Hornblower Group is a global leader in experience and transportation. Spanning a 100-year history, Hornblower Group’s portfolio of international offerings includes water- and land-based experiences and ferry and transportation services. City Experiences, Hornblower Group’s premier experience division, offers dining and sightseeing cruises and walking and food tours through the City Cruises, Walks, and Devour brands. City Ferry, part of Hornblower Group’s Ferry and Transportation Division, is the largest private operator of high-speed passenger and vehicle ferries in the United States, carrying more than 10 million passengers annually and operating services including NYC Ferry, Puerto Rico Ferry, and other regional ferry systems. Hornblower Group’s subsidiaries include Hornblower Marine, which provides vessel outhaul and maintenance services at Bridgeport Boatworks in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and Seaward Services, Inc., a full-service shipping, waterfront logistics and management company that specializes in the operation and maintenance of government and commercial vessels. Additionally, Anchor Operating System, LLC, a Hornblower Group subsidiary and independent entity, provides reservation, ticketing and website integration services for clients in the transportation, tourism and entertainment industries. Today, Hornblower Group’s global portfolio covers over 10 countries, over 50 U.S. cities and serves more than 20 million guests annually. Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, Hornblower Group’s additional corporate offices reside in San Francisco, California; Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; London, United Kingdom; New York, New York; Dublin, Ireland; and across Ontario, Canada. For more information, visit hornblowercorp.com.

Position Summary:

The Senior Director of Marine Engineering provides enterprise-wide leadership for the safe, reliable, and compliant operation of Hornblower Group vessels and associated entities. This role sets the fleet engineering strategy and standards for maintenance, repair, and lifecycle management, partnering closely with Port Operations, HSSQE, Procurement, and Finance to translate business priorities into executable engineering plans. The Senior Director is accountable for engineering execution and measurable outcomes including vessel availability, preventive maintenance effectiveness, regulatory readiness, cost control, and continuous improvement. This leader builds a high-performing team of port engineers and shoreside technical staff through coaching, talent development, and clear standards for safety, quality, class/flag compliance, and operational excellence. This person will be adaptable, dynamic, and embody the organization’s values and operating principles while operating with a strong safety-first mindset.

Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Lead the marine engineering function across Hornblower Group and associated entities, setting standards, governance, and expectations for safe and compliant vessel operations.
  • Develop and lead a team of port engineers, technical managers, and shoreside support staff; set goals, coach leaders, and build succession plans.
  • Establish and manage fleet maintenance and reliability programs (PM/CM), including CMMS governance, critical spares strategy, and equipment standardization.
  • Direct technical planning and execution for dry docks, shipyard periods, and major repairs/overhauls; develop scopes of work, schedules, and acceptance criteria.
  • Ensure regulatory compliance and audit readiness for USCG, class societies, flag requirements, and company SMS/ISM processes, coordinate inspections, surveys, and corrective actions.
  • Own engineering risk management: condition assessments, safety-critical equipment integrity, defect elimination, incident investigations, and root-cause corrective actions.
  • Partner with Marine Operations, HSSQE, and Port leadership to optimize vessel uptime, crewing interfaces, and operational procedures that impact engineering performance.
  • Assist the Senior Vice President of Marine Operations to manage marine engineering budgets, forecasting, and capital planning (maintenance, dry dock, and lifecycle capex); develop business cases and ROI-based investment recommendations.
  • Lead vendor and shipyard management, including contractor qualification, bid packages, change control, quality assurance, and warranty claims.
  • Define and report fleet engineering KPIs (availability, out-of-service time, maintenance compliance, cost per operating hour, repeat defects) and present updates to executive leadership.
  • Perform other position-related duties as assigned

Requirements & Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Marine Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Naval Architecture, or related field required; advanced degree preferred (or equivalent experience)
  • 12+ years of progressive marine engineering experience, including 5+ years leading managers and multi-site/fleet technical teams
  • Demonstrated success improving vessel reliability and availability through disciplined maintenance, troubleshooting, and continuous improvement.
  • Strong technical depth across marine propulsion, power generation and distribution, HVAC, hydraulics, firefighting/lifesaving systems, and vessel control systems; able to guide technical tradeoffs and root-cause decisions.
  • Working knowledge of USCG regulations and inspection processes, class society requirements, and safety management systems (SMS/ISM); proven audit/inspection readiness.
  • Experience planning and executing dry docks/shipyard periods, major repairs, and modernization projects, including scope development, contract management, and quality assurance.
  • Proficiency with CMMS and maintenance planning processes; strong command of metrics, standard job plans, and reliability best practices.
  • Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills; able to translate technical and regulatory issues for senior leaders, port teams, and external partners.
  • Commitment to safety-first leadership, ethical decision-making, and maintaining confidentiality of sensitive operational and employee information.

The RESPECT Service System embodies our mission, vision, values and operating principles. By creating a company culture that puts RESPECT at its core, we believe it will drive us to achieve our goal of becoming a Global Experiences and Transportation Leader. EEO / Disabled / Protected Veteran Employer. Hornblower is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We offer equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals and prohibit discrimination and/or harassment of any type, including but not limited to discrimination and or harassment based upon race, religion, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, pregnancy or relation medical conditions, childbirth, breastfeeding, parental status, veteran and/or military status, disability (physical or mental), medical condition, genetic information or characteristics, political affiliation, domestic violence survivor status, marital status, or other characteristics prohibited by federal, state, or local law. Additionally, as a federal, state, and local contractor, Hornblower complies with government regulations, including affirmative action responsibilities for qualified individuals, where and as they apply. The company also participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations.