Yacht Operations Manager
A yacht operations manager is the captain's main contact ashore. You sort out the practical side of running a yacht: berths, agents, fuel, budgets, permits, crew travel and supplier problems, usually for several yachts at a time. Most people in the job used to be officers, pursers or chief stews, and the work rewards people who know what a busy yacht really needs.
The jobWhat fills the day
The job is logistics and money. You plan with the captain where the yacht will be next month and make it happen. That means booking berths in Monaco or Porto Cervo, briefing port agents, arranging cruising permits for Turkey or the Bahamas, and getting quotes for fuel and bunkering. You also approve invoices, track spend against the annual budget and send the owner's office monthly reports that make sense to an accountant. When a part has to reach Bodrum by Friday, you are the one who gets it there.
The work follows the yacht's calendar. In winter you deal with shipyard periods, survey schedules and budget planning for the year ahead. In summer you take the late-night calls: a tender damaged in Saint-Tropez, a crew member taken to hospital in Mykonos, a charter guest who wants a helicopter landing approved. Small yachts under 40m lean on you for nearly everything, because they have no purser and a captain who is also driving. On 80m+ yachts with full departments you work more at the level of planning and oversight.
Management companies in Monaco, Antibes, Palma, Fort Lauderdale and Southampton mostly hire people who have been to sea. A former chief officer, captain, purser or chief stew already knows how a yacht works and how much a refit should cost. Shore-trained applicants get in through coordinator jobs and a few years of learning on the job. Employers want strong Excel skills, clear written English and a working knowledge of ISM, MLC 2006 and flag requirements. French, Italian or Spanish is a real advantage.
Most people start as an operations coordinator or assistant and look after one or two yachts. After a few years you run a portfolio of your own. From there the usual next steps are yacht manager, with full responsibility for budgets and the owner relationship, then fleet manager or head of operations. Some move across to the technical side, into compliance or the DPA role, which needs ISM auditor training. Others take what they know about logistics into charter management or new build project work.
Skills employers look for
- Budgeting and cost control
- Port and agent logistics
- ISM and MLC knowledge
- Captain and owner liaison
- Excel and reporting
- Supplier negotiation
- Calm crisis handling
A working dayWednesday in July, management office in Antibes
Check overnight emails and WhatsApp messages from five captains. One 55m yacht in Corsica needs a berth in Calvi moved forward by two days.
Call the port agent in Calvi and a backup marina. Confirm the berth and send the captain the arrival details and fees.
Go through the month's invoices for a 42m motor yacht, query a fuel bill that doesn't match the logbook, and update the budget tracker.
Lunch near Port Vauban. Coffee with a yard manager to talk through winter slots.
A crew member in Sardinia needs a flight home after a family emergency. Book the ticket, arrange a relief deckhand through the crew agency and tell the payroll provider.
Draft the quarterly cost report for an owner's family office, with notes on fuel, berthing and the shipyard work planned for winter.
Video call with a captain and the technical manager to confirm the scope and dates of a November yard period in La Ciotat.
Leave the office with the phone on. A captain calls at 21:00 about a delayed spare part, so you chase the courier.
Pay by experienceAnnual salary. Estimates. Bars share one scale.
These are gross salaries and are taxed, unlike most crew pay. Monaco pays more than France or Spain. Bonuses, a phone allowance and paid on-call duty in summer are common, but you lose the free food, accommodation and rotation you had at sea. See the Yacht & Crew Management salary guide for figures from live adverts.
Qualifications
Must have
- Seagoing experience or a maritime qualification (strongly preferred)
Gets you hired
- ISM/ISPS Internal Auditor course
- DPA/CSO training
- MLC 2006 awareness course
- Yacht management or maritime business diploma
- Second language: French, Italian or Spanish
Where it leadsA typical career path
Yacht Operations Manager jobsOpen now on SuperyachtRoles.com
Questions crew ask
Can I get this job without having worked on yachts?
Yes, but it is harder. Shore-trained applicants usually start as operations or crew coordinators and spend a few years learning how yachts actually work. Experience in logistics, travel management or commercial shipping helps.
How is it different from a yacht manager?
An operations manager deals with day-to-day running: itineraries, ports, suppliers and crew logistics. A yacht manager has wider responsibility for the annual budget, the owner relationship and compliance. In smaller companies one person often does both.
Will I take a pay cut coming ashore from a senior crew position?
Usually, at least at first. A chief officer earning tax-free money with free food and accommodation will find a taxed salary in Antibes or Palma stretches less far. In exchange you get a home life and a long career path in management.
Is the job really office hours?
From October to April it mostly is. In summer you are on call evenings and weekends, because yachts with guests aboard don't stop for the weekend.