Manager, Special Projects

About this role

• Supports the development and management of projects and project personnel in alignment with company and regulatory requirements
• Leads and contributes to the planning, definition, and execution of assigned projects, ensuring all activities comply with company policies, established procedures, maritime legislation, and applicable flag-state and classification society requirements. Provides oversight and guidance to project team members, establishing clear expectations, monitoring performance, and ensuring work is executed safely, efficiently, and to the required quality standards.
• Monitors project progress and action plans while providing regular updates to senior management
• Tracks schedule, budget, risks, and deliverables across multiple concurrent projects by utilizing appropriate project management methodologies and tools. Develops and distributes timely progress reports, dashboards, and variance analyses to senior management, highlighting trends, potential challenges, and recommended corrective actions to maintain project alignment with strategic objectives.
• Supports project implementation and completion through cross-functional collaboration
• Facilitates smooth project execution by coordinating activities among suppliers, contractors, shipyards, and multi-disciplinary departments both shoreside and onboard. Ensures all stakeholders understand project scope, technical requirements, timelines, and deliverables. Drives issue resolution and fosters a collaborative environment to achieve successful and timely project outcomes.
• Reviews and submits regulatory documentation and plans to Classification Societies
• Prepares, reviews, and compiles all mandatory regulatory documents, engineering drawings, and technical plans required for submission to the relevant Classification Society. Ensures accuracy, completeness, and alignment with statutory and class rules before submission, and follows up to address comments, queries, or required revisions to secure timely plan approval.
• Provides recommendations and facilitates issue resolution across internal and external stakeholders
• Assesses project-related risks, technical challenges, and stakeholder feedback; develops well-informed recommendations to support decision-making. Ensures effective communication among shipboard personnel, Classification Societies, shipyards, and suppliers to resolve issues promptly and maintain project continuity and compliance.
• Conducts ship surveys, site visits, and attends dry-dock periods as required
• Performs onboard surveys, inspections, and condition assessments to validate project requirements, verify installation quality, and monitor progress. Participates in dry-dock periods as needed, overseeing work execution, confirming adherence to specifications, and coordinating corrective actions to address deficiencies or emergent issues.
• Collaborates with other Corporate brands to evaluate technology and project initiatives
• Engages with technical and operational counterparts across Corporate brand groups to exchange insights, review emerging technologies, and evaluate potential project concepts. Identifies opportunities to enhance fleet performance, create operational efficiencies, standardize best practices, and deliver cost-saving or value-generating solutions across the enterprise.
• Ensures integrated and safe project solutions through cross-stakeholder coordination
• Works closely with shipboard management, shipyards, contractors, and classification representatives to ensure that proposed solutions are technically sound, operationally feasible, and implemented safely. Promotes seamless integration of new equipment, system modifications, or upgrades into shipboard operations while upholding the highest safety and compliance standards.
• Scope: Manage multi-disciplinary, cross-functional teams with ongoing or new projects to ensure projects are implemented in the saftest, most efficient and sustainable means possible. Lead the Electrical Engineering processes and project design activities through development and execution of projects through to installation, commissioning and operations onboard. Ensure that projects are engineered and completed in line with the Brands strategies and vision. Support development of procedures to improve working efficiency of the team using new or updated processes and tools. Support development of new emissions reduction, environmental and sustainability initiatives through independent research, collaboration within the company or corporation and collaborating with 3rd party suppliers, contracting companies and consultants, in order to maintain compliance with current and future legislation.
• Problem Solving: The Manager-Special Projects will be expected undertake the ownership of an assigned project from the conceptual design phase, plan the execution phase and arrange the appropriation and release of the required funding. The Manager will be responsible for the vetting of and selection of the required vendors and other stakeholders to ensure project success, along with specifying scopes of work, raising sub-contracts, and controlling spend. In addition to managing the engineering, procurement and logistical phases of the project(s) assigned, the Manager-Special Projects will coordinate all aspects of the installation onboard, commissioning, training and handover of projects into service, through a combination of planning, engineering, change management, stakeholder management and clear communications throughout. The Manager-Special Projects will be responsible for defining the level of resource and support they will need in order to successfully complete the project, and to make the necessary request for the allocation of that resource to work on their project team. Additionally, the Manager-Special Projects will contribute to research and development activities carried out by the Team and aimed at achieving future business goals, providing input based on their own experience, knowledge and technical understanding.
• Impact: The Manager-Special Projects role will ensure the safe and continuous technical operations of the fleet, in a compliant manner, whilst also further the Corporation's sustainability goals and reducing business operational costs, increasing profitability.
• Leadership: The Manager-Special Projects will typically be assigned individual projects, or multiples thereof, with capital plan values up to ca. $2.0M each. They will be responsible for the control of the finances for allocated project(s) and the spend. The Manager-Special Projects will identify and request the necessary personnel, skill-sets and resources needed to successfully complete the project objectives. A cross-functional team will be created and all relevant inter-departmental stakeholders and team members clearly identified and secured. The Manager-Special projects will then be responsible for managing that team throughout the project until completion. Additionally, Seagoing/shipboard personnel will be seconded to work under the Manager-Special Projects throughout the execution phase of the assigned project, along with members of other departments in a "dotted line" arrangement. In order to successfully manage the assigned project(s) through the various phases through to successful completion requires the Manager-Special Projects to continuously exhibit strong leadership skills in terms of communication, empowerment, motivational techniques and perseverance. The management of the required cross-functional teams also necessitates empathy, negotiation skills and understanding due to the potential for conflicting priorities and goals with in the Business.
• Proficient in the use of computer business applications and project planning/management tools
• Understanding of project commercial cost analysis & negotiation
• Strong written and oral communication skills, for presenting, negotiating, and resolving technical, inter-personal and commercial