Senior Director, Project Manager

Carnival UK (P&O Cruises & Cunard); Southampton; On-site; GBP 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Carnival Corporate Shipbuilding (CCS) is seeking a Senior Director - Project Manager to lead delivery of a major cruise ship newbuild. This senior role oversees design, build and delivery, ensuring safety, quality, schedule and budget in line with contracts, within a highly collaborative matrix environment.

You will inspire a large multi-disciplinary team with CCS, brands, shipyards, suppliers and regulators, using your strategic and commercial acumen to manage risks and keep momentum.

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience delivering large, complex, high-value projects.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams.
• Experience collaborating with technical and non-technical disciplines.
• Senior managerial experience in shipbuilding or related industries.

Responsibilities

• Deliver assigned newbuild programmes, ensuring safety, quality, schedule, budget and contractual commitments.
• Motivate and empower a large matrix project team.
• Build relationships with shipyards, suppliers, brands and regulators.
• Use negotiation and influencing skills to resolve complex challenges.
• Drive continuous improvement and lessons learned.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Negotiation

Cross-functional leadership

Decision making under pressure

Strategic thinking

Education

Chartered Engineer

Engineering degree

Project Management certification

Job description

At Carnival Corporate Shipbuilding (CCS) we work in a project-based agile way, building empowered project teams through talented colleagues that are organised into Chapters. Our Chapters are made of up colleagues with similar skills, knowledge and expertise in a given specialism who collaborate on talent development, knowledge sharing and problem solving.

At Carnival Corporate Shipbuilding (CCS) we work in a project-based agile way, building empowered project teams through talented colleagues that are organised into Chapters. Our Chapters are made of up colleagues with similar skills, knowledge and expertise in a given specialism who collaborate on talent development, knowledge sharing and problem solving.

We believe in the power of diversity to drive success, valuing a blend of backgrounds, experiences, and skills. If you're passionate about shipbuilding, let’s talk. We’re not just looking for qualifications on paper; we’re searching for someone who can bring fresh ideas and a new perspective to our team, as well as our ships.

Role Overview

Carnival Corporate Shipbuilding (CCS) is responsible for delivering the next generation of innovative, sustainable cruise ships across the Carnival Corporation portfolio of brands. Working in a highly collaborative matrix environment, CCS brings together expertise from across disciplines, brands, shipyards and partners to shape the future of cruising.

We are seeking an experienced and highly capable Senior Director - Project Manager to take overall accountability for the successful delivery of an assigned newbuild project for one of Carnival’s brands. This is a senior project leadership role with responsibility for leading the design, build and delivery of a major cruise ship newbuild, ensuring the project is delivered safely, to quality standards, on schedule, within budget and in line with contractual requirements.

As the assigned project lead, you will inspire and guide a large, multi-disciplinary matrix project team, bringing together resources from CCS, the brands, shipyards, suppliers and regulatory bodies. You will use your project management expertise, technical understanding and commercial awareness to manage risks, resolve complex issues, drive accountability and maintain momentum across a high-value, complex shipbuilding programme.

Key accountabilities include

• Lead the successful delivery of assigned newbuild programmes, taking overall accountability for project performance across safety, quality, schedule, budget and contractual commitments.
• Lead, motivate and empower a large matrix project team, fostering a collaborative, accountable and high-performing culture.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with shipyards, suppliers, brands and regulatory bodies, ensuring effective stakeholder engagement throughout the project lifecycle.
• Use strong negotiation and influencing skills to resolve complex technical, commercial and delivery challenges, whilst maintaining positive and productive partnerships.
• Drive continuous improvement, change management and lessons learned, supporting the successful delivery of current and future newbuild programmes.

Position Requirements

Your ability to think strategically, lead with integrity and inspire those around you is what sets you apart. You are not only an experienced shipbuilding professional, but a values‑led leader who thrives in a complex, matrix organisation and is motivated by making a lasting impact.

You Are Someone Who Brings

• Proven experience leading large, complex, high-value capital projects, ideally within shipbuilding, maritime or comparable engineering environments.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence and engage confidently at all organisational levels.
• Strong negotiation and influencing capability, successfully managing technical, commercial and contractual discussions with shipyards, suppliers and key partners.
• Experience leading large cross-functional or matrix teams, creating alignment, accountability and a high-performance culture.
• The ability to navigate complexity, ambiguity and competing priorities, making sound decisions and resolving challenges under pressure.
• A collaborative and strategic leadership style, balancing long-term objectives with delivery excellence while continuously developing people, capability and ways of working.

Essential experience / qualifications

• Demonstrable experience successfully delivering large, complex and high-value projects.
• Substantial experience leading a cross-functional team.
• Experience working collaboratively with technical teams and non-technical disciplines.
• Substantial experience in shipbuilding, classification societies, ship operators, technical suppliers, engineering firms or similar environments in a senior managerial position.
• Degree qualified in Engineering, Maritime Studies, Project Management, or a related technical discipline, with Chartered Engineer status or a professional qualification in Project Management.

Desirable experience / qualifications

• MSc, MEng or MBA.
• Detailed knowledge of naval architecture and/or marine engineering and their application to cruise ship design and construction.
• Experience developing cruise vessel concept design, balancing technical and operational performance with brand demands for guest experience.
• Experience successfully operating in a matrix organisation.

Why Join Us?

Positioned within our internal structure from CCS15 (entry level) to CCS1 (Senior Vice President), this role is classified as a CCS04, offered as a full-time, permanent position. The role is based in Carnival House, Southampton, and involves working from the office three days a week, including Wednesdays and Thursdays.

We offer a dynamic and inclusive workplace where your work makes a real impact.

Recruitment Journey

For more information on your recruitment journey, please visit our Candidate Journey Map.

About The Team

Corporate Shipbuilding’s core goal is to become the centre of excellence in cruise new builds, assets, refits and innovation for Carnival Corporation. In order to achieve this we are looking to be the employer of choice in the shipbuilding industry, attracting and retaining the best talent. We promote an inclusive culture where difference is respected and valued, within which our people can be themselves, develop and reach their potential. We stand by our Culture Essentials which help us live out our shared commitments across the globe and include our commitment to Speak Up, Respect and Protect, Improve, Communicate, Listen & Learn and Empower.

Carnival Corporation & PLC is a global cruise company and one of the largest holiday companies in the world. Our portfolio of leading cruise brands includes Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and Seabourn in North America; P&O Cruises and Cunard Line in the United Kingdom; AIDA Cruises in Germany; Costa Cruises in Southern Europe; and P&O Cruises in Australia. In Corporate Shipbuilding, we are passionate about building world class vessels for all of these brands. Our award winning prestigious brands employ engaged and passionate people to deliver the highest customer service standards to our loyal customers. It takes great passion and real commitment to maintain our position in the cruise market. That’s why we look for people who share our obsession and drive to provide the most memorable experiences imaginable.

This is your chance to join us on our journey. With full support to enable you to realise your full potential we ensure your career with us is a successful and enjoyable one.