Principal Mariner

This is a brilliant and rare opportunity to join a market-leading marine practice in the UK, with a long pedigree in the Maritime sector, globally. It is also an opportunity for the right person to come ashore and hone their advisory skills, if they have not already had the chance to.

Firstly, it must be mentioned that our client are not a vessel operator, and this therefore immediately changes the cultural mindset we are looking for from this person. This profile should have vessel-based experience (a Master Mariner would be an obvious fit) but more than this, we are looking for a "thinking mariner" — someone who can look beyond standard procedures and approach challenges with initiative, sound judgement and creativity.

This role requires a professional who is proactive in everything they do, comfortable operating independently, and confident in engaging with clients and stakeholders. The successful candidate will not only deliver high-quality consultancy and assurance services, but will also play a key role in helping to grow and shape our client’s offering. Over time, this individual will be encouraged to build and develop services through their own professional reputation and personal brand, contributing to business growth and strengthening our client’s presence in the market.

The Role

Our client (an international marine business) are seeking a Principal Mariner to undertake and manage a range of marine assurance, consultancy and advisory services across multiple clients and projects. You will be responsible for the day-to-day management of mariner-based work, allocation of resources, maintenance of client relationships, business and product development, and the preparation of tenders. The role will involve representing our client at on-site and offshore locations. Travel will be required, sometimes at short notice, to attend surveys, inspections and client meetings - but this will be managed by this person.

Key Responsibilities

• Project manage and deliver high-quality marine consultancy services
• Coordinate project work and vessel attendances for marine assurance activities
• Take responsibility for the financial performance of UK mariner-based projects
• Provide technical leadership and advice to clients and colleagues
• Deliver marine assurance, vessel inspection, advisory and consultancy projects
• Maintain and develop a pool of independent mariners in line with competence and capacity requirements
• Assess the experience and competence of potential candidates to ensure high-quality service delivery
• Contribute to the development of new services and initiatives to improve capability and competitiveness
• Support internal training and knowledge sharing
• Undertake business development activities, including:

• Identifying new opportunities
• Building and maintaining client and stakeholder relationships
• Preparing marketing materials and tender submissions

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

• Certified Master Mariner (Unlimited STCW II/2 CoC)
• Sea-going experience as Master or Chief Officer in offshore oil, gas and/or renewable energy sectors
• Experience in one or more of the following:

• Rigid pipelay
• Flexible lay
• Heavy lift
• Dynamic positioning (DP)
• Anchor handling
• Rig moves
• Towage
• Supply operations

Core Competencies

• Effective leadership of project teams and cross-disciplinary collaboration
• Professional communication and stakeholder influence
• Ability to assess alternative engineering approaches and apply risk-based solutions
• Strong project management capability
• Commercial awareness and sound decision-making
• Proactive, confident and self-motivated approach

If this sounds like it could be you - or someone you know, we would love to hear from you!