Torchora
Back to Home

Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Yacht Program Director

💰 $120,000 - $250,000

MaritimeSuperyachtProgram ManagementTechnical Operations

🎯 Role Definition

The Yacht Program Director leads and delivers complex yacht programs — new builds, refits and lifecycle fleet management — for private owners, yacht management companies or shipyards. This senior role combines program and project management, technical leadership, stakeholder and owner representation, budget and P&L responsibility, procurement and vendor management, and regulatory compliance. The Yacht Program Director is accountable for on-time, on-budget delivery while safeguarding quality, safety and owner satisfaction across superyacht portfolios.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Chief Engineer (Superyacht or Commercial)
  • Technical Manager / Yacht Manager
  • Project Manager (Shipyard or Marine)
  • Naval Architect or Marine Engineering Lead

Advancement To:

  • Head of Programs / Head of Fleet
  • Chief Operating Officer (Maritime group)
  • Director of New Builds & Refit Operations
  • Owner’s Representative / Independent Program Director

Lateral Moves:

  • Yacht Management Director
  • New Build Program Manager
  • Refit Programme Lead

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead end-to-end yacht program management for large yachts and superyachts (new build and refit), including scope definition, master scheduling, critical path analysis, milestone tracking and full program governance to ensure timely delivery and high-quality outcomes.
  • Own program financials: develop and manage multi-year budgets, CAPEX and OPEX forecasts, P&L reporting, cost control and value engineering to protect margins and keep programs within owner-approved spend.
  • Act as the primary owner and stakeholder representative, maintaining frequent, clear communication with yacht owners, owner’s representatives, captains and executive stakeholders to align expectations, report progress and secure timely decisions.
  • Manage and negotiate complex contracts, subcontracts and commercial terms with shipyards, naval architects, vendors and subcontractors; draft and review statements of work, change orders and warranty provisions to mitigate commercial risk.
  • Provide technical direction and oversight over all engineering disciplines (hull, propulsion, electrical, HVAC, interiors, piping, automation), ensuring conformity to design, specifications and classification society requirements.
  • Coordinate with classification societies (ABS, Lloyd’s Register, DNV, RINA, Bureau Veritas) and Flag State authorities to secure approvals, inspections, plan reviews and statutory certification throughout construction, refit and commissioning.
  • Develop, implement and maintain robust QA/QC and HSEQ processes across the program: inspection plans, non-conformance reporting, root-cause analysis and corrective action tracking.
  • Plan and manage complex logistics, spares provisioning and supply chain activities — including lead time management for long-lead items, customs clearance, import/export and global vendor coordination.
  • Oversee yard and site management activities: set priorities, resolve production bottlenecks, facilitate cross-discipline collaboration and ensure that build/refit sequences are optimised for time and cost efficiency.
  • Lead sea trials, commissioning and handover processes including test plans, trial execution, acceptance criteria, snag lists and remediation oversight to ensure systems meet specification and contractual acceptance standards.
  • Manage warranty and post-delivery support: lead warranty claims, vendor remediation, root-cause analysis and ensure service-level agreements are met following delivery.
  • Implement and maintain preventative maintenance and lifecycle strategies in coordination with fleet technical teams, including PMS/CMMS adoption (Maximo, TAMS, VesselCare) to reduce downtime and lifecycle cost.
  • Drive risk management and contingency planning: perform risk assessments, develop mitigation plans and maintain a live risk register for schedule, technical, commercial and safety risks.
  • Lead multidisciplinary teams: recruit, mentor and manage in-house technical staff and embedded project teams, defining roles, KPIs and performance development to build a resilient program organisation.
  • Direct procurement strategy and vendor management: pre-qualify suppliers, run RFPs, evaluate bids, negotiate commercial terms and manage supplier performance against KPIs and contractual SLAs.
  • Ensure compliance with maritime regulations and standards (ISM, ISPS, SOLAS where applicable), environmental regulations, and owner-specific policies including sustainability initiatives and emissions reduction programmes.
  • Provide regular, structured reporting and governance to executive leadership and owners: program dashboards, earned value analysis (EVA), milestone summaries and stakeholder briefings.
  • Lead technical change control: evaluate change requests for technical, schedule and cost impact, maintain change logs and secure formal approvals for scope changes.
  • Oversee interior delivery and quality: coordinate interior fit-out schedules, finishing standards, FF&E delivery, and close collaboration with interior designers to meet owner expectations and design intent.
  • Coordinate with captain and crew to align operational readiness, training, and documentation (technical manuals, spares lists, operational procedures) ahead of delivery and during handover.
  • Champion continuous improvement across programs: capture lessons learned, refine processes, and implement best practices in project delivery, risk mitigation and technical assurance.

Secondary Functions

  • Support the procurement and deployment of program tools and data systems (ERP, CMMS, MS Project / Primavera) and provide input into future-state program technology roadmaps.
  • Provide ad-hoc technical advisory to commercial teams for proposals, bids and lifecycle cost estimates for new business opportunities.
  • Contribute to talent development: run technical training sessions, cross-training initiatives and succession planning to strengthen in-house program capability.
  • Represent the organisation at industry events, classification workshops and owner forums to maintain market visibility and technical credibility.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Program and project management for yacht new builds and refits (MS Project, Primavera P6) with demonstrated experience delivering multi-million-dollar programs.
  • Strong marine engineering and naval architecture understanding (hull structures, propulsion, electrical systems, HVAC, NAV/COMMS).
  • Deep working knowledge of classification societies and Flag State processes (ABS, Lloyd’s, DNV, RINA, Bureau Veritas).
  • Contract and commercial negotiation skills, including drafting and managing complex shipyard and supplier agreements, change orders and warranties.
  • Budgeting, forecasting and P&L management experience for capital projects and fleet programmes.
  • QA/QC, HSEQ and safety management application in a shipyard and vessel environment, including ISM and ISPS familiarity.
  • Sea trials, commissioning and system acceptance testing experience with established acceptance criteria and test protocols.
  • Experience with CMMS/PMS and ERP systems (Maximo, TAMS, VesselCare, SAP) for maintenance planning and spares management.
  • Procurement and supply chain management, including RFP/RFQ processes and vendor pre-qualification for maritime equipment.
  • Technical drawing and specification review capability, including reading GA drawings, systems schematics and technical datasheets.
  • Warranty management and post-delivery support processes to resolve defects and supplier remediation.
  • Risk management and mitigation planning across schedule, technical and commercial dimensions.
  • Familiarity with environmental regulations, fuel systems, emissions reduction measures and sustainability initiatives in the maritime sector.

Soft Skills

  • Executive-level stakeholder management and client-facing communication — able to distill complex technical issues into concise executive updates.
  • Leadership and people management: hiring, coaching and motivating multidisciplinary teams under pressure.
  • Strategic thinker with strong commercial acumen to balance owner expectations and programme constraints.
  • Strong negotiation skills and decisiveness in high-stakes commercial and technical negotiations.
  • Excellent problem-solving, analytical thinking and attention to detail.
  • Resilient under pressure with outstanding time management and prioritisation.
  • Collaborative mindset with proven ability to work with designers, yards, vendors and crews.
  • Fluent written and verbal communication; experience preparing board-level briefings and technical reports.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Naval Architecture, Marine Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or a closely related engineering/technical discipline.

Preferred Education:

  • Master’s degree in Marine Engineering, Naval Architecture, Project Management, MBA or equivalent.
  • Professional certifications (PMP, Prince2, or equivalent) and/or technical certifications relevant to maritime engineering.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Naval Architecture
  • Marine Engineering
  • Mechanical or Electrical Engineering
  • Project Management / Business Administration

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 10–20+ years in maritime/yacht industry with progressive responsibility in new builds, refits and fleet programs.

Preferred:

  • Minimum 7–10 years in senior technical/program roles (Technical Manager, Program Manager, Chief Engineer) on superyachts or at shipyards.
  • Proven track record delivering multiple superyacht new builds/refits (50m+ preferred), sea trials and owner handovers.
  • Demonstrable experience working with classification societies, Flag State authorities, yards and international suppliers.
Explore More Careers