All roles/Interior/Interior Manager
Interior
Interior Manager
The Interior Manager runs the entire interior department on a large yacht, leading service, housekeeping and laundry teams so that owners and guests get faultless, consistent service from arrival to departure.
- Department
- Interior
- Reports to
- Yacht Captain
- Yacht size
- 80m to 150m+
- Contract
- Permanent or rotation
- Starting pay
- €9,000 per month
What the job is
The Interior Manager runs the whole interior department on a large yacht, usually 80m and above. You lead a team of eight to twenty crew, split across service, housekeeping, laundry and sometimes spa and butler roles. You sit alongside the Captain, Chief Engineer and Head Chef as a head of department. You are also the crew member the owner and charter guests deal with most. Everything inside the boat that a guest sees, touches or tastes is your responsibility.
Much of the job is management rather than hands on service. You build rotas, hire and train crew, write appraisals and deal with conflict before it spreads through the mess. You own the interior budget, from linen and cleaning stock to flowers, wine and guest amenities, and you report spend to the Captain and the management company. You keep guest preference sheets up to date, plan provisioning with the galley and work with the Purser on accounts where the yacht carries one.
On trips you set the standard and step in wherever it slips. That might mean running a formal dinner, briefing the team on a guest's allergies, arranging a last minute beach picnic or handling a demanding principal with tact. Off season you lead the interior side of refit, oversee contractors on soft furnishings and art handling, and update inventories. Most Interior Managers have ten years or more on board, including several seasons as Chief Stew first.
What makes a good one
- Leading large interior teams
- Budgeting and inventory control
- Guest and owner relations
- Fine dining and wine service
- Calm problem solving under pressure
A day in the life
- 06:30Walk the guest areas with the night stew before handover. Check the aft deck breakfast set up, flowers and newspapers, and read the night log for any guest requests.
- 07:30Interior morning meeting in the crew mess. Brief the team on the day's plan, a guest birthday, two new dietary requirements and who covers the beach club.
- 08:30Greet the charter guests at breakfast and confirm the day with the lead guest. Pass timings for lunch ashore and the tender run to the Captain and Bosun.
- 10:00Meet the Captain and Head Chef to agree tonight's menu, wine pairings and table setting. Approve a florist order and a wine top up from the agent in Porto Cervo.
- 12:00Spot check cabins after housekeeping and the laundry turnaround. Reset two cabins where pillow menu choices were missed and coach the junior stew on detail.
- 14:00Office time. Update guest preference sheets, log the day's spend against the APA, and review next week's rota around two crew leaving on rotation.
- 17:00Short break, then dress the main deck for the birthday dinner with the Head of Service. Check linen, candles, glassware and the cake plan with the pastry chef.
- 19:30Run the dinner service from the pantry and the floor, managing pace between galley and table. Present the cake and handle a late request for a cigar and digestif on the sundeck.
- 23:30Debrief with the night stew, note tomorrow's early breakfast and sign off. Send a short summary to the Captain before bed.
Pay by country
Monthly salary for crew on 80m to 150m+ yachts, usually paid in EUR or USD whatever the flag. Charter tips are shared on top and can add a significant amount in a busy season. Rotation contracts often pay at the higher end.
- France and Monaco
- €9,000 – 13,000
- Spain
- €9,000 – 13,000
- Italy
- €9,000 – 13,000
- United Kingdom
- £7,600 – 11,000
- USA (Florida)
- US$9,800 – 14,000
- Caribbean
- US$9,800 – 14,000
- UAE
- AED 36,000 – 52,000
- Australia
- A$15,000 – 21,500
- New Zealand
- NZ$16,500 – 23,500
Required
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- PDSD
- Food Safety Level 2
Recommended
- PYA GUEST interior management courses
- HELM (Operational)
- WSET Level 3 Award in Wines
- Medical First Aid
- Advanced Fire Fighting
Visas
- Schengen
- US B1/B2
- C1/D
- Australian MCV
Where it leads
Interior Manager jobs open now
Questions crew ask
What is the difference between a Chief Stew and an Interior Manager?
The Chief Stew usually runs a smaller interior and works on the floor most of the day. An Interior Manager leads a larger team with section heads beneath them, so more of the role is budgets, hiring, planning and guest relations.
How much experience do I need to get this job?
Most yachts want at least two or three seasons as Chief Stew on a 60m+ yacht, with strong references and stable contracts. Large private yachts often expect ten years in the industry overall.
Do Interior Managers get rotation?
Many do on 80m+ yachts, often 2:2 or 3:1 with an equal partner. Busy charter yachts sometimes prefer one permanent Interior Manager with generous leave instead.