Senior Operations Manager

Senior Operations Manager - Marine Onboarding

Addlestone - Hybrid

£80,000-£90,000 + bonus & excellent benefits

Are you an experienced Operations professional looking for a role where you can contribute to the build out of a brand new team for EMEA which will support the rapid growth of an internationally recognised travel group ?

We Do Group are delighted to be supporting one of the worlds largest travel businesses as they build out new EMEA operations teams based from their UK HQ near Addlestone.

This is a brand new role which will lead the maritime crew onboarding teams across EMEA and APAC for a complex global business.

Wish List

• 10+ years of experience in crew management, onboarding, or operations, preferably within the cruise or maritime industry
• Proven track record in leading global teams and managing complex, high-volume onboarding operations
• Strong knowledge of maritime regulations (MLC, STCW, flag state requirements) and their impact on crew onboarding and deployment
• Exceptional problem-solving, analytical, and decision-making skills, with a focus on improving operational efficiency and compliance
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across land-based and shipboard teams
• Ability to manage high-pressure, time-sensitive situations, such as last-minute crew changes, medical emergencies, or compliance escalations

The Role

The successful Senior Operations Manager - Marine Onboarding will be responsible for the following:

• Develop and lead the strategic direction for marine onboarding whilst ensuring alignment with the operationalKPIs.
• Lead and develop a team of marine onboarding specialists and documentation coordinators, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Oversee the end-to-end onboarding process for marine crew, including documentation verification, medical clearances, visa/work permit processing, and compliance checks, ensuring alignment with international maritime regulations (e.g., MLC,STCW).
• Ensure that all required crew documentation is processed accurately, efficiently, and in accordance with company policies, port state requirements, and flag state regulations.
• Collaborate closely with Marine Operations, Scheduling, Compliance, and HR teams to align on crew movement, workforce planning, and operational needs for ship deployments.
• Drive improvements in marine onboarding efficiency through data-driven insights, process optimisation, and technology enhancements to streamline crew hiring and mobilisation.
• Manage escalated cases requiring complex decision-making related to visa issues, medical evaluations, background verifications, and last-minute crew changes to support uninterrupted ship operations.
• Ensure that all marine onboarding policies and procedures are standardised across the fleet and aligned with regulatory and corporate compliance requirements.
• Serve as a key liaison with flag states, port authorities, recruitment partners, and regulatory agencies to address compliance issues and industry best practices in onboarding.

Your Profile

We are looking for an experienced, manager level, operations professional who is a highly credible leader with high energy and EQ.

You'll need to be passionate about delivering exceptional service to colleagues and stakeholders in a fast moving, high compliance environment.

Experience working within the maritime industry would be highly advantageous but experience from similar fast paced people critical industries subject to high levels of certification/compliance such as oil & gas, aviation, hospitality, logistics or distribution would also be relevant

Salary & Benefits

£80,000 - £90,000 per annum plus bonus and excellent benefits including pension, healthcare, free holidays and heavily discounted travel opportunities.

This role is in office 4 days per week initially. The office is easily commutable by public transport and offers onsite parking.