Marine Operations Manager

Marine Operations Manager - Sammut Marine (Malta)Location: Birkirkara, Malta · On-site, full-time Reports to: Director Direct reports: Vessel masters and marine crew across the fleet Salary: Competitive, based on experience Eligibility: Applicants must hold the right to work in Malta (Maltese or EU/EEA nationals, or existing valid Maltese work authorisation)Run the operation. Not just the paperwork.Sammut Marine is looking for a Marine Operations Manager / Fleet Superintendent to take day-to-day ownership of our marine operation in Malta.Right now our Director is doing too much of this job. Jobs get planned, crews get moved, vessels get fixed and clients get called — but it happens through one person. We are bringing on new tonnage this year, and that no longer works. We need someone to own it properly.If you want a role where you are handed a process and asked not to change it, this is the wrong advert. If you want to build the process, this is a good one.About Sammut MarineSammut Marine Limited (C 82608) started in 2009 as a boat yard handling winter storage. Today we are one of the fastest-developing marine services companies in Malta — towing, salvage, dredging support, pontoon and mooring installation, underwater works, offshore support and vessel maintenance, operating 24/7.Our current fleet includes a tug, crane barges and supply vessels working locally in Maltese waters, plus dredging and marine construction projects in Malta and Sicily. Over the coming months we are adding hopper barges, 60 m and 42 m pontoons, a 30-tonne bollard pull tug and two 24 m supply vessels. Our seagoing crews are multinational and English is the working language across the fleet.That expansion is exactly why this role exists.What you will ownOperations (the bulk of the job)Planning and dispatching daily marine operations — towing, salvage, dredging support, pontoon and mooring installation, offshore and underwater worksRunning the 24/7 standby capability: knowing which vessel and which crew responds when a client calls, and making sure they actually moveScheduling vessels and crew across concurrent jobs, and resolving the clashes before they become client problemsActing as the operational point of contact for clients, port authorities, agents and subcontractorsJob costing input, mobilisation planning, and making sure work is executed to the quoted scopeToolbox talks, risk assessments, method statements and permits — and making sure they are followed on deck, not just filedCrewingOwning manning across the fleet: rosters, rotations, coverage, certification currency and renewalsRecruitment and onboarding of marine crew, working with the Director and our manning sourcesSeafarer employment agreements, hours of rest, MLC 2006 compliance and crew welfareBeing the person crew actually talk to — retention in this business is won on the quay, not in an officeTechnical / fleetOverseeing planned and corrective maintenance across the fleet, and holding contractors to itManaging dry-dockings, steel renewal, surveys, class and Transport Malta / flag-state mattersCertification and statutory compliance across all vesselsSpares, consumables and supplier managementIncident investigation, reporting and closing out corrective actionsWhat we are looking forEssentialRight to work in MaltaSolid marine operations experience — vessel operations, marine contracting, towage, salvage, dredging, marine civils or a shipyard environmentGenuine working knowledge of the Maltese maritime scene: ports, Transport Malta, local contractors, surveyors and suppliersProven ability to plan and run multiple concurrent jobs, and to re-plan fast when weather or a breakdown ruins the scheduleComfortable managing a multinational seagoing workforce with authority and fairnessPractical understanding of vessels and machinery — able to walk on board, look at a problem, and form a viewWorking knowledge of maritime safety regulation, flag and class requirements and MLC 2006Strong written and spoken English; Maltese is an assetFull driving licence and willingness to be contactable outside office hours as part of a 24/7 operationPreferredA seagoing background at senior level (Master, Chief Officer or Chief Engineer) — a real advantage, but not a requirement. We care more about whether you can run the operation than what is in your discharge bookExperience with dry-dockings, steel renewal and repair project managementFamiliarity with planned maintenance systems and digital logbooksMarine safety qualifications (NEBOSH, IOSH, ISM auditing or equivalent)The person we actually wantYou are organised enough to hold a schedule in your head and disciplined enough to write it down. You would rather drive to the quay and see it yourself than take someone's word for it. You are calm when a job goes wrong at 2 a.m., and honest when something is your fault. Crew respect you because you are straight with them.What we offerReal authority. This is the senior marine role in the company, reporting straight to the Director. No layersA fleet that is growing. New tugs, barges, pontoons and supply vessels arriving — you will shape how they are operated and maintained from day oneVaried work. Salvage, dredging, marine construction, offshore support and international project work. No two weeks are the sameA lean company. Good ideas get decided on this week, not next quarterCompetitive salary, reviewed on performance, with the scope to build and lead the marine department as the fleet expandsHow to applySend your CV and a short covering note and apply directly through this posting.In your note, tell us about one marine operation you planned or rescued that went badly wrong — what happened, what you did, and what you changed afterwards. That will tell us more than a list of job titles.