All roles/Shoreside/Yacht Refit Manager
Shoreside
Yacht Refit Manager
A Yacht Refit Manager plans, budgets and runs a superyacht's yard period, holding contractors, crew and the owner's money to a schedule so the yacht leaves on time, compliant and ready for the season.
- Department
- Shoreside
- Reports to
- Technical Yacht Manager
- Yacht size
- Shore based
- Contract
- Permanent, shore based
- Starting pay
- €75,000 a year
What the job is
You own the refit from first work list to redelivery. That means building the specification with the captain and chief engineer, putting it out to yards and subcontractors, comparing quotes line by line and agreeing a contract. Most of your projects are 40m to 120m yachts in winter yard periods, from a three week maintenance haul out to a nine month rebuild with new paint, interiors and machinery. Some managers work for a management company, others for a yard or directly for an owner.
Once the yacht is on the hard, your days are about control. You track progress against the Gantt chart, approve or push back on variation orders, and keep the budget report honest for the owner. You chair weekly meetings with the yard project manager, subcontractors, the class surveyor and the crew. Class renewals, flag inspections and the five year special survey often fall in the same window, so you plan the survey items around the trades rather than the other way round.
The hard part is people and money. Contractors want more time, the owner wants the yacht back early and the crew want their cabins finished before guests arrive. You need enough technical depth to know when a quote is padded and enough tact to say so without starting a dispute. The final weeks bring sea trials, snag lists, warranty claims and handover paperwork. A good refit manager leaves a clean file the next project can build on.
What makes a good one
- Refit specification and tendering
- Budget and variation control
- Class and flag survey planning
- Contractor negotiation
- Scheduling with MS Project or P6
A day in the life
- 07:30Walk the yacht and the shed before the trades arrive. Photograph progress in the engine room, the stripped saloon and the hull fairing.
- 08:30Daily coordination meeting with the yard project manager and subcontractor leads. Agree who has access to the lazarette and aft deck today.
- 09:30Review three new variation orders. Approve the shaft seal replacement, query the hours on the deckhead panels and reject a duplicated paint line.
- 11:00Meet the class surveyor for the rudder stock and tailshaft inspection. Log the findings and confirm the bearing clearances are within tolerance.
- 12:30Lunch with the chief engineer to go through the generator overhaul and the spares list he wants on board before departure.
- 14:00Update the cost tracker and the schedule. Flag a five day slip on the teak replacement and work out where the float can absorb it.
- 15:30Call with the owner's representative and the Technical Yacht Manager. Present the weekly budget report and agree a decision on the optional tender garage upgrade.
- 17:00Check the fire watch and hot work permits for the evening shift. Sign off the safety walk with the yard's HSE officer.
- 18:00Answer emails from the interior contractor in Italy and confirm delivery dates for the new soft furnishings.
Pay by country
Annual gross salary for a permanent shore based role, depending on project size and experience. Freelance refit managers often charge a day rate instead. Bonuses tied to on time, on budget delivery are common.
- France and Monaco
- €75,000 – 120,000
- Spain
- €60,000 – 95,000
- Italy
- €60,000 – 95,000
- United Kingdom
- £60,000 – 95,000
- USA (Florida)
- US$95,000 – 150,000
- Caribbean
- US$80,000 – 120,000
- UAE
- AED 300,000 – 480,000
- Australia
- A$120,000 – 170,000
- New Zealand
- NZ$110,000 – 150,000
Required
- MCA Yacht engineering ticket or marine engineering degree
- Proven yacht refit or yard experience
- Full driving licence
Recommended
- PRINCE2 Practitioner
- APM Project Management Qualification
- NEBOSH International General Certificate
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
Visas
- Right to work in the country of the office
- Schengen for Mediterranean yard visits
- US B1/B2 for business visits to US yards
Where it leads
Yacht Refit Manager jobs open now
Questions crew ask
Do I need to have worked on yachts to become a refit manager?
Almost always. Most refit managers are former chief engineers, captains or yard project managers, because you need to know how a yacht is built and run before you can judge a quote or a schedule.
Is the job based in one place?
You usually have a home office but spend long stretches at the yard during each project. Expect travel between yards in Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands or Florida, often for weeks at a time in winter.
How is this different from a Yacht Project Manager?
The titles overlap. A refit manager focuses on yard periods for existing yachts, while a project manager may also run new builds, conversions or wider owner projects.