Senior Manager, Fleet Coatings & Hull Protection

Holland America Group•Miami, FL

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Manager, Fleet Coatings & Hull Protection is responsible for overseeing, managing, and innovating all aspects of underwater paint application and maintenance during dry-dock operations. This position ensures the integrity, performance, and longevity of marine vessels by leading a team of experts in underwater coating technologies, compliance, and project execution. The Senior manager will serve as the primary authority on underwater paint systems, collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to achieve optimal outcomes in vessel protection, environmental compliance, and operational efficiency.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Marine, Mechanical, Electrical Engineering, Naval Architecture
Strong understanding of marine operations.
Familiarity with energy conservation, decarbonization initiatives, and environmental compliance standards.
Proficiency in project management tools.
Strategic Planning: Ability to translate organizational goals into multi-year plans, technical roadmaps, and project portfolios.
Technical Problem Solving: Strong analytical and systems-thinking approach to evaluating complex technical challenges.
Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to convey technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
Project Delivery: Expertise in project scheduling, scoping, requirements management, quality control, and milestone tracking.
Ability to manage multiple large-scale technical projects simultaneously, create structured processes, governance models, and reporting frameworks.
Ability to foster a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and operational excellence.
Minimum 10 years of experience in protective coatings and asset integrity management preferably within the cruise industry or maritime companies.

Responsibilities

Program Leadership & Management: Lead, mentor, and manage a team of hull and underwater coating specialists and support staff across fleet dry-dock programs. Establish clear performance expectations, provide technical and leadership development, and ensure resource alignment to program priorities. Act as a senior escalation point for complex technical, operational, and execution challenges.
Dry Dock Program Execution & PMO Governance: Own the planning, integration, and execution of hull and underwater coating workstreams within fleet dry-dock programs. Partner with Dry Dock PMO leadership to manage scope, schedule, cost, and risk, including critical-path decision-making and sequencing impacts. Ensure alignment of hull activities with overall dry-dock milestones and operational readiness requirements.
Technical Authority & Strategy: Define and maintain fleet standards for underwater coating systems, hull preservation strategies, and application methodologies. Evaluate, approve, and implement coating technologies, tools, and vendors to optimize vessel protection, lifecycle cost, and operational uptime. Drive innovation and continuous improvement initiatives to enhance performance, quality, and environmental outcomes.
Compliance, Risk & Quality Assurance: Ensure compliance with all applicable environmental, safety, and maritime regulations, class requirements, and company standards. Lead inspections, quality assurance reviews, and risk assessments related to hull and underwater coating activities. Develop and maintain documentation, reporting, and audit records for internal governance and regulatory review.
Cross-Functional & Stakeholder Collaboration: Collaborate with Engineering, Maintenance, Procurement, Finance, and Quality teams to resolve technical issues and align commercial and operational objectives. Engage with shipboard leadership, shipyards, vendors, and external stakeholders to ensure execution excellence and accountability.

Benefits

Cost-effective medical, dental and vision plans
Employee Assistance Program and other mental health resources
Additional programs include company paid term life insurance and disability coverage
401(k) plan that includes a company match
Employee Stock Purchase plan
Holidays – All full-time and part-time with benefits employees receive days off for 8 company-wide holidays, plus 2 additional floating holidays to be taken at the employee’s discretion.
Vacation Time – All full-time employees at the manager and below level start with 14 days/year; director and above level start with 19 days/year. Part-time with benefits employees receive time off based on the number of hours they work, with a minimum of 84 hours/year. All employees gain additional vacation time with further tenure.
Sick Time – All full-time employees receive 80 hours of sick time each year. Part-time with benefits employees receive time off based on the number of hours they work, with a minimum of 60 hours each year.
Complementary stand-by cruises, employee discounts on confirmed cruises, plus special rates for family and friends
Personal and professional learning and development resources including tuition reimbursement
On-site Fitness center at our Miami campus