Fleet Maintenance Engineer | Sea-Ready Vessels & Refits

SailFuture; Saint Petersburg (FL); On-site; USD 59,000 - 72,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

15 days PTO

11 paid holidays

401(k) with 6% match

$250 health insurance contribution

Job summary

SailFuture in St. Petersburg, FL, is seeking an experienced ship systems technician to keep five vessels operational and ready for sea.

You will open machinery spaces, diagnose failures, source parts, and direct specialists as needed, with travel to vessels and shipyards. You’ll implement preventative maintenance, oversee refits and shipyard periods, manage vendors and parts, and ensure safety and regulatory compliance so voyages depart with adequate spares aboard.

Qualifications

• Substantial professional experience maintaining, repairing, or operating complex recreational, commercial, or large-yacht vessels.
• Hands-on experience with marine diesel, generators, DC and AC electrical systems, inverters and battery systems.
• Ability to read wiring diagrams, schematics, and mechanical drawings.
• Ability to run a project and hold shipyards and contractors accountable.
• Organized records and documentation.
• Willing to travel internationally and work in engine rooms.
• Valid driver’s license and passport.

Responsibilities

• Build and run a preventative maintenance program for every vessel.
• Diagnose and repair engines, generators, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, hydraulics, and refrigeration.
• Do the work yourself or decide when a specialist is needed.
• Keep logs, service histories, manuals, and spare parts inventories current.
• Make sure critical spares are aboard before any offshore voyage.
• Set daily through annual maintenance routines with captains and crew.
• Assess vessel condition and build prioritized scopes of work for refits.
• Prepare budgets, schedules, equipment specs, and bid packages.
• Evaluate shipyard and contractor proposals, then keep projects on time and on budget.
• Inspect the work, run commissioning and sea trials, and update the documentation.
• Build a bench of trusted shipyards, contractors, and suppliers.
• Negotiate pricing, define scopes, and check invoices against completed work.
• Source parts domestically and internationally, including obsolete equipment.
• Make the repair vs. replace call.
• Help captains close out findings from inspections, surveys, and audits.
• Support flag-state, classification, insurance, and safety requirements.
• Plan for machinery failures and emergency response.

Skills

Marine diesel

Generators

DC/AC electrical systems

Inverters & battery systems

Plumbing

HVAC & refrigeration

Hydraulics

Watermakers

Marine electronics

Fiberglass

Carpentry

Education

USCG credential or STCW

Job description

SailFuture in St. Petersburg, FL, is seeking an experienced ship systems technician to keep five vessels operational and ready for sea.

You will open machinery spaces, diagnose failures, source parts, and direct specialists as needed, with travel to vessels and shipyards. You’ll implement preventative maintenance, oversee refits and shipyard periods, manage vendors and parts, and ensure safety and regulatory compliance so voyages depart with adequate spares aboard.