Penzance Dry Dock
General Manager
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Date posted: 16 September 2026
Pay: From £50,000.00 per year
Job Description:
THE ROLE
Penzance Dry Dock is seeking an experienced General Manager to take overall responsibility for the safe, efficient and commercially effective day-to-day operation of the Dry Dock.
This is a senior operational role requiring proven experience within a dry dock, ship repair, marine engineering or closely related heavy engineering environment.
The successful candidate will have practical experience of vessel docking and undocking operations, together with strong leadership, engineering, health and safety, systems and process management experience.
The General Manager will work closely with the Directors and senior management team and will be responsible for ensuring that engineering and vessel projects are delivered safely, efficiently, on time and to the required technical and commercial standards.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Take overall day-to-day operational responsibility for Penzance Dry Dock.
- Plan, manage and oversee vessel docking and undocking operations.
- Coordinate vessel repair, maintenance and engineering projects from arrival through to completion.
- Lead and manage the Foreman, Supervisor of Works, engineering employees and relevant subcontractors.
- Plan and allocate labour, equipment and operational resources.
- Ensure projects are delivered safely, on time and within agreed budgets and specifications.
- Liaise professionally with vessel owners, customers, surveyors, contractors and other stakeholders.
- Ensure plant, machinery and dock infrastructure are appropriately maintained, inspected and serviced.
- Oversee planned preventative and reactive maintenance programmes.
- Monitor operational performance and identify opportunities to improve productivity, efficiency and profitability.
- Support the preparation of quotations, scopes of work, project plans and operational schedules where required.
- Ensure appropriate operational, project, maintenance and compliance records are maintained.
- Develop, implement and review effective operational systems and processes across the site.
- Ensure employees and contractors understand and follow agreed procedures and safe working practices.
HEALTH, SAFETY, SYSTEMS AND PROCESS
Health and safety is a fundamental part of this role.
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The successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate:
- IOSH Managing Safely or equivalent recognised health and safety qualification as a minimum.
- Strong practical knowledge of HSE requirements within a marine, engineering, heavy industrial or dry dock environment.
- Experience developing and maintaining risk assessments, method statements, safe systems of work and permit-to-work procedures.
- Experience managing contractor safety, site inductions, toolbox talks and operational briefings.
- Experience of accident, incident and near-miss reporting and investigation.
- Good working knowledge of relevant health and safety legislation and guidance, including PUWER, LOLER, COSHH and Working at Height requirements.
- Experience managing lifting operations and ensuring appropriate planning and controls are in place.
- Understanding of confined-space working and associated controls where applicable.
- Experience maintaining health and safety records, training records, inspection records and compliance documentation.
- The ability to identify hazards, implement corrective actions and monitor improvements.
- The ability to ensure that systems and procedures are not simply documented but are understood, followed and monitored in practice.
- A proactive approach to creating and maintaining a strong safety culture across the site.
- A NEBOSH qualification, marine-specific safety qualification or other relevant HSE training would be advantageous.
ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE
Applicants should have:
- Proven experience within a dry dock, ship repair, marine engineering or similar heavy engineering environment.
- Practical experience of vessel docking and undocking operations.
- Significant experience managing engineering or operational teams.
- Experience supervising contractors and multiple workstreams within a busy operational environment.
- Strong knowledge of health and safety requirements within marine, engineering or industrial operations.
- Experience planning and delivering engineering or vessel repair projects.
- Experience developing, implementing or improving operational systems and processes.
- Strong people-management and leadership skills.
- The ability to prioritise competing operational demands and make sound decisions under pressure.
- Strong communication skills and the ability to deal professionally with employees, customers, contractors and senior management.
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QUALIFICATIONS
Applicants should ideally hold:
- A recognised engineering, marine engineering or equivalent technical qualification.
- IOSH Managing Safely or equivalent recognised health and safety qualification.
- A NEBOSH General Certificate or equivalent higher-level health and safety qualification would be advantageous.
Relevant practical experience and equivalent qualifications will also be considered.
SKILLS AND PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES
The successful candidate will be:
- A confident and visible operational leader.
- Highly organised and methodical.
- Calm and decisive under pressure.
- Commercially aware.
- Strongly focused on health and safety.
- Comfortable managing and developing people.
- Able to manage competing operational priorities.
- Able to challenge unsafe or ineffective working practices.
- Able to develop and embed effective systems and processes.
- An effective communicator with employees, contractors, customers and senior management.
- Practical, solutions-focused and willing to take ownership of operational issues.
- Able to build a positive, accountable and professional working culture.
KEY OUTCOMES
The General Manager will be responsible for ensuring:
- Vessels are docked, worked on and undocked safely and efficiently.
- Projects are completed safely, on time and to the required specification.
- Engineering resources are effectively planned and managed.
- Site maintenance and statutory inspections are kept up to date.
- Plant and equipment are safe, available and properly maintained.
- Health and safety standards are consistently maintained.
- Operational systems and processes are effective and followed.
- Compliance documentation is accurate and up to date.
- Operational downtime is minimised wherever reasonably practicable.
- Customers receive a professional and responsive service.
- The Dry Dock operates efficiently, productively and profitably.
Salary: £50,000 per annum plus performance bonus
Job Type: Full-time, permanent
Work Location: In person
We are not accepting unsolicited CVs from recruitment agencies for this position.
Work Location: In person
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