Afloat Services Supervisor

Balaena; South Shields; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 58,000; Full time

Job summary

Balaena Tyne is seeking an experienced Afloat Services Supervisor to plan, mobilise and deliver ship repair projects, coordinating labour, equipment, materials and subcontractors to meet safety and quality standards.

This role involves visiting vessels and customer sites, turning scopes into clear plans, leading teams on site, and maintaining accurate records while traveling as required. There is potential development toward senior management roles within the Afloat Services team.

Qualifications

• Experience in shipbuilding, ship repair, fabrication, marine or a similar engineering environment.
• Ability to lead teams clearly and confidently, while remaining hands-on and approachable.
• Organised, methodical and able to manage changing priorities.
• Excellent communication with customers, colleagues, subcontractors and managers.
• Safety, quality and good housekeeping are fundamental to successful delivery.
• Previous supervisory or management experience, or readiness to take the next step.
• Holds a full driving licence and can travel to customer and project locations as required.
• Brings resilience, practical judgement and a positive outlook when challenges arise.

Responsibilities

• Supervising afloat repair projects from preparation and mobilisation through to completion.
• Visiting vessels, agreeing scopes with customers and helping to create clear, workable job packages.
• Coordinating labour, subcontractors, equipment, materials and consumables.
• Completing readiness checks and arranging transport to and from customer sites.
• Keeping accurate job, cost and purchasing records, with the right purchase orders in place.
• Recording, pricing and responding to customer enquiries, escalating technical or commercial queries when needed.
• Keeping the Afloat Services Manager informed and working closely with colleagues to deliver for the customer.
• Leading safe working practices, maintaining high standards of housekeeping and supporting HSEQ inspections and investigations.

Job description

Not Your Typical Supervisory Role. Not Your Typical Workplace.

Location: Balaena Tyne, with travel to project and customer sites as required.

If you enjoy solving practical problems, leading from the front and delivering work where no two projects are the same, this could be your next move.

We’re looking for an Afloat Services Supervisor to help plan, mobilise and deliver ship repair projects at Balaena Tyne. You’ll coordinate skilled people, equipment, materials and subcontractors, making sure every job is completed safely, efficiently and to the standard our customers expect.

This is a role for someone who takes ownership. Someone who can turn a scope of work into a clear plan, keep teams focused under pressure and respond calmly when priorities change.

Who are we?

With a combined workforce of more than 2,000 employees and operations spanning Gibraltar, Padstow, Tyne, Birkenhead and Falmouth, Balaena is one of the UK’s most dynamic and regionally anchored maritime groups.

The integration of our facilities has created one of the world’s most capable ship repair and shipbuilding groups, with a network of 12 dry docks and strategic reach across the UK and the Mediterranean.

At Tyne, our Afloat Services team takes engineering expertise directly to vessels and customer locations. As we continue to grow as One Balaena, we need supervisors who combine strong trade knowledge with practical leadership, commercial awareness and an uncompromising approach to safety.

What will you be doing?

• Supervising afloat repair projects from preparation and mobilisation through to completion.
• Visiting vessels, agreeing scopes with customers and helping to create clear, workable job packages.
• Coordinating labour, subcontractors, equipment, materials and consumables.
• Completing readiness checks and arranging transport to and from customer sites.
• Keeping accurate job, cost and purchasing records, with the right purchase orders in place.
• Recording, pricing and responding to customer enquiries, escalating technical or commercial queries when needed.
• Keeping the Afloat Services Manager informed and working closely with colleagues to deliver for the customer.
• Leading safe working practices, maintaining high standards of housekeeping and supporting HSEQ inspections and investigations.

Who are we looking for?

We’re looking for a time-served tradesperson from a fabrication, marine or related engineering discipline who is ready to take responsibility for people, projects and customer delivery.

This role will suit someone who:

• Has experience in shipbuilding, ship repair, fabrication, marine or a similar engineering environment.
• Can lead teams clearly and confidently, while remaining hands-on and approachable.
• Is organised, methodical and able to manage changing priorities.
• Communicates well with customers, colleagues, subcontractors and managers.
• Understands that safety, quality and good housekeeping are fundamental to successful delivery.
• Has previous supervisory or management experience, or is ready to take that next step.
• Holds a full driving licence and can travel to customer and project locations as required.
• Brings resilience, practical judgement and a positive outlook when challenges arise.

What’s in it for you?

You’ll join an experienced team that works together, supports each other and takes pride in delivering high-quality work. You’ll have the opportunity to strengthen your project, commercial, purchasing and customer-management skills, with potential development towards Afloat Services Manager or Project Manager.

If you’d like to get a feel for who we are, what we do and where we’re heading, check us out online. Come and help us deliver something exceptional.