs and current performance to identify areas for improvement and planning efficiency.
Perform additional job-related duties as assigned. This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position.