Corporate Captain

PURPOSE OF THE POSITION

The Corporate Captain (CCT) is in charge of all maritime operations within one or two Operation Area(s) covering multiple ships and is an integral part of the core management team of an Operation Area. The primary role of the CCT is to manage and support the Captains of each ship under the CCT’s Operation Area(s). This mainly involves ensuring all certifications and nautical regulation requirements are met, updating and implementing Nautical Operating manuals and procedures, supporting Captains in cooperating with Land bridges and Locks & Docks, work with the HR department to coordinate and support in nautical staffing needs, coach and train Captains and Nautical staff within the Operation Area(s), and organize in-season and end-season employee performance review for Nautical staff. In some cases, the CCT will also be required to relieve a Captain and act as interim Captain onboard one of our vessels.

In addition, as a core member of the Operation Area management team (the core team), the CCT is - together with the rest of the team - jointly responsible for the implementation and execution of Vikings Quality and Service standards. To foster communication, weekly or bi-weekly meetings with the Nautical Operation River (NOR) teams or core team must be attended. In the core team, the CCT is mainly responsible for resolving nautical operational challenges related to deviation situations, coordination of a joint resolution of deviation situations in close corporation with the Corporate Operations Manager and or his/her nautical supervisor, and developing specific solution plans for identified improvement needs within the Nautical Department of each Operation Area.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Will actively monitor the daily water levels and weather forecast for his/her area as well all the feedback and information from the nautical authorities in his/her responsible area, and will act accordingly; will proactively inform the key stakeholders about critical water levels and provide customer-centric solutions
• Anticipates and adjusts for roadblocks such as in deviation situations, staff shortages, or other operational issues, still delivering according to timeline and safety parameters
• Will act as a contact person between Office and the Nautical and Technical team on board our vessels and is the first contact person for the ship’s crew (mainly nautical and technical) in all matters
• Shows a good understanding of work schedules and can perform vacation and work time planning in coordination with identified projects and implementations; will work closely with the Nautical Service Center in Basel to ensure that the right skill set and licensing is onboard; will engage in recruitment and dismissal procedures whenever necessary
• Acts as backup for critical positions onboard the Viking ships
• Assists on any ad-hoc tasks as required by the department; has the functional and technical knowledge to follow and execute company procedures stated within technical and procedural company manuals
• Takes responsibility for the technical fitness of the fleet, including regular reviews of our maintenance programs or other software tools that provide a technical status; will liase with the technical offices on any overdue claims and or supply chain issues
• Implements new product standards and product improvements as per brand standards
• Evaluates ship feedback and reports to Head Office in a frequent and formal manner
• Implements new operating measures including any measurement, follow up tools, and training (this can also include a follow up of implementations performed by corporate teams in the areas of Onboard Operations, Shore Excursions, and Program Management)
• Conducts quality audits/reviews within own region but also within colleagues areas for the sake of learning and self-check
• Is responsible for the safety and security within the fleet and must take close accountability for the execution of safety drills such as GSD, VST, and legally required documentation; must ensure that sufficient licensed staff is onboard in the areas such as first aid, fire safety and any other legally required certification; will execute a full nautical mustering when on board a vessel and perform at least one controlled safety drill per ship / per month; will perform regular grooming, drug, and alcohol testing as required per company standards; will ensure smoking regulations are executed; takes legionella samples as needed for legal purposes
• Will set up regular meetings with each ship at least every 14 days and visit the Basel Office at least every eight weeks for a formal review
• Will foster an environment of learning by encouraging the management teams and staff on board to complete the annual learning cycle, but also visit voluntary learning events to ensure a steady talent pipeline; actively engage as a mentor and trainer whenever required and supports the company directives towards learning with a positive attitude
• Takes responsibility for corporate projects as per demand, such as but not limited to: evaluating and creating new sailing stretches, newbuilds, winter harbor, local authorities
• Can communicate efficiently on various levels such as online conference calls, within the Office 365 environment (using programs like Teams, e-mail, SharePoint), via phone, and in-person communication

QUALIFICATION PROFILE

• Graduated education within the inland shipping industry
• Owner of all needed certificates and licenses for the responsible operation; all other non-operational licenses are an advantage, but not a requirement
• Excellent management, organization, and communication skills
• Guest-focused, stress-resistant, calm under pressure, team player and with a professional appearance
• Open-minded and flexible with high social and intercultural competencies
• Excellent English skills (written & verbal), other languages (French, German) are an advantage, but not a requirement,
• Good knowledge of Microsoft 365 package (Outlook, SharePoint, Teams, OneNote Planner, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Must work independently; has advanced computer skills to create presentations, scripts, and projects
• Must have a valid driver’s license and able to travel extensively (up to 80%) within the target area; must be willing to be available on-call during unusual business hours