Operations Industrial Engineer

Virgin Voyages•Plantation, FL

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Operations Industrial Engineer applies industrial engineering methods—including process analysis, simulation, queueing theory, labor standards, and data modeling—to improve how Sailors move through Virgin Voyages touchpoints and how Crew are deployed. The role spans terminal embarkation and debarkation, the Beach Club at Bimini, and onboard operations across Food & Beverage, Housekeeping, Sailor Services, and entertainment venues. The position uses first-hand observation, measurement, and modeling to develop evidence-based recommendations on staffing, scheduling, layout, sequencing, and process design. Its work influences wait times, throughput, labor costs, operational readiness, and the Sailor experience. The engineer partners with Hotel Operations, Fleet Operations, Marine, Port Operations, Finance, Hotel Systems, and shipboard leadership, leading through analysis and influence rather than direct authority. The role is based at Virgin Voyages’ head office in Plantation, Florida, with a hybrid schedule: in-person collaboration days Tuesday through Thursday and remote days Monday and Friday. Travel is approximately 25%, including PortMiami, the Beach Club at Bimini, shipboard observation, and international homeports and turnaround terminals as business needs require.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Operations Research, Systems Engineering, Engineering Management, or a related quantitative discipline.
2–4 years of experience in industrial engineering, operations analysis, process improvement, capacity planning, or a comparable analytical operations role.
Demonstrated experience conducting time-and-motion studies and work measurement, and developing engineered labor standards.
Working proficiency in discrete-event simulation and queueing analysis using tools such as AnyLogic, Simio, Arena, FlexSim, or Simul8.
Lean Six Sigma certification at Green Belt level or higher, or equivalent demonstrated process improvement methodology experience.
Ability and willingness to travel approximately 25%, including regular day travel to PortMiami and the Beach Club at Bimini, periodic sailings for onboard observation, and international travel to homeports and turnaround terminals as business needs require.
Ability to work in active shipboard, terminal, and port environments, including extended periods on foot and outdoors during observation and data collection.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in a related field.
Experience in cruise, hotel, resort, theme park, airport, transportation, or large-venue operations.
Strong analytical and data skills, including advanced spreadsheet modeling.
Experience with SQL and Power BI, Tableau, or similar visualization tools.
Ability to use approved GenAI tools effectively and responsibly to improve analysis, documentation, and productivity.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate quantitative findings into clear recommendations for operational and executive audiences.
Comfort working independently in a fast-paced, changing environment with incomplete data, and sound judgment about when an estimate is sufficient to act.

Responsibilities

Analyze Sailor flow across terminal, shoreside, and onboard operations to identify bottlenecks, constraints, and avoidable friction.
Conduct on-site observation and primary data collection, including time studies, flow mapping, queue observation, and utilization sampling.
Evaluate embarkation and debarkation sequencing, arrival appointment strategies, security and check-in configurations, gangway and tender operations, and terminal layouts against measured throughput.
Model onboard flow across restaurants, bars, pools, theaters, and public spaces to identify peak-load constraints and recommend capacity, layout, and sequencing changes.
Translate findings into practical, cost-conscious recommendations and partner with operating teams to pilot, measure, and scale them.
Build and maintain discrete-event simulation and queueing models to test operating scenarios before implementation.
Use demand forecasts, dwell-time assumptions, behavioral patterns, and peak-load analysis to size infrastructure, service points, equipment, and staffing.
Quantify trade-offs between service level, labor cost, and capital investment and present actionable findings to leadership.
Support capacity requirements for new destinations, terminal projects, and fleet or venue expansions.
Develop and maintain engineered labor standards for repeatable Hotel Operations tasks using time-and-motion study and work measurement.
Analyze staffing models, shift patterns, and schedules against demand curves to improve peak coverage, reduce idle time, and protect Crew rest and rotation requirements.
Recommend staffing levels and deployment models for new venues, itineraries, and operating concepts, supported by cost and service-level analysis.
Partner with Hotel Operations and Fleet Operations to validate labor standards against shipboard conditions and ensure recommendations are operationally realistic.
Define and maintain operational KPIs, including wait time, throughput, utilization, cycle time, service level, labor productivity, and their relationship to Sailor satisfaction.
Build dashboards and reporting that provide leadership visibility into performance against standards and flag deterioration before it affects Sailors.
Establish baselines and measure realized benefits after implementation, holding improvements accountable to their business case.
Maintain rigor in data quality, assumptions, and methodology, and document work so it can be repeated by others.
Lead structured continuous improvement initiatives using Lean and Six Sigma methods, from problem definition through control.
Facilitate working sessions with shipboard and shoreside teams to map current processes, identify root causes, and build solution ownership.
Prepare concise, insight-driven materials for Hotel Operations and Hotel Systems leadership, including recommendations, risks, and required decisions.
Support adoption of new standards, tools, and ways of working, including responsible use of approved GenAI tools to improve analytical speed and quality.