Vetting Programme Manager

Oceanic Catering; Chennai District; On-site; INR 2,000,000 - 3,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Oceanic Catering seeks a seasoned Vetting Programme Lead to drive governance and operational excellence across the Vetting function. You will lead Vetting Leads and Officers, ensuring consistent standards, readiness, and proactive risk mitigation across vessel operations.

You will maintain relationships with Oil Majors, OCIMF stakeholders, and charterers, and deliver timely, accurate Vetting deliverables while driving continual improvement in the OSC.

Qualifications

• Experience leading Vetting teams across multiple BU's.
• Strong knowledge of SIRE 2.0, OCIMF, RightShip and Oil Major expectations.
• Proven track record in vessel risk assessment and commercial exposure management.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Act as senior Vetting representative for OSC and lead Vetting Leads and Officers.
• Ensure consistent execution of Vetting processes, standards, and deliverables.
• Conduct governance reviews on vessel readiness, SIRE and RightShip performance, and commercial concerns.
• Oversee responses to vessel rejection, observation closure, and vetting recoveries.
• Maintain pre-inspection risk reviews using ShipSure, PSC performance, and historical observations.
• Provide monthly Vetting performance reviews to senior leadership.

Skills

Vetting leadership

Stakeholder management

Risk assessment

Strategic governance

Data analytics

OCIMF/SIRE/RightShip knowledge

Maritime operations

Education

Bachelor's degree in Maritime/Engineering

Tools

OCIMF Portal

Q88

RightShip Portal

Vetting analytics tools

Job description

Safety & Operational Excellence

• Safety, operational integrity, and commercial assurance remain the highest priority within the Vetting function.
• The Vetting Programme Lead shall:
• Promote a strong and proactive Vetting and HSSEQ culture across all BU’s.
• Ensure vessels are operated, maintained, and presented to Oil Majors in accordance with:
  • OCIMF expectations
  • SIRE 2.0 requirements
  • RightShip expectations
  • Charterer requirements
  • Company standards
• Ensure vetting risks with potential commercial exposure are identified, escalated, and mitigated proactively.

Vetting Governance & Leadership

• Provide strategic leadership and governance to all Vetting Leads and Vetting Officers across the OSC.
• Ensure consistent execution of Vetting processes, standards, and deliverables across all BU’s.
• Establish clear operational expectations, review mechanisms, and quality controls for Vetting activities.
• Conduct periodic governance reviews with Vetting Leads on:
  • Vessel readiness
  • SIRE performance
  • RightShip performance
  • Oil Major concerns
  • Commercial exposure
  • Repeat observations
  • Rejection trends
• Ensure Vetting teams maintain strong operational discipline and deliver flawless service support to internal and external stakeholders.
• Drive continual improvement initiatives across the Vetting function.

Oil Major & Commercial Vetting Management

• Act as the primary escalation point for all critical Vetting matters involving:
  • Oil Major concerns
  • Vessel rejection
  • Vetting disputes
  • High-risk observations
  • SIRE inspection concerns
  • RightShip exposure
• Maintain strong professional relationships with:
  • Oil Majors
  • OCIMF stakeholders
  • RightShip representatives
  • Charterers
  • Owners
  • External Vetting stakeholders
• Ensure concerns raised by Oil Majors are addressed promptly and professionally.
• Oversee responses relating to:
  • Vessel rejection
  • Observation closure
  • Commercial acceptance
  • Vetting recovery actions
• Ensure all rejection cases are investigated, tracked, and corrective actions implemented to prevent recurrence.
• Maintain oversight of all vessel exposure risks prior to commercial presentation.

SIRE 2.0 & RightShip Oversight

• Maintain overall oversight of:
  • SIRE planners
  • RightShip inspection planners
  • Vessel inspection readiness
  • Inspection performance trends
• Ensure vessels are proactively prepared for:
  • SIRE inspections
  • RightShip inspections
  • Commercial screening
• Review high-risk vessels and support Vetting Leads in determining vessel readiness prior to inspection exposure.
• Ensure robust pre-inspection risk reviews are carried out using:
  • ShipSure
  • PSC performance
  • Defects
  • Incidents
  • Open findings
  • Crew matrix concerns
  • Historical observations
• Ensure repeated observations, inspector trends, and inspection company trends are analyzed and circulated proactively.

Oversight of Vetting Operational Deliverables

• Provide oversight and assurance for all Vetting operational deliverables completed by Vetting Leads and Vetting Officers, including:
  • PIQ completion
  • Officers Matrix reviews
  • OCIMF repository management
  • Certificate validation and uploads
  • Photograph management
  • PSC and incident uploads
  • HVPQ / Q88 support
  • SIRE inspection coordination
  • Observation management
  • RightShip submissions
  • GHG verification support
  • Vetting statistics and reporting
• Ensure:
  • Accuracy of submissions
  • Timeliness of deliverables
  • Zero-error mindset
  • Strong quality assurance controls
  • No commercial delays due to Vetting-related deficiencies

Vetting Risk Management

• Develop and maintain a risk-based Vetting oversight model across all BU’s.
• Monitor fleet exposure relating to:
  • PSC performance
  • SIRE observations
  • RightShip safety score
  • Repeat deficiencies
  • High-risk incidents
  • Crew matrix concerns
• Open defects
• Provide risk-based recommendations to Fleet Managers and BU leadership regarding:
  • Vessel exposure
  • Inspection postponement
  • Commercial risk mitigation
• Ensure all high-risk vessels are escalated appropriately.

Stakeholder Management

• Act as the senior Vetting representative for the OSC.
• Maintain effective engagement with:
  • Fleet Managers
  • BU Leadership
  • HSSEQ Teams
  • Technical Teams
  • Marine Teams
  • Owners
  • Charterers
  • Oil Majors
• Participate in senior management reviews and strategic discussions relating to fleet Vetting performance.
• Provide regular Vetting performance insights and strategic updates to the Head of OSC.

Reporting & Performance Analysis

• Develop and maintain Vetting dashboards, performance metrics, and trend analysis across all BU’s.
• Analyze:
  • Repeated observations
  • Oil Major concerns
  • Rejection trends
  • Inspection performance
  • PSC trends
  • RightShip exposure
• Ensure lessons learnt and improvement initiatives are communicated effectively across the organization.
• Provide monthly Vetting performance reviews to senior leadership.

Compliance & Assurance

• Ensure Vetting activities remain aligned with:
  • OCIMF requirements
  • SIRE 2.0 expectations
  • RightShip requirements
  • Industry best practices
  • Internal HSSEQ standards
• Support preparation for:
  • TMSA reviews
  • Internal audits
  • External audits
  • Client reviews
• Liaise closely with HSSEQ leadership to ensure alignment between Vetting and HSSEQ objectives.

Development & Continual Improvement

• Identify opportunities for improvement within:
  • Vetting systems
  • Inspection readiness
  • Reporting frameworks
  • Digital tools
  • Commercial assurance processes
• Support development of:
  • Vetting playbooks
  • Guidance documents
  • Best practice circulars
  • Lessons learnt bulletins
• Mentor and develop Vetting Leads and Vetting Officers to build long-term capability within the OSC.

Interal Interfaces

• Head of Operations Support Centre
• Vetting Leads
• Vetting Officers
• Fleet Managers
• Marine Operations Team
• Technical Compliance Team
• HSSEQ Team
• Pre-Fixture Team
• BU Leadership Teams
• Shipboard Senior Officers

External Interfaces

• Oil Majors
• RightShip
• Charterers
• Vessel Owners
• Inspectors
• Classification Societies
• External Auditors
• Port State Authorities
• OCIMF
• Q88
• P&I Clubs

• Strong maritime operational background with extensive experience in Vetting, Marine Operations, HSSEQ, or Fleet Management.
• Overall experience is not less than 5 years in Vetting / Marine Assurance / Fleet Operations roles,
• More than 2 years of experience as,
  • Vetting Lead or Vetting Manager
  • Fleet Manager
  • HSSEQ Manager or HSSEQ Lead
  • Marine Assurance Lead
• Extensive knowledge of:
  • SIRE 2.0
  • OCIMF requirements
  • RightShip requirements
  • Oil Major expectations
  • Tanker / Bulk carrier commercial assurance processes
• Strong understanding of:
  • ISM Code
  • ISPS Code
  • MARPOL
  • SOLAS
  • TMSA
  • DryBMS
  • PSC regimes
• Proven experience managing high-risk Vetting matters, vessel rejection cases, and stakeholder escalations.
• Strong leadership, decision-making, and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong analytical capability with ability to assess commercial and operational risk.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Experience engaging with multinational and multicultural teams.
• Strong working knowledge of:
  • OCIMF Portal
  • Q88
  • RightShip Portal
  • Vetting analytical tools

• Sailing experience as:
  • Chief Officer or Master on Tankers/Bulk Carriers,OR
  • Senior Marine Engineer with relevant operational exposure.
• Previous experience interacting directly with:
  • Oil Majors
  • Charterers
  • External inspectors
  • Vetting authorities
• Recognized Incident Investigation qualification.
• Experience supporting:
  • TMSA audits
  • Commercial assurance programs
  • Fleet performance governance
• Strong data analytics and performance reporting capability.