Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd
Director, Alternative Fuel Operations
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Director, Alternative Fuel Operations
This role is based in Weybridge, UK.
Journey with us!
Combine your career goals and sense of adventure by joining our dynamic Global Marine Operations team. Royal Caribbean Group is pleased to offer a competitive compensation and benefits package, and excellent career development opportunities, each offering unique ways to explore the world.
About Us
Royal Caribbean Group is the world’s largest cruise line. It couldn’t be a more exciting time to join a global business that is blazing a trail in the travel industry right now.
At Royal Caribbean Group we never rest on our laurels; we constantly strive to improve our work and be at the forefront of the industry. The work that we do is exciting, challenging, and innovative. We are passionate, we are innovative, and we are unstoppable.
The Role
The Director, Alternative Fuel Operations is Royal Caribbean Group's technical owner on alternative fuels — the expert the company turns to as it transitions from conventional marine fuels to LNG, methanol, and the next generation of low-carbon energy sources.
This is a high-impact, highly visible role that sits at the intersection of engineering, operations, and fleet decarbonization strategy. You will owe the technical integrity of alternative fuel systems across both newbuild vessels and the existing fleet, ensuring every system is safe, compliant, and scalable before deployment.
You will operate across a complex stakeholder landscape — working alongside classification societies, flag administrations, OEM partners, port authorities, and internal teams spanning Marine Technology, Finance, and shipboard leadership. Financial accountability is real: you will lead CAPEX planning and retrofit cost control, and you will build the techno-economic models that guide the Group’s long-term fuel strategy.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Technical Authority — Alternative Fuel Systems
- Own the technical governance of all alternative fuel systems across the fleet, from LNG and methanol through emerging low-carbon solutions, ensuring safe, reliable, and fully compliant operation at all times.
- Define and maintain the engineering standards, operating procedures, and safety envelopes that govern fuel bunkering, commissioning, maintenance, and emergency response.
- Lead design assurance and technical validation for alternative fuel systems on newbuild and retrofit vessels — covering storage, fuel gas supply, control architecture, and integrated safety systems.
- Evaluate emerging technologies and digital tools (condition monitoring, fuel optimization, decision-support platforms) for their potential to improve performance, efficiency, and safety margins.
Fleet Operations & Technical Support
- Serve as the second-line technical authority for alternative fuel incidents and performance deviations, leading structured root-cause investigations through verified corrective action.
- Produce executive-level reporting on system performance, retrofit progress, and risk exposure translating complex technical data into clear, decision-ready insights for senior leadership.
- Build and sustain strong working relationships with Marine Technology, Marine Technical Operations, and onboard leadership teams to drive consistent governance and effective knowledge transfer across the fleet.
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Regulatory, Classification & Industry Engagement
- Act as the primary technical point of contact with classification societies, flag administrations, and port authorities on system approval, certification, and ongoing operational compliance.
- Lead technical audits, ship visits, and operational readiness assessments to validate compliance and confirm the integrity of alternative fuel systems in service.
- Manage strategic relationships with key OEMs and industry partners (Wärtsilä, ABB, DNV, Lloyd’s Register, and others) to stay ahead of technology evolution, regulatory shifts, and optimization opportunities.
Project, Vendor & Cross-Functional Integration
- Monitor and technically assess OEM bulletins, safety notices, and design updates, translating findings into coordinated engineering evaluations and implementation plans.
- Collaborate with Energy Management and fuel supply teams on efficiency initiatives, fuel availability constraints, and long-term alternative fuel pathways.
- Support Newbuilding projects with alternative fuel system specifications, performance guarantees, and technical acceptance criteria.
Capital Projects & Decarbonization Strategy
- Lead the technical input to CAPEX planning and retrofit programs, maintaining cost discipline, managing risk, and ensuring alignment with the Group’s long-term decarbonization commitments.
- Build and maintain techno-economic models to evaluate competing fuel strategies, assess lifecycle costs, and quantify return on investment across fleet scenarios.
- Help shape the roadmap for scaling alternative fuel adoption across the fleet, ensuring operational readiness and long-term commercial and environmental sustainability.
Financial & Program Management
- Develop integrated technical–financial models for alternative fuel retrofit programs, incorporating lifecycle cost, risk weighting, and performance assumptions.
- Provide engineering-based variance analysis for CAPEX deviations, giving finance teams transparent technical justification for any scope or cost changes.
- Maintain accountability for assigned CAPEX project budgets, ensuring disciplined scope control and measurable value delivery.
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Qualifications & Technical Competencies
Education
- Degree in Marine Engineering, Mechanical or Energy Engineering — with hands-on experience in ship systems engineering and operations.
- Master’s degree in an engineering discipline is required. A PhD is a genuine differentiator for this role.
Experience
- Direct, hands-on experience with alternative or low-carbon marine fuel systems. LNG, methanol, ammonia, or equivalent are essential. This is the core of the role, and candidates without it will not be considered.
- 15+ years in vessel technical operations, energy management, fleet optimization, or engineering leadership, with a significant portion of that time spent on alternative fuel programs/systems.
- A track record of taking alternative fuel systems from concept or specification through commissioning and in-service operation, ideally across multiple vessel classes and/or fuel types.
- Demonstrated strength in technical project management, long-term financial modelling, and cross-functional engineering coordination.
- Proven experience engaging with classification societies, flag states, and major OEMs on complex technical programs.
- Cruise line experience (technical or newbuild) is a meaningful advantage.
Technical Skills
- Deep understanding of marine systems integration: propulsion, auxiliary systems, HVAC, and fuel systems.
- Strong capability in engineering analysis and data-driven decision-making, with proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint; programming experience is a plus.
- Fluency with IMO regulations, classification society rules, and flag state compliance frameworks as they apply to alternative fuels.
Leadership & Communication
- Credible communicator across all levels — able to brief a classification society inspector, advise a Chief Engineer, or present to the executive team with equal clarity.
- Collaborative by nature, with the ability to align diverse stakeholders (shipboard, shoreside, regulatory, commercial) around shared technical goals.
We know there's a lot to consider. As you go through the application process, our recruiters will be glad to provide guidance and more relevant details to answer any additional questions.
It is the policy of the Company to ensure equal employment and promotion opportunity to qualified candidates without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, sexuality, gender identity or expression, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Royal Caribbean Group and each of its subsidiaries prohibit and will not tolerate discrimination or harassment.
Thank you again for your interest in Royal Caribbean Group. We'll hope to see you onboard soon!
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