VP, Marine Operations

Disney Cruise Line - The Walt Disney Company; Celebration (FL); On-site; Confidential; Full time

Job summary

Disney Cruise Line - The Walt Disney Company is seeking a visionary executive to lead marine operations and safety across our fleet and private destinations. You will align shipboard command with shoreside Marine and Safety organizations to deliver safe, compliant and guest-centric experiences worldwide.

Ideal candidate has 12+ years in marine or cruise operations with deep regulatory knowledge, executive presence, and the ability to drive strategic change in a complex, global organization.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of relevant experience
• 7+ years in marine/cruise operations management
• senior leadership experience in cruise or maritime operations
• experience with shipboard and shoreside teams
• strong knowledge of guest and crew experience
• familiarity with SOLAS, STCW, IMO and marine standards
• ability to travel domestically and internationally

Responsibilities

• Lead fleetwide marine operations and safety strategy
• Provide leadership to shipboard Captains and shoreside teams
• Ensure compliance with international, flag state, port state and classification requirements
• Oversee Safety Management System governance and environmental stewardship
• Develop and manage operating budgets for Marine Operations and Safety
• Partner with stakeholders across functions to align marine decisions with business goals
• Drive continuous improvement through root-cause analysis and corrective actions

Skills

Marine operations

Leadership

Budget management

Regulatory compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Marine Operations or related field

Tools

Safety Management System

Job description

About the Role:

The Vice President, Marine Operations is the senior executive accountable for fleetwide marine and safety operations across Disney Cruise Line, ensuring vessels and private destinations are operated safely, efficiently, and in full regulatory compliance while delivering an exceptional Guest and Crew experience.

As a key leader within Disney Experiences, this VP shapes marine strategy for a top-rated cruise line, aligning shipboard command and shoreside partners to bring creative, customer-focused, and innovative vacation experiences to life around the world.

Responsibilities:

This executive is accountable for the financial and operational performance of Marine Operations, developing and executing fleetwide marine and safety strategies, and providing full leadership direction to multiple leaders and teams across shipboard and shoreside operations.

The role evaluates key business and organizational challenges, designs innovative solutions within broad company policies, and serves as an influential, persuasive partner across Disney Cruise Line and Disney Experiences to ensure safe, compliant, and guest-centric operations that support the Company's strategic goals.

• Lead the overall strategy, governance, and day-to-day execution of fleetwide marine operations and safety across ships and private destinations, ensuring safe, compliant, efficient, and consistent operations.

• Provide direct leadership, coaching, and operational oversight to shipboard Captains, setting clear expectations and aligning shipboard command with shoreside Marine and Safety organizations and cross-functional partners.

• Ensure vessels are operated in accordance with international, flag state, port state, classification society, and company requirements, maintaining rigorous Safety Management System governance and environmental stewardship.

• Lead shoreside Safety operations, overseeing development, implementation, and continuous improvement of safety policies, contingency plans, and marine/safety procedures that support the Safety Management System.

• Promote a proactive safety culture that moves beyond compliance, reinforcing accountability, transparency, learning, and continuous improvement across ships, private destinations, and relevant shoreside functions.

• Lead Captain, officer, and fleet talent strategies, including performance, succession, readiness, and professional training standards for senior deck officers and marine operations roles, in partnership with HR and fleet leadership.

• Drive operational excellence and continuous improvement by standardizing marine operating practices, incident response, ship-shore communication, and fleet performance, and by leading root-cause reviews and corrective actions for marine and safety events.

• Develop and manage operating budgets for Marine Operations and Safety, balancing safe operations, long-term fleet reliability, and responsible cost management while being fully accountable for financial performance of the function.

• Partner closely with Technical Operations, Hotel and Entertainment Operations, Port Strategy, Commercial Strategy, Legal, HR, Finance, Public Affairs, and other stakeholders to ensure marine decisions support business goals, Guest satisfaction, and Crew experience.

• Inspire individual and business success by clearly communicating the "why" behind decisions, defining strategies, expectations, and priorities, and providing continuous coaching and feedback to E1 and M-band leaders and their teams.

• Develop self and others, support career aspirations, demonstrate care and compassion, and create an environment where Disney values are experienced through creative problem solving, inclusive leadership, and strong team orientation.

• Apply strategic thinking and business insight to evaluate key business and organizational challenges, develop innovative solutions within broad company policies, and act as an influential, persuasive executive voice in internal and external forums.

Required Qualifications:

• Minimum 12 years of relevant experience, including at least 7+ years of management responsibility in marine or cruise operations.

• Significant senior leadership experience in cruise, passenger vessel, or maritime operations, with direct accountability for complex, geographically dispersed operations and strong knowledge of Guest and Crew experience.

• Deep operational knowledge of large passenger vessel operations, shipboard command structures, marine safety, regulatory compliance, voyage planning, and fleet operations.

• Proven experience leading or working closely with Captains, senior deck officers, shipboard leadership teams, and shoreside marine operations teams, including talent development and succession planning for officer pipelines.

• Strong working knowledge of international and port state maritime requirements, including SOLAS, STCW, IMO requirements, Safety Management System obligations, classification rules, and other relevant marine standards.

• Demonstrated ability to lead complex operations in a fast-paced, high-accountability environment, exercising sound maritime judgment and making timely decisions in ambiguous or high-pressure situations.

• Experience overseeing marine safety programs, regulatory inspections, audits, incident investigations, corrective actions, and continuous improvement processes.

• Strong executive presence with the ability to influence senior leaders, shipboard officers, regulators, and cross-functional partners; highly influential, persuasive communicator and collaborator.

• Demonstrated ability to build, lead, and develop high-performing, team-oriented organizations, including senior operational leaders and shipboard leadership pipelines, grounded in Disney values and a customer-focused mindset.

• Strong business acumen, financial discipline, and experience managing operating budgets, P&L accountability, competing priorities, and resource trade-offs for a major marine operation.

• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to translate complex maritime, regulatory, and operational issues for executive, operational, and shipboard audiences in a clear and persuasive manner.

• Ability to travel domestically and internationally to ships, shipyards, ports, private destinations, and international offices as needed.

• Bachelor's Degree or higher in Marine Operations, Nautical Science, Maritime Studies, Engineering, Business Management, or a related field.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior cruise line experience in senior marine, fleet, nautical operations, safety, compliance, or shipboard command leadership roles.

• Prior shipboard leadership experience as Captain, Staff Captain, senior deck officer, or equivalent maritime command role; Master Mariner license or equivalent senior maritime credential preferred.

• Experience leading marine operations during fleet growth, new vessel introduction, private destination expansion, itinerary expansion, or complex operational change, including collaboration with port strategy and development teams.

• Experience partnering with Designated Person Ashore, flag state, port state, classification societies, safety, legal, HR, technical, and environmental teams, and representing the company with regulators, port authorities, industry associations, and external maritime partners.

• Strong understanding of cruise Guest and Crew experience and the operational realities of delivering safe, high-quality service in a 24/7 shipboard environment.

• Advanced degree, maritime academy credential, Master Mariner license, or equivalent professional certification in Marine Operations, Engineering, Business Management, or related field.

The hiring range for this position in Florida is $259,600 to $348,100 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.