Vice President of Fleet Technical Operation

Positions on Land - UnCruise Adventures • Seattle, WA

10d • $185,000 - $210,000 • Onsite

About The Position

The Vice President of Fleet Technical Operations provides executive leadership for UnCruise Adventures’ shipyard work, capital projects, technical operations, regulatory compliance, and long-term fleet asset strategy. The role is directly accountable for technical and capital budgets, drydock execution, major vessel projects, regulatory readiness, and fleet reliability. It owns the full lifecycle of major repair and capital work, from long-term planning, scope development, budgeting, and vendor negotiation through execution, commissioning, and closeout.

This hands-on leadership position oversees Fleet Technical Operations and ensures vessels are maintained, technically reliable, regulatorily prepared, and supported by disciplined project and asset management. The VP is expected to lead through clear priorities, defined ownership, measurable expectations, accountability, and development of the department’s people and leadership bench. The role requires sound technical judgment, financial discipline, proactive risk management, effective communication, and the ability to translate technical issues into operational, financial, and business impacts.

The position works closely with teams throughout the organization, vessel leadership, shipyards, vendors, classification societies, flag administrations, and regulatory agencies. It is a full-time, exempt position based in Seattle, Washington, with regular travel to vessels, shipyards, ports, and operating locations. The schedule is generally based on normal business hours, with flexibility and availability for operational needs, including occasional early mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, and urgent matters outside normal business hours.

Requirements

• 8 to 12+ years of experience in maritime technical operations, with direct ownership of shipyard or capital project budgets.
• Proven track record leading and developing managers, ideally across operational and project-based teams.
• Demonstrated experience negotiating and managing multi-million-dollar shipyard or repair contracts.
• Strong financial acumen and hands-on experience managing OPEX and CAPEX budgets and reporting to senior leadership or ownership.
• Ability to evaluate technical risk and make decisions balancing reliability, cost, schedule, and operational requirements.
• Working knowledge of USCG regulations, classification society requirements, and small passenger vessel compliance standards.
• Ability to manage multiple vessels, projects, and competing priorities simultaneously.
• Ability to travel regularly to vessels, shipyards, and operating locations.
• Bachelor’s degree in Marine Engineering, Naval Architecture, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field, or an equivalent combination of maritime education and practical experience as described in the posting.
• Ability to regularly work in an office environment using computers, phones, and standard office equipment for extended periods.
• Ability to safely embark and disembark vessels using gangways, ladders, stairs, docks, and other means of access.
• Ability to access engine rooms, machinery spaces, decks, tanks, voids, and other vessel areas as needed.
• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods aboard vessels or in shipyard environments.
• Ability to work in environments that may be noisy, hot, cold, wet, dirty, poorly ventilated, exposed to weather, or subject to varying temperatures, and aboard vessels that may be underway or subject to vessel motion.
• Availability for schedule flexibility, including occasional early mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, and additional availability during shipyard periods, major projects, vessel casualties, or other significant events.

Nice To Haves

• Chief Engineer license or equivalent credential.
• Marine engineering license, engineering degree, or technical degree; senior-level maritime technical experience may be considered in lieu of a specific degree or credential.

Responsibilities

• Own the vision, standards, and priorities for the engineering and facilities function, both shipboard and shoreside.
• Build and develop a leadership bench and technical and project management capability across the department.
• Establish roles, decision-making authority, and performance expectations across Technical Operations, Regulatory Compliance, and Fleet Projects.
• Set direction for in-season vessel support and off-season capital work, resolving competing priorities for time, personnel, and budget.
• Represent technical operations to executive leadership and translate engineering and project realities into business decisions.
• Own the year-round technical condition of the fleet, including in-season troubleshooting, planned maintenance system oversight, and critical spares strategy.
• Set technical standards and long-term reliability strategy across vessel mechanical, electrical, and structural systems.
• Drive planned and predictive maintenance practices to reduce unplanned downtime and extend asset life.
• Set fleetwide priorities that balance reliability, regulatory requirements, guest experience, vessel longevity, available resources, and financial considerations.
• Promote documentation and information sharing to reduce reliance on knowledge held by individual employees or vessels.
• Support preferred equipment standards and replacement strategies.
• Own the end-to-end shipyard and repair period lifecycle, from off-season scope development and scheduling through project closeout.
• Lead contractor selection, quote evaluation, and rate negotiation for shipyard and major repair contracts.
• Direct planning and execution of major capital work, including mechanical system replacements, steel repair, and MSD upgrades.
• Evaluate capital investments based on operational risk, reliability, regulatory requirements, lifecycle cost, maintainability, standardization, and expected vessel service life.
• Set the annual shipyard and capital project calendar and hold the team accountable to timeline, scope, and cost targets.
• Serve as the final escalation point for project delays, scope changes, and vendor performance issues.
• Provide leadership with clear information about fleet condition, emerging capital needs, and technical risks.
• Monitor approved capital budgets, identify significant variances, and communicate them.
• Incorporate lessons learned from each yard period into future planning.
• Own Technical Operations OPEX and CAPEX budgets, including annual planning and in-year tracking.
• Ensure financial controls are applied to technical repairs and project execution; approve and monitor spending against shipyard, repair, and capital project budgets.
• Build and defend multi-year capital plans for major refits, system replacements, and vessel lifecycle investments.
• Partner with Finance on cost estimation, forecasting, and reporting for technical work.
• Set contract approval thresholds and spending authority across the function.
• Own ultimate accountability for fleet compliance with Coast Guard, classification society, and flag state requirements.
• Champion a safety-first culture across shipboard and shoreside teams.
• Ensure root cause analysis and corrective actions are completed following technical incidents.
• Own fleet vendor and critical spares strategy, standardizing where doing so reduces cost or risk.
• Ensure regulatory requirements are assigned to the responsible department and tracked through closure.
• Support regulatory strategy for vessel modifications, new operating areas, significant projects, and changes in applicable requirements.
• Anticipate fleet needs, identify technical and financial risks, and establish priorities across vessels and projects.
• Provide calm, decisive leadership during vessel casualties, shipyard challenges, and other high-pressure situations, while maintaining clear accountability for execution.
• Travel regularly to vessels, shipyards, ports, and operating locations, including domestic and international destinations as required.
• Respond to urgent technical or operational matters outside normal business hours when necessary and establish departmental coverage and escalation processes.

Benefits

• One complimentary cruise for two people each year after each year of employment.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, short-term disability, long-term disability, life insurance, and flexible spending account options.
• 401(k) eligibility after six months of employment, with an employer match.
• Ten company-paid holidays annually.
• Paid vacation and sick time, with additional vacation days as tenure increases.
• Two company-paid volunteer days each year.
• Daily stipend for commuting without a single-occupancy motorized vehicle.
• Free parking at the Seattle office on days commuting by car.

What This Job Offers

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