Project Snapshot
For one of our clients, a leading French shipowner and maritime services group, we are looking for an Owner's Site Manager to join their newbuilding team at a shipyard in China. The client is completing a series of vessels and the last hull is now under construction. Your mission is to strengthen the owner's presence on site, keep the vessel on schedule and make sure it stays a priority for the yard, in a context of tight labour availability. The role is about project management and the relationship with the yard rather than technical supervision: you will be the owner's voice with the yard's management and keep the client's head office closely informed.
Description
Context
For one of our clients, a leading French shipowner and maritime services group, we are looking for an Owner's Site Manager to join their newbuilding team at a shipyard in China. The client is completing a series of vessels and the last hull is now under construction. Your mission is to strengthen the owner's presence on site, keep the vessel on schedule and make sure it stays a priority for the yard, in a context of tight labour availability. The role is about project management and the relationship with the yard rather than technical supervision: you will be the owner's voice with the yard's management and keep the client's head office closely informed.
What you will do
- Represent the owner on site and act as the main day-to-day contact for the yard management
- Follow the master schedule and the weekly progress against plan, and escalate slippage early
- Monitor the yard's labour and resource allocation to the vessel and push for the manpower agreed
- Negotiate recovery plans with the yard and follow them up until the vessel is back on track
- Run the progress meetings with the yard and keep the action lists, minutes and decisions
- Coordinate the owner's site team, class, suppliers and the head office project team
- Report weekly to head office on progress, risks, resources and open issues
- Prepare the key milestones up to sea trials, delivery and departure from the yard
Required Qualification
- Solid experience as owner's site manager, newbuilding project manager or site team leader on ship construction
- Proven experience of working on site at Chinese shipyards and of their organisation and culture
- Track record of schedule recovery and of negotiating resources with a yard
- Fluent English is essential; Mandarin is a plus
- Able to be based on site in China for the duration of the project
- Firm, diplomatic and composed under pressure
Summary
- China
- Freelance
- Based on experience
- Onshore