How to become a Yacht New Build Project Manager
Nobody starts as a Yacht New Build Project Manager. The usual path starts as a Third Engineer, a job you can get with no yacht experience, and reaches Yacht New Build Project Manager at about year 12 or later of a yacht career.
The pathFrom no experience to Yacht New Build Project Manager. A typical path, not a rule.
Third Engineer
Year 0. Pay from about US$4,000 a month. Junior engineering officer on larger yachts, running daily rounds, planned maintenance and engine room watches under the second and chief engineer.
Second Engineer
Year 3-5. Pay from about US$6,000 a month. The engineer who runs the engine room day to day under the chief, keeping generators, machinery and hotel systems working on yachts from 45m upward.
Chief Engineer
Year 7-10. Pay from about US$8,000 a month. The Chief Engineer runs every machine and system on board, leads the engine room team, controls the technical budget and answers to the captain.
Yacht Refit Manager
Year 10-12. Pay from about €55,000 a year. A Yacht Refit Manager plans, prices and runs superyacht refits in the yard, keeping work on budget, on schedule and signed off by class and flag.
Yacht New Build Project Manager
Year 12+. Pay from about €62,000 a year. Shoreside manager who runs a superyacht build from contract to delivery, protecting the owner's spec, budget and schedule at the shipyard.
Before you applyWhat a Third Engineer needs, from the Third Engineer guide
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- AEC 1 and 2 (Approved Engine Course)
- PDSD
Gets you hired
- MCA Y4 CoC or Y4 modules underway
- Electrical or mechanical trade qualification
- Powerboat Level 2
- Engine manufacturer courses (MTU, CAT)
Later, for Yacht New Build Project Manager
- Degree in naval architecture or marine engineering, or senior MCA CoC (Master or Chief Engineer Y1/Y2)
- STCW Basic Safety Training for sea trials
Visas
- US B1/B2
- Schengen visa if not EU
What counts instead of yacht experienceOur advice
Captains hire a Third Engineer for engine room rounds and logs, planned maintenance systems and diesel engine servicing. With no yacht job behind you, show the same skills from work ashore. A background in marine engineering ashore is the closest match, for example work as a marine mechanic.
Write each job on your CV as what you did, with numbers: how many guests, how many boats, how many covers. Then list every skill below that you can prove.
- Engine room rounds and logs
- Planned maintenance systems
- Diesel engine servicing
- Pumps, purifiers and watermakers
- HVAC fault finding
- Tender and toy maintenance
- Watchkeeping on passage
Your first stepsIn the order we suggest
Get the tickets a Third Engineer must hold
You need STCW Basic Safety Training, ENG1 medical, AEC 1 and 2 (Approved Engine Course) and PDSD before a yacht can put you to work as a Third Engineer.
STCW and ENG1: what they are and what they cost →Write a first Third Engineer CV
Keep it to one page. Put your tickets and your start date at the top, then the work that transfers: marine engineering ashore.
See a Third Engineer CV example →Create your crew profile
Upload that CV and we build your profile from it. Your name and contact details stay hidden. Captains and recruiters contact you. It is free.
Create your crew profile →Apply and look for daywork
Apply to open jobs and to crew agencies, and take daywork: a few paid days on a yacht is how most first-time crew get a reference.
Third Engineer guide →Step up to Second Engineer
The usual path puts Second Engineer at year 3 to 5. Pay starts from about US$6,000 a month.
How to become a Second Engineer →
QuestionsMore in the green crew guide
Can I become a Yacht New Build Project Manager with no experience?
Not directly. Yacht New Build Project Manager is shoreside work. The usual path starts as a Third Engineer, which you can get with no yacht experience, and reaches Yacht New Build Project Manager at about year 12 or later.
How long does it take to become a Yacht New Build Project Manager?
The usual path puts Yacht New Build Project Manager at about year 12 or later of a yacht career, after Third Engineer, Second Engineer, Chief Engineer and Yacht Refit Manager. It is a typical path, not a rule: time on busy yachts and the tickets you pass move it.
What does a Third Engineer earn at the start?
From about US$4,000 a month, by our Third Engineer guide. Charter yachts add tips that can match a month's salary in a busy season. Rotation is more common on 80m+, and paid leave usually runs from 30 to 45 days a year on permanent contracts.
Other paths from Third EngineerAll roles
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