General Manager for Luxury Yachting Company in Athens

My client is a leading yacht management, charter, sales brokerage and yacht refit company. The company provides a full range of services to the luxury yachting market. The CEO also runs an investment company, offering cutting edge investment products and services to the yachting industry. The companies are based in Athens, Greece but with offices in other parts of the world. They are looking for a highly skilled and experienced General Manager to manage their fleet of megayachts, a crew of around 200 and daily operations. Duties will also include P&L, forecasting and reporting, departmental liaison and coordination, compliance and development of the company profile and reputation. Experience in the yachting, cruise or shipping industries is essential, as is fluency in both Greek and English.

Activities include but are not limited to:

• Manage P&L of each yacht under management; consolidate P&Ls into overall P&L
• Prepare monthly reports for CEO and management team outlining performance of each yacht and comparing it to both previous months and to similar yachts under management
• Provide yacht owners with quarterly forecasts and metrics analyses regarding performance and any maintenance and/or refit works completed/to be started
• Request monthly and quarterly budgets from each department, ensure adherence and report discrepancies/cause for deviations to CEO and management team
• Oversee the budget and management of any refit projects; ensure refits are in accordance with budget and scheduled completion dates are met Employee Management
• Establish KPIs for each department and monitor performance
• Work with HR Director to establish a system for the proper staffing of the company and crew for yachts
• Work with HR Director on employee performance evaluation, compensation and variable pay
• Work with HR Director to create standards for service and best practices for each department of the crew
• Team organisation and management
• Motivating staff and creating an environment where employees thrive
• Cultivating an environment that holds employees accountable for actions
• Constantly evaluate and improve quality of service onboard the fleet Departmental coordination
• Coordinate the work of all departments and liaise with external legal advisors and yacht owners
• Control all correspondence and distribute to the appropriate departments Compliance
• Ensure the fleet adheres to national and international laws and standards of the International Shipping Industry
• Accept and accommodate any type of audit requested by the owner or any legal authority Business development
• Raise the profile of the company to become the yacht management company of choice for owners through setting an example of excellence in service
• Involvement in client presentations aimed at improving satisfaction and retention
• Attract additional yachts into the management portfolio
• Keep abreast of new developments taking place in the various maritime organisations and technological achievements in shipping industry
• Set goals in line with the vision of the CEO, articulating both short and long-term goals to ensure the company’s longevity

The ideal candidate will be:

• Thorough, proactive and self-motivated
• Meticulously organised
• A skilled problem solver
• Detail-oriented and capable of multitasking
• Practical, adaptive and autonomous
• Quick-thinking, dynamic and assertive
• Flexible with regards to changing working hours
• Fluent in Greek and English

The ideal candidate will have:

• Extensive demonstrable prior experience as a General Manager, Managing Director or equivalent within the yachting, cruise or shipping industries and appropriate qualifications
• Knowledge or experience of the luxury yachting industry
• Previous employee management experience, especially large teams and complex schedules
• Extensive budgeting, forecasting and reporting experience
• A flexible, ‘can do’ attitude
• Sound interpersonal and communication skills – able to communicate successfully at all levels
• Experience of living or working at sea

Only applications in English and with a cover letter outlining your situation, relative experience and reasons for interest will be considered. Initial interviews are to be conducted via Skype and second interviews will be face to face in Athens. Please note that due to volume of applications it will not be possible to respond to unsuccessful applicants. If you have been selected for interview we will contact you in due course.