Interior Manager
The Interior Manager is the senior interior head of department on yachts of roughly 80m and above. You sit alongside the captain, chief engineer and head chef, and you answer for every guest-facing standard on board. The job is mostly management. You plan, budget, hire and protect the owner's preferences, and you step onto the service floor when it matters.
The jobWhat fills the day
The Interior Manager owns the interior department as a business unit. That means the annual budget, purchase orders, crew rotas, recruitment, appraisals and the standards manual that tells every stew how the owner likes things done. You hold the inventory of silver, crystal, linens, art and wine, often worth millions. You work with the captain and the other heads of department on trip planning, and you are usually the main contact for the owner's family office on anything to do with guests.
With guests aboard, your day revolves around the principal. You run the morning interior briefing, check table plans and menus with the head chef, brief security and the tender team on guest movements, and walk the service at key moments. With nobody aboard, or in the yard, the work turns to training, inventory audits, soft furnishing refits, recruitment and budget reports. On 120m and above you manage managers: a chief stew, a head of service and a head of housekeeping report to you. On 70-80m the title is often given to a senior chief stew who still works shifts.
Most people hired into the role have eight to twelve years in yachting, with at least three as chief stew on yachts over 60m and solid references from comparable programmes. Captains and owners look for continuity, discretion and a record of keeping crew. A smaller number arrive from five-star hotels, butler schools or large private households, usually after a season or two aboard to learn yacht life. Paperwork matters less than track record, but a GUEST HoD qualification and HELM training are now expected on the larger yachts.
From here, people move to a bigger yacht or a better rotation, which is where most of the pay rises come from. Others go ashore. Common next steps are yacht manager or guest experience lead at a management company, estate or household manager for the same family, crew recruitment, or teaching interior courses at a training school in Antibes or Palma. A few move into purser and operations work on the largest yachts. The skills you build, budgeting, hiring and handling UHNW principals, travel well into the shoreside industry.
Skills captains look for
- Department budgeting
- Crew recruitment and appraisal
- Owner and guest relations
- Inventory and asset control
- Service standards training
- Rota and rotation planning
- Discretion with UHNW principals
A day aboardOwner trip, 110m motor yacht, Norwegian fjords
Walk the guest areas with the night stew and read the overnight log. Note anything the owner's children asked for after midnight.
Heads of department meeting with the captain, chief officer, head chef and security lead. Agree timings for the helicopter arrival and the afternoon shore trip.
Interior briefing with the chief stew, head of service and head of housekeeping. Confirm cabin changes, tonight's table plan and who covers the beach club.
Call with the family office about two extra guests and a new dietary note. Update the guest preference profiles and pass changes to the galley.
Lunch in the crew mess, eaten away from the radio for twenty minutes.
Approve purchase orders, chase a flower delivery from Bergen and finish the monthly budget variance for the management company.
Two hours off in the cabin before evening service.
Final check of the dining room with the head of service and sommelier. Taste the wine pairing and run through the owner's pre-dinner routine with the butler.
Debrief with the head of service, hand over to the night crew and log guest feedback for tomorrow's briefing.
Pay by yacht sizeMonthly, before tips. Estimates. Bars share one scale.
Most large-yacht interior managers work 2:2 or 3:1 rotation, often on full annual salary, and many contracts add an annual bonus. Charter tips can be significant, though the largest private yachts charter little or not at all. See the Chief Stew, Purser & Interior Management salary guide for figures from live adverts.
Tickets and visas
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical certificate
- PDSD (Proficiency in Designated Security Duties)
Gets you hired
- GUEST Interior HoD qualification
- MCA HELM (Operational)
- Food Hygiene Level 3
- WSET Level 3 Award in Wines
- Medical First Aid
Visas
- Schengen visa or EU passport
- US B1/B2 visa
Where it leadsA typical career path
Interior Manager jobsOpen now on SuperyachtRoles.com
Questions crew ask
What is the difference between a chief stew and an interior manager?
A chief stew usually works shifts and leads a team of four to eight. An interior manager runs a larger department through other managers and spends more time on budgets, hiring and owner relations. On 70-80m yachts the two titles often describe the same job.
Do I need hotel or butler experience?
It helps but is not essential. Most interior managers come up through yacht interiors. Hotel or private household experience can shorten the path if you add a season or two aboard to learn yacht routines and safety duties.
Is rotation common in this role?
Yes, on most yachts over 90m. Expect 2:2 or 3:1, with a counterpart covering your time off, so handover notes and shared standards become a big part of the job.
Which courses should I take before applying?
Complete the GUEST Interior HoD qualification and MCA HELM (Operational) training. A WSET wine course and Food Hygiene Level 3 back up your service and galley knowledge, and captains on larger yachts increasingly expect all of them.