Ship Superintendent

Darwin Recruitment; Massachusetts; On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Darwin Recruitment seeks a Ship Superintendent to lead on-site vessel repair and industrial projects in a fast-paced shipyard/marine setting. You will oversee production activities, workforce allocations, subcontractors, schedules, safety, and quality from arrival through project completion.

You will collaborate with project management, vessel personnel, inspectors, and customers to meet contract, regulatory, and quality requirements, while coaching teams and driving continuous improvements.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of ship repair or related field.
• Minimum 3 years in a supervisory role in shipyard/marine context.
• Ability to read and interpret technical drawings, specs, and contracts.
• Experience managing vessel repair, dry dock, or industrial projects.

Responsibilities

• Direct and coordinate daily vessel repair, maintenance, and production activities per schedules and milestones.
• Supervise foremen, craft personnel, subcontractors, and other resources; coordinate priorities.
• Review and interpret drawings, specs, work packages, and project requirements.
• Serve as primary on-site contact for customers, vessel reps, inspectors, and regulatory personnel.
• Monitor progress, identify issues, and implement corrective actions to maintain productivity.
• Promote safety culture; ensure OSHA and environmental compliance.
• Coordinate quality inspections, testing, and documentation; ensure standards.
• Manage materials, equipment, vessel access, staging, and subcontractor activities.
• Maintain accurate project docs; support change orders and closeout.
• Provide leadership, mentoring, and performance guidance to production staff.

Skills

Shipping/Marine Ops

Leadership

Project Coordination

Communication

Problem-Solving

Safety Management

Read Technical Drawings

Scheduling

Vendor/Subcontractor Coordination

Education

Associate's degree or higher in Marine Engineering/related

Tools

Microsoft Office

OSHA 30-Hour

Job description

The Ship Superintendent is responsible for the day-to-day leadership, coordination, and execution of assigned vessel repair, maintenance, and industrial marine projects. Serving as the primary on-site operational leader, this role oversees production activities, workforce allocation, subcontractors, materials, schedules, safety, quality, and customer coordination from vessel arrival through project completion. The Ship Superintendent works closely with project management, customers, vessel personnel, inspectors, and internal support teams to ensure projects are delivered safely, efficiently, on schedule, and in accordance with contractual, regulatory, and quality requirements. The position requires strong leadership, communication, problem-solving, and organizational skills within a fast-paced shipyard or marine industrial environment.

Responsibilities:

• Direct and coordinate daily vessel repair, maintenance, and production activities, ensuring work is executed according to project schedules, specifications, and established milestones.
• Supervise foremen, craft personnel, subcontractors, and other production resources while effectively coordinating workforce assignments and priorities.
• Review and interpret technical drawings, specifications, work packages, contracts, and project requirements to ensure accurate execution of work.
• Serve as the primary on-site point of contact for customers, vessel representatives, inspectors, surveyors, and regulatory personnel, providing regular project updates and resolving operational concerns.
• Monitor project progress, identify production or scheduling issues, and implement corrective actions to maintain productivity and schedule performance.
• Promote and enforce a strong safety culture, including compliance with applicable OSHA requirements, environmental regulations, company policies, customer requirements, PPE standards, and safe work practices.
• Coordinate quality inspections, testing, documentation, and acceptance activities while ensuring completed work meets contractual, customer, and regulatory standards.
• Coordinate materials, equipment, vessel access, staging, subcontractor activities, and other resources required to support efficient project execution.
• Maintain accurate project documentation, including daily reports, labor utilization, production progress, change conditions, safety observations, work package status, and project milestones; support change orders and project closeout.
• Provide leadership, mentoring, and performance guidance to production personnel while promoting accountability, teamwork, professionalism, effective labor relations, and continuous improvement.

Requirements:

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in ship repair, shipyard operations, marine construction, industrial maintenance, or a closely related field.
• Minimum of 3 years of supervisory or leadership experience in a production, shipyard, marine, construction, or industrial environment.
• Experience managing or supervising vessel repair projects, dry dock availabilities, ship maintenance projects, or comparable industrial work is preferred.
• Associate's degree or higher in Marine Engineering, Maritime Studies, Construction Management, Business Management, or a related discipline is preferred; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
• Strong understanding of shipyard production processes, marine systems, vessel repair practices, and industrial work environments.
• Ability to read and interpret technical drawings, specifications, contracts, work packages, and other project documentation.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and coordinate employees, subcontractors, materials, equipment, and multiple concurrent work activities in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent verbal and written communication, customer service, organizational, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office and standard project documentation/reporting practices; OSHA 30-Hour certification is preferred.
• Ability to work aboard vessels and in active shipyard environments, including climbing ladders, accessing dry docks and confined spaces, standing/walking for extended periods, working in varying weather conditions, and supporting extended, weekend, or shift hours as project requirements dictate.