Project Manager (Ship Development)

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd•Miami, FL

35d•Onsite

About The Position

Journey with us! Combine your career goals and sense of adventure by joining our incredible team of employees at Royal Caribbean Group. We are proud to offer a competitive compensation and benefits package, and excellent career development opportunities, each offering unique ways to explore the world. We are proud to be the vacation-industry leader with global brands — including Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises — the most innovative fleet and private destinations, and the best people. Together, we are dedicated to turning the vacation of a lifetime into a lifetime of vacations for our guests. Royal Caribbean Group’s Celebrity Cruises Product Development Team has an exciting career opportunity for a full time Manager, River & Destination Delivery reporting to the Associate Vice President, Integrated Planning This position will be working onsite from Miami. Position Summary: The Product Development & Delivery Manager for Integrated Planning reports to the Associate Vice President of Integrated Planning & Delivery and works collaboratively, both internally and externally, to align departmental goals with the brand vision. The manager leads delivery for shipboard and destination experiences for execution and launch phases for River, Private Destinations and Destination Experiences, and plays a critical role ensuring the strategic vision is executed, guiding products from ideation to flawless launch. The oversight of end-to-end planning, includes: construction, design planning for back of house, technical, and crew for post-delivery phases, ensuring alignment with brand ambition, operational feasibility, and regulatory compliance. The role involves leading cross-functional teams, managing external partners, and ensuring timely, within-budget delivery of premium ships and private destinations. Through cross-functional orchestration, the Delivery Manager will also be responsible for, governance, and delivery excellence, private destinations, revitalizations, special projects and onboard repairs and maintenance. This role operates at the intersection execution, and operational feasibility, turning innovative guest experiences into scalable reality.

Requirements

Education: Bachelor’s degree in business, Project Management, Hospitality Management, Product Development, or a related field.
Experience: Minimum of 5 years supporting shipbuilding, ship revitalization, or large-scale marine projects, with proven expertise in detailed design coordination and outfitting.
Proven leadership in complex cross-functional environments; experience delivering high-impact physical products (e.g., ships, destinations, hotel/resort activations).
Deep understanding of operational readiness principles including SOPs, GTM planning, procurement, and stakeholder communications.
Ability to travel up to 30% of the time.

Nice To Haves

MBA or advanced degree preferred.
Experience supporting or presenting to C-suite stakeholders.
Experience with tools such as Asana, Smartsheet, Microsoft Project, and enterprise reporting platforms.
Professional certifications in project management (e.g. PMP, PgMP) or process improvement (Lean Six Sigma) are a plus.

Responsibilities

Stakeholder Coordination
Collaborate with key stakeholders to define project scope, design intent, and overall goals, serving as the primary conduit for project information and updates.
Establish clear communication channels across internal teams including New Build, Site Office, Supply Chain, Operations, Design, Marketing, Legal, Risk, Revenue and external partners such as shipyards, and vendors.
Cost Planning
Oversee and coordinate back of house detailed design reviews, mock-up inspections, and material pre-checks to manage cost – effectiveness, ensure quality, compliance, and operational flow.
Support pre-contract negotiations, research & development, and prototype projects, preparing specifications and guiding innovative concepts to ensure they remain on budget.
Drives Practicality process for the brand in collaboration with New Build.
Ownership of Owner Supply forecast and budget.
Detailed Design Coordination & Outfitting
Support back of house design phases for technical and crew, ensuring alignment with brand standards, technical specifications, and regulatory requirements, including SOLAS and IMO standards.
Establish, own and maintain, a strong relationship with the shipyard and outfitters.
Manage the outfitting activities on-site, coordinating with architects, designers, and yard management to deliver interior, exterior, and back-of-house designs in accordance with project milestones.
Control and coordinate modifications, ensuring they meet design intent, budget, and schedule constraints.
Lead design intent reviews, material approvals, and transition coordination, maintaining consistency and quality across all outfitting elements.
Coordinates owner’s progress and completion in cooperation with the Owner’s Work team.
Construction & Site Supervision
Conduct regular site visits, monitoring progress, quality, and safety during the build process, from initial construction through vessel commissioning.
Lead inspections, mock-up reviews, and first-in-production assessments of public spaces and guest accommodations, ensuring design standards.
Lead the Development and progress of Special Projects.
Oversee the resolution of design issues, change requests, and technical challenges promptly to prevent delays.
Project Monitoring & Quality Assurance
Track progress against schedules, critical milestones, and budgets, focusing on maintaining high standards of quality and safety.
Manage risk assessments, and develop mitigation strategies for potential issues, escalating concerns as needed.
Facilitate design and build reviews, ensuring all work aligns with contractual, safety, and regulatory standards.
Leadership & Collaboration
Lead and mentor site office teams, outfitting superintendents, and consultants, fostering a culture of quality, safety, and collaboration.
Coordinate with shipyard leadership and the Design Manager/Director, ensuring seamless communication and issue resolution.
Collaborate continuously with cross-disciplinary teams to address design, technical, and operational challenges.
Oversee end-to-end delivery of shipboard and destination experiences—ensuring launches are on time, on brand, and operationally sound.
Lead all readiness efforts, including SOPs, staffing, training, and inventory planning for pilots and full-scale activation.
Own relationships with all back-of-house stakeholders (e.g., Hotel Ops, Supply Chain, Newbuild, Technical, Marine) to ensure alignment, feasibility, and execution support.
Proactively identify and resolve delivery barriers through cross-functional coordination and scenario planning.
Manage delivery risks (e.g., delays, vendor gaps, cost pressures) with clear mitigation strategies.
Establish and uphold standardized launch playbooks, checklists, and readiness templates to drive consistency and scalability.
Validate that all physical and digital components (e.g., FFE, signage, installations) are complete, tested, and signed off.
Conduct final walk-throughs and punch list reviews to confirm operational readiness.
Lead post-launch closure of open items and integrate learnings into future initiatives.
Readiness, Post-Delivery & Continuous Improvement
Ensure launch readiness through finalized SOPs, training, staffing plans, and service protocols.
Oversee crew enablement to ensure seamless delivery of guest experiences.
Oversee punch list resolution, warranty claims, and asset disposition activities.
Support operational teams during vessel start-up, crew training, and initial service phases, ensuring vessels meet operational and safety standards.
Gather and document lessons learned to improve future projects and processes.
Leads the kick-off for repairs and revitalizations when the ships need repair.