Marine Systems Operations Manager

CORE Group; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

CORE Group Resources is seeking an Operations Manager to run the day-to-day marine systems unit. You will own the full operational picture—from project delivery and staffing to sourcing materials and maintaining safety, quality, and on-time, on-budget performance.

You will lead a team of engineers, project managers, and field service technicians across locations, set KPIs, manage the budget, and serve as the primary point of contact for shipowners and shipyards.

Qualifications

• Engineering degree (marine, electrical, automation, or similar) preferred; substantial hands-on maritime operations experience can substitute.
• Solid background in ship systems, vessel services, shipboard equipment.
• History of leading engineering, project, operations, or field service teams, ideally multidisciplinary and spread across locations or countries.
• Working knowledge of vessel electrical distribution, automation and control systems, propulsion, or integrated bridge/vessel systems.
• Fluent in project execution fundamentals: budgeting, cost tracking, resource planning, and performance reporting.
• Comfortable juggling several active projects, priorities, and teams at once.
• Direct client-facing experience with shipowners or operators and a service-first mindset.
• Strong communicator, organizer, and problem solver who can make sound operational and commercial calls independently.
• U.S. work authorization required.

Responsibilities

• Run the operational side of a marine systems business unit across delivery, engineering support, and customer service.
• Translate goals into an operating plan with targets for growth, margin, and client commitments.
• Manage engineers, project managers, and field service technicians, including hiring and performance management.
• Own scheduling, procurement, shipping, logistics, quality control, and performance metrics.
• Build and manage the annual operating budget and track results monthly.
• Define KPIs for cost, on-time delivery, quality, productivity, utilization, and customer satisfaction.
• Identify schedule slips and cost overruns and bring projects back on track.
• Lead improvements to make the business faster, leaner, more profitable.
• Keep working capital and headcount aligned across concurrent projects.
• Ensure delivered work meets technical, schedule, and responsiveness standards.
• Serve as senior contact for shipowners, fleet operators, shipyards, vendors.
• Join client conversations on scope, execution approach, and problem resolution.
• Uphold HSE, quality, ethics, and compliance.
• Set a tone of ownership, teamwork, safety, and customer focus.

Skills

Project execution

Budgeting

Resource planning

Leadership teams

Client-facing

Maritime operations

Vessel systems

Electrical distribution

Automation control

HSE

Education

Engineering degree in marine/electrical/automation

Job description

Operations Manager – Marine Electrical & Automation

About the Role

Core Group Resources is looking for an Operations Manager to run the day-to-day business of its marine systems group. You'll own the full operational picture: how projects get executed, how engineering and field teams are staffed and scheduled, how materials get sourced, how quality is upheld, and how the P&L performs. This is a hands-on leadership seat for someone who has grown up in the maritime world, understands what happens on a vessel and in a shipyard, and can hold a team accountable to safe, on-time, on-budget delivery while keeping shipowners and operators happy.

What You'll Do

• Run the operational side of a marine systems business unit covering project delivery, engineering support, and customer service work.
• Translate company goals into an operating plan with clear targets for growth, margin, and client commitments, then execute against it.
• Manage and grow a mixed team of engineers, project managers, and field service technicians, including hiring, coaching, and performance management.
• Own scheduling, resource allocation, purchasing, shipping and logistics, quality control, and the metrics that show whether the operation is performing.
• Build and manage the annual operating budget; track results monthly and act quickly when numbers drift.
• Define KPIs for cost, on-time delivery, quality, productivity, billable utilization, and customer satisfaction, and report on them regularly.
• Spot trouble early (schedule slips, scope creep, staffing gaps, cost overruns) and get projects back on track.
• Lead improvement efforts that make the business faster, leaner, and more profitable.
• Keep working capital and headcount deployed efficiently across concurrent projects.
• Make sure delivered work meets the technical, schedule, and responsiveness standards clients expect.
• Serve as a senior point of contact for shipowners, fleet operators, shipyards, subcontractors, and vendors.
• Join client conversations on technical scope, execution approach, service planning, and problem resolution.
• Uphold HSE, quality, ethics, and compliance requirements across all activities.
• Set the tone for a culture built on ownership, teamwork, safety, and doing right by the customer.

What We're Looking For

• Engineering degree (marine, electrical, automation, or similar) preferred at the bachelor's or master's level; substantial hands-on maritime operations experience can substitute.
• Solid background in ship systems, vessel services, shipboard equipment, or adjacent maritime work.
• History of leading engineering, project, operations, or field service teams, ideally multidisciplinary and spread across locations or countries.
• Working knowledge of vessel electrical distribution, automation and control systems, propulsion, or integrated bridge/vessel systems strongly preferred.
• Fluent in project execution fundamentals: budgeting, cost tracking, resource planning, and performance reporting.
• Comfortable juggling several active projects, priorities, and teams at once.
• Direct client-facing experience with shipowners or operators and a service-first mindset.
• Strong communicator, organizer, and problem solver who can make sound operational and commercial calls independently.
• U.S. work authorization required.

Nice to Have

• Background in vessel power and propulsion, lifecycle/aftermarket service, newbuild commissioning, retrofit programs, or ship repair.
• Prior ownership of a P&L, including forecasting and cost management for an engineering or field service group.
• Experience standing up KPI frameworks and continuous improvement programs in a client-facing environment with shipyards and marine contractors.