Vice President, Health, Environment, Safety and Security

Margaritaville at Sea • Orlando, FL

12d • Hybrid

About The Position

Margaritaville at Sea is hiring its senior executive for health, environment, safety and security (HESS) across the fleet. Reporting to the Chief Maritime Officer, the Vice President will establish HESS standards, build the function and team, and provide senior leadership with a data-driven view of performance and risk. The role has fleet-wide stop-work authority and will lead HESS readiness for new vessels, including the third ship, Beachcomber, scheduled to enter service from Miami in January 2027.

The position is based in Orlando, Florida, on a hybrid schedule. The successful candidate must live in or relocate to the Orlando area and should expect 25–50% travel to homeports and aboard ships, including overnight sailings. Shipboard work includes machinery spaces and exterior decks, climbing ladders, and wearing personal protective equipment. Cruise operations run around the clock, so availability after hours is required for HESS incidents. Compensation is competitive and negotiable, commensurate with experience.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in marine engineering, nautical science, environmental science, occupational health and safety, or a related field.
• At least 10 years of HESS leadership in the maritime industry or another high-hazard industry.
• At least 5 years at Director level or above.
• Certified lead auditor for ISO 14001 and ISO 45001.
• NEBOSH International Diploma or Certified Safety Professional (CSP) credential.
• Formal training in a recognized human factors or root cause methodology, such as HFACS or TapRooT.
• Working command of the ISM Code, SOLAS, MARPOL, MLC 2006, and the ISPS Code.
• A record of successful port State inspections and external audits.
• Must reside in or relocate to the Orlando area.
• Able to travel 25–50% to homeports and aboard ships, including overnight sailings.
• Able to perform shipboard work in machinery spaces and on exterior decks, climb ladders, and wear personal protective equipment.
• After-hours availability for HESS incidents is required.

Nice To Haves

• Cruise-industry HESS leadership (strongly preferred).
• Working knowledge of CVSSA and the CDC Vessel Sanitation Program, and a record of successful USPH inspections.
• STCW certificate of competency as Master or Chief Engineer.
• Experience overseeing a third-party ship manager or bringing a vessel into service.

Responsibilities

• Set the fleet's HESS strategy, standards, budget, and multi-year plan.
• Build and lead a shoreside HESS team.
• Report HESS performance and risk to the executive team.
• Own environmental compliance, including MARPOL, the North American Emission Control Area, and U.S. EPA vessel discharge requirements under the Vessel General Permit and VIDA.
• Own public health, including CDC Vessel Sanitation Program readiness and outbreak prevention and response.
• Own the risk assessment program, including the risk assessment library, job safety analysis, permit-to-work, and point-of-work assessment.
• Set occupational health and safety standards for crew and apply human factors to incident investigation and prevention.
• Oversee shipboard security programs under the ISPS Code and CVSSA.
• Integrate cyber risk management for vessel operational technology into the Safety Management System.
• Partner with the third-party ship manager to set HESS performance indicators and run an assurance and audit program aboard ship and ashore.
• Serve as the Company's senior HESS interface with the flag State, classification society, U.S. Coast Guard, CDC, EPA, and external auditors.
• Lead investigation of significant incidents and drive corrective action to closure.
• Build a culture in which every crew member is empowered to stop unsafe work.
• Lead HESS readiness for new vessels entering service.

Benefits

• Cost-effective medical, dental, and vision plans.
• Employee Assistance Program and other mental health resources.
• Company-paid term life insurance and disability coverage.
• 401(k) plan with company match.
• Paid time off and holidays: 10 company-wide holidays plus 2 floating holidays for full-time and part-time employees with benefits.
• Director-level and above employees receive Discretionary Time Off; for VPs and above, this is generally 21 days.
• Complimentary stand-by cruises.
• Employee discounts on confirmed cruises.
• Special rates for family and friends.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive