Project Manager - Aquaculture & Fishing

118 Damen Shipyards Maaskant B.V.; Stellendam; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Profit-sharing

Pension

Vacation days

ADV days

Damen Academy

Travel allowance

Job summary

Damen Aquaculture & Fishing in Stellendam, the Netherlands, is seeking a Project Manager to take overall responsibility for international newbuild vessel projects within our Aquaculture & Fishing portfolio, from contract handover through construction, sea trials and delivery.

You lead the project team, coordinate with customers, yards, suppliers and the project team, and ensure delivery safely, on time, within budget and in line with the contract.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Naval Architecture, Business Administration or Mechanical Engineering.
• Experience as project manager of complex newbuild vessel or comparable technical projects.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary project teams and engineers.
• Strong understanding of naval architecture, systems integration and vendor data.
• Strong commercial, contractual, and risk management skills.
• Experience working with international customers and yards.

Responsibilities

• Deliver the project from contract handover through construction, sea trials, delivery and warranty to agreed close-out.
• Lead the Project Manager Engineering, setting targets for scope, schedule, budget and deliverables.
• Report on progress, forecasts, risks and decisions to the Project Board and escalate issues timely.
• Translate contract, specification and customer requirements into a controlled scope, plan and budget.
• Coordinate with the Product Group, the building yard, procurement, planning, production and quality.
• Build constructive relationships with the customer, classification societies and authorities.
• Manage commercial and financial aspects: budget, cost control, cash flow, variation orders, claims and risks.
• Manage project risks, opportunities, deviations and change requests and assess impact.
• Steer supplier and subcontractor selection, vendor data, procurement progress and timely delivery.
• Coordinate construction at international build locations and ensure compliance with standards.
• Capture lessons learned and strengthen standardisation across the portfolio.

Skills

Project management

Team leadership

Risk management

Budget control

Stakeholder management

Scheduling

Education

Naval Architecture

Business Administration

Mechanical Engineering

Job description

We offer you an Ocean of Possibilities. Join our family. About Us At Damen Aquaculture & Fishing, we are dedicated to designing and delivering innovative vessels for the aquaculture and fishing industries. As a specialised product group within Damen Shipyards, we operate from Stellendam, the Netherlands, serving customers around the world. Our portfolio includes aquaculture support vessels and fishing vessels that are developed in close collaboration with our clients and built at Damen shipyards worldwide. Designed to perform reliably in demanding environments, our vessels are supported throughout their lifecycle with expert service and maintenance. As part of the Damen Group, we contribute to sustainable, efficient, and future-ready maritime solutions. With a strong focus on customer needs, technical excellence, and teamwork, we offer an ocean of possibilities for ambitious maritime professionals. The Role As Project Manager, you take overall responsibility for international newbuild vessel projects within Damen’s Aquaculture & Fishing portfolio, from contract handover through construction, sea trials and delivery to agreed close-out. You are the central point of contact for the customer, the building yard, suppliers and the project team, and you are accountable for delivering each vessel safely, on time, within budget and in line with the contract. You lead the project team and make sure that design, vendor data, system integration, procurement and production come together in one coherent, buildable and commercially sound project. With a completed bachelor’s or master’s degree in Naval Architecture, Business Administration or Mechanical Engineering, you combine technical understanding with commercial insight. You can challenge choices, manage risks and drive decision-making across disciplines.

Key Accountabilities

• Deliver the project from contract handover through construction, sea trials, delivery and warranty to agreed close-out.
• Manage the Project Manager Engineering, setting clear targets so that engineering scope, schedule, budget and deliverables support the project plan.
• Report on progress, forecasts, risks and decisions to the Project Board, and elevate issues in a timely manner.
• Translate the contract, specification and customer requirements into a controlled project scope, plan and budget, and safeguard the contract baseline.
• Coordinate with the Product Group, the building yard, procurement, planning, production and quality.
• Build constructive relationships with the customer, classification societies and authorities throughout construction and trials.
• Manage the commercial and financial aspects of the project, including budget, cost control, cash flow, payment milestones, variation orders, claims and contractual risks.
• Manage project risks, opportunities, deviations and change requests, including assessment of their impact on cost, schedule, performance and the contract.
• Together with procurement and engineering, steer supplier and subcontractor selection, vendor data, procurement progress and timely delivery of key equipment.
• Coordinate construction at international build locations and partner yards, and ensure compliance with HSEQ, class, flag-state and Damen standards and processes.
• Capture lessons learned, improve standardisation and strengthen project delivery across the Aquaculture & Fishing portfolio.

Skills & Experience

• A completed bachelor’s or master’s degree in Naval Architecture, Business Administration or Mechanical Engineering.
• Proven experience as project manager of complex newbuild vessel or comparable technical projects, preferably in shipbuilding, workboats, offshore, fishing or aquaculture.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary project teams and engineering managers.
• Sufficient understanding of the vessel design and engineering process, including naval architecture, systems integration and vendor data, to challenge technical choices and assess their impact on cost and schedule.
• Strong commercial and contractual skills, including budget and cash-flow control, variation orders, claims and risk management.
• Strong project control skills, including planning, progress measurement, forecasting, change management and reporting.
• Experience working with international customers, shipyards, suppliers and classification societies, and the ability to lead discussions with them.
• A stand-alone, decisive and hands‑on approach, with strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Professional proficiency in English; Dutch or Norwegian is an advantage.
• Willingness to travel internationally to customers, suppliers and building locations.

What We Offer

• A technology-driven workplace focused on innovation and maritime excellence.
• A competitive salary aligned with your experience and expertise.
• Profit-sharing and a pension contribution.
• A minimum of 25 vacation days and 13 additional ADV days.
• Extensive opportunities for professional and personal development through the Damen Academy.
• A travel allowance.
• The opportunity to contribute to innovative and sustainable vessel designs that make a difference worldwide.
• A collaborative and informal working culture in which your ideas and initiative are valued.

What success looks like

The vessel is delivered safely, on time, within budget and in line with the contract and specification, to a satisfied customer. The project team works from one controlled scope, schedule, budget and technical baseline. The Project Board receives transparent and reliable reporting, and risks and deviations are escalated early. Engineering, procurement, supplier data and production are aligned, so construction proceeds without avoidable delays. Changes and variation orders are assessed and agreed with the customer before execution, protecting the margin and the contract position. Trusted relationships with customers, yards, suppliers and class, and lessons learned that feed back into our standardised vessel designs.

Working at Damen means contributing to the highest quality in shipbuilding, with an eye to the future and future generations. We want to make the world a better place by becoming the most sustainable maritime solution provider. For that, we need you. Become part of our family. We are Damen. We’re a family company that has been building ships for almost 100 years. However, our focus is not on the past, however – we’re looking forward. Our ambition is to become the most sustainable and connected maritime solutions provider there is. To achieve this, we combine digital technology with our philosophy of standardised shipbuilding to offer a portfolio of services that takes care of vessels throughout the entire lifecycle. Working at Damen offers the best of several worlds. Active in more than 100 countries, with over 30 shipyards, we are internationally renowned for quality. And we are still growing, still innovating. Which means we will continue to challenge you. You will never stop learning, and you will never get bored – we promise you that. We offer you an ocean of possibilities. Join our family.