Painting Supervisor - Yacht Industry
Location: UAE
Employment Type: Full-Time, Permanent
Industry: Luxury Yacht Building / Marine Manufacturing
Package: Highly competitive salary and benefits
The Opportunity
A leading international luxury yacht manufacturer is seeking an experienced Painting Supervisor to join its expanding production operation in the UAE.
This is a hands-on supervisory position responsible for overseeing the complete yacht painting and finishing process, from initial surface preparation through to final topcoat and finishing.
The successful candidate will manage painting teams and subcontractors, maintain demanding quality standards and ensure work is delivered safely and in line with production schedules.
This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced marine coatings professional looking to join a major yacht-building operation and work on high-end new-build projects.
Key Responsibilities
Painting & Surface Preparation
- Supervise all yacht painting and finishing activities.
- Oversee surface preparation, fairing, sanding and masking.
- Manage primer, undercoat and topcoat applications.
- Supervise varnishing, finishing, polishing, touch-ups and repair work.
- Ensure correct preparation techniques are used across:
- Fibreglass / composites
- Aluminium
- Steel
- Wood
- Other marine substrates
- Ensure coatings are applied in accordance with technical specifications and manufacturers' recommendations.
- Monitor mixing ratios, application thickness, pot life and curing requirements.
- Inspect surfaces throughout the preparation and application process.
Team Leadership
- Supervise painters, preparation teams, polishers and subcontractors.
- Allocate manpower and daily workloads according to production requirements.
- Monitor productivity, workmanship and performance.
- Provide technical guidance and support to the painting team.
- Ensure procedures and approved working practices are consistently followed.
Quality Control
- Maintain the high-quality finish expected within the luxury yacht sector.
- Identify and rectify coating defects including:
- Orange peel
- Runs and sags
- Pinholes
- Blistering
- Cracking
- Poor adhesion
- Colour variation
- Surface contamination
- Coordinate corrective work and rework where necessary.
- Work closely with QA/QC teams during inspections.
- Maintain accurate coating and inspection documentation.
- Monitor Dry Film Thickness (DFT) and other relevant coating parameters.
Production & Project Coordination
- Prepare daily and weekly production plans for the painting department.
- Coordinate activities with other yacht-production disciplines including:
- Composite / lamination
- Carpentry
- Mechanical
- Electrical
- Interior / outfitting
- Ensure painting activities are correctly sequenced within the overall yacht build programme.
- Monitor progress against project schedules.
- Identify potential delays or production issues and communicate them effectively to management.
Materials & Equipment
- Monitor usage of paints, primers, thinners, abrasives, solvents and masking materials.
- Ensure materials are correctly stored and handled.
- Monitor batch numbers, expiry dates and manufacturers' technical documentation.
- Ensure spray equipment, compressors, pumps and sanding equipment are properly maintained.
- Control material consumption and minimise unnecessary waste.
Health, Safety & Environment
- Ensure painting operations are carried out in accordance with strict HSE requirements.
- Enforce correct PPE and respiratory protection.
- Monitor ventilation and environmental conditions within painting areas.
- Ensure paints, solvents and other hazardous materials are stored and handled safely.
- Maintain appropriate fire-safety and confined-space procedures.
Candidate Requirements
The successful candidate should have:
- 5-8 years' experience within yacht painting, marine coatings, shipbuilding, ship repair or a comparable marine environment.
- At least 2-3 years' experience supervising painting teams.
- Strong knowledge of marine coating systems and surface preparation.
- Practical experience with both conventional and airless spray-painting systems.
- Strong understanding of:
- Fairing
- Sanding
- Priming
- Undercoats
- Topcoats
- Clear coats
- Varnishing
- Experience using epoxy, polyurethane and other high-performance marine coating systems.
- Ability to interpret paint specifications and manufacturers' Technical Data Sheets.
- Good knowledge of coating inspection and DFT measurement.
- Strong leadership and manpower-management skills.
- Excellent attention to detail and commitment to achieving high-end finishes.
- Good organisational and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced production environment.
- Good spoken and written English.
Highly Desirable
- Previous luxury yacht or superyacht painting experience.
- Experience within a new-build yacht production environment.
- Technical qualification in Marine Coatings, Painting, Surface Treatment, Shipbuilding or a related discipline.
- Experience working with recognised premium marine coating systems such as Awlgrip, Alexseal, International, Jotun, Hempel or equivalent.
- Experience coordinating painting activities alongside multiple production departments.
The Package
The position offers a strong and competitive salary package, together with benefits appropriate to an international relocation opportunity.
You will have the opportunity to join a growing yacht-building operation, work on technically advanced luxury projects and take responsibility for a key production department within an international team.
Relocation to the UAE is required.