November Interior Hiring: Chief Stew and Head of Service
Senior superyacht interior jobs are starting this November. Chief Stew and Head of Service roles, 2026 pay by yacht size, and how to step up.
Here is something I love seeing in the first week of November: senior interior seats being advertised with start dates this month. Not vague "spring" starts, but real joining dates of 10 November, 25 November and 30 November, on 70m, 75m+ and 90m yachts. If you are a strong 2nd Stew who has been waiting for the right moment, or a Chief Stew ready for a bigger boat, the moment is now.
There is also a pattern in these ads that is worth understanding before you apply. More large yachts are splitting the top interior job into Head of Service and Head of Housekeeping, and on some boats there is no Chief Stew at all. Below I'll walk through what is live, what it pays, and how to position yourself.
If you want the full ladder from junior stew upward, start with our stew to Chief Stew guide. This post is about the hiring happening right now.
What is open this month
I checked each of these on 8 November 2026.
Chief Stewardess, 75m+ private and charter MY, France
Bespoke Crew posted this Chief Stewardess role on 6 November with a start date of 10 November 2026. The package is €7,000 a month, rising to €7,250 after probation, on roughly 8:8 rotation, with economy flights and a training programme. You need previous Chief Stewardess experience on a large private or charter yacht, and you'll lead an established team across service, housekeeping, laundry and the guest experience.
What strikes me is the emphasis on "established onboard systems" and "team continuity". This yacht wants a steady leader who builds on what works, not someone who arrives to tear it down.
Head of Service, 90m private MY, Europe yard then the Med
This is the ad I'd study even if you aren't applying. Quay Crew's Head of Service role on Yotspot, posted 2 November, is described as a Lead Service Stew / HOD position with a start date of 30 November 2026 (the summary says late November, interviewing now) on 2:2 rotation.
On pay, the page header shows "TBC EUR" while the body states $7,000 per month DOE. I'm quoting it as written rather than guessing a conversion.
The key detail is that there is no Chief Stew on board. The Lead Service Stew effectively is the Head of Service and runs the interior jointly with the Head of Housekeeping. The team is 10 strong: 4 in service, 4 in housekeeping, a laundry specialist and a floating stew. The yacht is in a European shipyard until around mid-March 2027, then goes straight into a Med season (May to September), with a possible Caribbean crossing around October or November. During the yard period the crew live in apartments.
The job goes beyond plated, silver and buffet service with high-level wine and cocktail work. It also covers budgets and forecasting, provisioning, supplier quotes, inventories, leave and rotation planning, SOPs and yard contractors, run on Voly, Pinpoint, Sortly and Excel. Requirements are STCW, ENG1, and Crowd and Crisis Management in date, with WSET as a bonus. You'll also need at least 2 years as Lead Service or in an equivalent senior interior role, ideally on 80m+.
Chief Steward(ess), 70m charter MY, Antigua
Burgess is recruiting through Yotspot for a Chief Steward(ess) on a 70m charter yacht starting 25 November in Antigua, at €8,000 a month. The ad says rotational 3:1 and also lists 90 days' leave. The team is 6, the programme is charter in the Med and the Caribbean, and it needs STCW, ENG1 and Food Hygiene Level 2, plus B1/B2 and Schengen.
Here's the nugget: it is open to a 2nd Steward(ess) stepping up, provided you have extensive experience on yachts over 75m.
On SuperyachtRoles.com
A search for "chief stew" on our board returns 31 live roles today. Among those posted on 5 November:
- Chief Steward(ess), 70m+ private MY, Bluewater Yachting, Dubai
- Chief Steward(ess), 56m private MY, Bluewater Yachting, Mediterranean
- Chief Steward(ess), 37m private MY, Bluewater Yachting, Mediterranean
- Chief Stew, 50m private MY, MYS Superyacht Crew, worldwide
- Chief Stew, Quay Crew, Caribbean
- Temp Head of Service, Bespoke Crew, worldwide
There is also a Gold Coast role from MYS (38m private and charter) and larger seats from 75m to 140m. You can browse them all on /jobs.
Head of Service vs Chief Stewardess
This is the question I get most, so let's be clear.
Chief Stewardess is the head of the interior department. They own service, housekeeping, laundry, the interior budget, rotas and the relationship with the Captain and the principal. On smaller and mid-size yachts, this one person does it all.
Head of Service (HoS) leads the guest-facing side: dining, bar, wine, events and front of house. On many 80m+ yachts the HoS reports to a Chief Stew, with a Head of Housekeeping (HoH) running cabins, laundry and back-of-house alongside them.
The 2026 twist: on some large yachts, like the 90m above, there is no Chief Stew. HoS and HoH jointly run the department and split the admin. For the right person that's a fantastic seat, because you get full HOD responsibility in your area and a peer to share the load with.
To be clear, this isn't replacing the Chief Stew role. Those 31 live Chief Stew ads prove it. It's simply another senior shape that big yachts are choosing, and it opens more doors at the top of the interior.
What the money looks like
From the YPI CREW Interior Crew Salary Guide 2026 (euros per month):
Chief Stewardess
- 30–40m: €4,000–€6,500 (60 days)
- 40–50m: €4,500–€7,000 (60 days+)
- 50–60m: €5,500–€7,500 (90 days+)
- 60–80m: €7,000–€8,500 (90 days+ or equal rotation)
- 80–100m: €7,500–€10,000 (equal rotation)
- 100m+: €8,500+ (equal rotation)
Head of Service / Head of Housekeeping
- 60–80m: €4,500–€6,000
- 80–100m: €5,500–€6,500
- 100m+: €6,000+
For contrast, YPI puts a 2nd Stewardess at €4,500–€6,000 on 60–80m and €5,500–€6,500 on 80–100m. The live ads above land well inside those bands. The Antigua charter role at €8,000 sits at the top of the 60–80m Chief Stew range, and the 75m+ France role at €7,000–€7,250 sits comfortably within it. The 90m HoS role is quoted in dollars ($7,000 DOE), so don't line it up directly against YPI's euro table. Do remember that it carries joint head-of-department responsibility, which is more than a typical HoS remit.
Why these seats are opening
YPI's guide has a section headed "Senior Interior Crew Shortage Creates Opportunity", and it explains this month nicely. Rotation is now standard on yachts over 60m, and a big share of experienced senior interior crew are settled in long-term rotational posts, so they simply aren't on the market. That leaves a real opening for motivated, experienced stews ready to step up, and for yachts willing to develop their own people.
YPI notes two other trends. Candidate volumes are rising at junior level, and people with hospitality or cruise backgrounds adapt fastest. Leadership and soft skills now matter as much as service skills, and YPI links many "wellbeing" problems on board to management gaps at HOD level. Demand is also growing for specialist interior crew such as spa therapists, nurses, personal trainers and laundry masters. Notice that the 90m team includes a dedicated laundry specialist.
How to make the step
Who should apply: Chief Stews on 50–70m who want bigger tonnage. Senior 2nd Stews on 75m+ with charter miles (the Antigua ad is literally asking for you). And Head of Service or Lead Service crew with 2+ years who are ready to run a department.
Tickets: STCW and ENG1 as standard, Food Hygiene Level 2 (the Burgess ad lists it as essential), and Crowd and Crisis Management for larger passenger yachts. WSET is the bonus that separates you in a pile of CVs. Our purser guide is also worth a read, because the admin side of these roles overlaps heavily with purser work.
How a strong 2nd Stew makes the jump:
- Own the admin now. Ask your Chief Stew to hand you inventory, provisioning orders or the rota for a month. Learn whatever system your yacht uses, whether that's Voly, Sortly or a spreadsheet.
- Lead a service. Run a full dinner from planning to debrief, and get it in writing from your Captain or Chief Stew.
- Build your wine and bar story. WSET Level 2 or 3 turns "good at service" into "trusted with the owner's cellar".
- Show stability. Rotational senior roles go to people with longevity. Put your tenure front and centre on your CV.
- Prepare for leadership questions. Expect to be asked how you'd handle a struggling junior, a difficult guest or a clash with another HOD.
Why a winter yard start is a gift
The 90m HoS role starts in a shipyard, and the ad itself calls that a great chance to learn the boat, the team and the admin before the season. I completely agree. A yard period lets you build your SOPs, fix the inventory and get to know your HoH without guests on board. By May you're running the season instead of chasing it. If you're offered a senior seat with a yard start, don't see it as the quiet option. See it as a head start.
Get your CV moving
November is a brilliant month to be a senior interior crew member: real start dates, good packages and new role shapes that reward leadership. Polish your CV, line up your references, and browse every live interior job on SuperyachtRoles.com today.
