Yacht Manager
The yacht manager is the owner's office ashore. You keep a group of superyachts legal, insured, funded and properly documented so the captains can get on with running the boats. Most managers come from the bridge or the engine room, and the job suits people who like structure, numbers and solving problems on the phone at short notice.
The jobWhat fills the day
A yacht manager holds the paperwork and the purse strings. You keep the ISM and ISPS documentation current for each yacht, set and track the annual budget, approve invoices, and arrange hull and P&I insurance. You handle flag state and class surveys, sign off crew agreements under MLC 2006, and work with the payroll provider. Most managers look after four to ten yachts at once. The captain runs the boat day to day. Your job is to make sure everything around the captain is legal, paid for and written down.
The workload changes with tonnage and use. A private 35m yacht under 500gt has lighter requirements and a simpler budget. Go over 500gt and you are running a full Safety Management System, a ship security plan and MLC certification, often with the DPA sitting in the same office. Charter yachts add commercial registration, VAT planning and close work with the charter manager. An 80m+ yacht can have a dedicated manager and a support team, plus regular calls with the owner's family office.
Most yacht managers spent ten years or more at sea first. Captains, chief officers and chief engineers are hired because they know how a yacht really works and can tell when a yard quote is padded. Former pursers do well too, as do people from commercial ship management, marine insurance or finance. Employers want strong written English, confidence with spreadsheets and accounts, and a calm manner with owners. French or Italian helps in Monaco and Antibes. Spanish helps in Palma.
People usually start as an assistant yacht manager or account manager, supporting a senior colleague's portfolio for a year or two before taking over yachts of their own. From there the route runs to senior yacht manager, head of yacht management, fleet manager or director. Some move sideways into owner's representative work or new-build project management. The salary is often lower than a captain's. What you get in return is home every night, regular holidays and a career that does not depend on the next season.
Skills employers look for
- ISM and ISPS compliance
- Budgeting and owner reporting
- Flag and class liaison
- Crew contracts under MLC
- Yard and supplier negotiation
- Clear written communication
- Calm crisis handling
A working dayWednesday in the Antibes office, mid-season
Work through the overnight emails. A yacht in St Maarten has sent its weekly report and a fuel invoice that needs approval.
Go through the monthly accounts for a 45m motor yacht and query two line items on a Palma yard invoice before it goes to the owner.
Call the flag state surveyor to book an MLC inspection and confirm which crew certificates they will want to see.
Lunch near the port, usually with a broker or a captain who happens to be in town.
Draft a seafarer employment agreement for a new chief stew and send the details to the payroll provider.
Video call with the owner's family office to go through the quarterly budget, including an unplanned stabiliser repair.
Plan next month's internal ISM audit with the DPA and agree which non-conformities to follow up.
The captain of a 60m in Sardinia rings about a failed generator. Find a service engineer and get parts flown out for the morning.
Head home with the phone switched on, as the duty manager always does.
Pay by experienceAnnual salary. Estimates. Bars share one scale.
Shoreside pay is taxed where you live, so it is not directly comparable with tax-free crew wages, although Monaco residents pay no income tax. Annual bonuses tied to portfolio size and client retention are common. See the Yacht & Crew Management salary guide for figures from live adverts.
Qualifications
Must have
Gets you hired
- MCA Master or Chief Engineer CoC (sea background)
- ISM Code and DPA training course
- ISO 9001 or ISM internal auditor course
- MLC 2006 awareness course
- Marine insurance or accounting qualification
Where it leadsA typical career path
Yacht Manager jobsOpen now on SuperyachtRoles.com
Questions crew ask
Do I need to have been a captain to become a yacht manager?
It helps, but you do not need to have been one. Chief officers, chief engineers and experienced pursers are all hired regularly, and some managers come from commercial shipping or marine insurance. What employers really need is someone who understands how a yacht runs and can handle compliance and money.
How does a yacht manager differ from a technical yacht manager or DPA?
The yacht manager looks after the whole account: budgets, crew admin, insurance, compliance and the relationship with the owner. A technical yacht manager deals with machinery, maintenance planning and yard work. The DPA is the named ISM contact between the yachts and senior management. In smaller firms one person may cover two of these jobs.
Is it a nine-to-five job?
The office hours are fairly normal, but yachts run around the clock and across time zones. Most companies run a duty phone rota, and a breakdown or crew incident can take up your evening. You can expect busy summers in the Mediterranean and busy winters with yachts in the Caribbean.
Where are the jobs?
Most are in Monaco, Antibes and the rest of the Côte d'Azur, with more in Palma, Fort Lauderdale, the UK south coast and the Netherlands. You will need the right to work in the country where the office is.