About the role
This is a rare opportunity to lead high-value naval and commercial marine maintenance programmes, delivering critical capability to the RNZN. You’ll oversee complex dockyard operations, ensuring projects run safely, on time, and within budget, while maintaining exceptional quality and contractual performance.
Working at the heart of maritime engineering, you’ll lead skilled teams, influence stakeholders, and drive continuous improvement across ship maintenance and installation activity. If you thrive in fast-paced dockyard environments and want to make a measurable impact on fleet readiness and operational excellence, this role puts you at the centre of it.
About you
You are an experienced marine professional with deep expertise in shipbuilding, dockyard operations, or naval maintenance environments. You confidently lead teams delivering complex engineering projects, balancing safety, cost, schedule, and quality. You build strong stakeholder relationships and thrive under pressure to restore operational capability quickly. Your background combines hands-on maritime knowledge with strong project management discipline. You are commercially aware, detail-focused, and driven to deliver continuous improvement in demanding, high-accountability environments.
Key Required Skills
- Marine / shipbuilding project delivery expertise is essential
- Dockyard or naval maintenance operations management
- Strong budget, forecasting, and cost control capability
- Schedule and programme management (IMS, baselines)
- Stakeholder and customer relationship management
- Risk, variation, and contract performance management
- Team leadership and people development
- Health, safety, and compliance leadership in industrial environments
Key Required Qualifications
- Technical trade or vocational qualification (engineering/marine)
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering, project management, or similar (preferred)
- Membership of a relevant professional engineering or project body
- Eligibility for NZ Defence Security Clearance (Confidential or Secret)
