Recruiter
Eric Schiphorst
Founder at Van Storm
Job summary:
Tasks: Lead fleet-wide technical maintenance and repair operations, ensuring safety, reliability, compliance, and cost control.
Projects: Inland river cruise vessels operating in an international environment.
Company: International river cruise operator with a modern European fleet, based in Basel area, Switzerland.
Main requirements: Strong technical and people management experience in inland shipping or maritime operations, combined with maintenance, repair, and compliance oversight.
Your opportunity
As Manager Technical Maintenance & Repair, you will be responsible for the technical integrity and operational reliability of an expanding fleet of high-end river cruise vessels. Leading a small yet impactful technical team, you will ensure that all maintenance and repair activities are executed efficiently, safely, and in compliance with regulatory and environmental standards—while maintaining the guest experience on board.
You will act as a key technical leader within the organisation, balancing day-to-day operational continuity with long-term fleet reliability, innovation, and sustainability goals. This role combines hands-on technical oversight with leadership, financial responsibility, and cross-departmental coordination.
What you will do
- Lead and manage the technical maintenance and repairs team, both onboard and shore-based.
- Ensure fleet integrity by maintaining vessel reliability, safety, and compliance with technical and environmental regulations.
- Oversee planned and unplanned maintenance and repair activities, minimizing operational disruption.
- Manage technical incidents affecting safety or operations and communicate clearly with vessels and senior management.
- Control budgets, forecasts, and technical cost performance.
- Collaborate closely with departments such as newbuild, nautical operations, hotel operations, finance, and administration.
- Drive innovation and sustainability initiatives, including efficiency improvements and emissions reduction.
- Ensure compliance of all technical installations with applicable regulations and standards.
- Foster a culture of accountability, professionalism, and collaboration within the technical teams.
- Support continuous improvement of processes, systems, and technical standards across the fleet.
Where you will work
Our client is one of the leading river cruise operators in Europe. The company is set out on an ambitious growth-path, doubling its fleet in the next few years. It operates this modern and growing fleet of river cruise vessels across Europe on -for instance- the Rhine, Danube and rivers in France, combining hospitality excellence with high technical standards. Fleet management and technical support is provided from its headquarters in the Basel area.
The Maintenance & Repair team is close-knit with a professional can-do mentality, being part of a global player in the leisure industry, yet still with a family-owned business atmosphere.
- International organization with a strong focus on safety, quality, and sustainability.
- Close cooperation between shore-based teams and vessels.
- Multicultural working environment with short communication lines.
- Opportunity to shape the technical future of a passenger fleet.
What you already have
- Advanced technical and/or management education, or equivalent extensive hands-on experience in inland shipping or maritime operations.
- Proven leadership experience in technical maintenance and repair roles, ideally within inland shipping, cruise, or cargo operations.
- Strong understanding of ship systems, maintenance strategies, and regulatory compliance.
- Experience managing budgets, forecasts, and technical performance.
- Ability to lead, motivate, and develop teams in a multicultural environment.
- Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
- Fluent in English and German; Dutch and/or French is an advantage.
- Willingness to be available outside office hours for technical emergencies.
- Comfortable working with maintenance systems, specialized software, and Office 365 tools.
- Willingness to travel regularly, sometimes on short notice.
- Role-based in Switzerland, with regular travel to vessels and shipyards.
Your benefits
- Salary of around CHF 100.000 gross per year, depending on experience
- 25 paid holidays per year, plus public holidays
- 41.5-hour workweek based on a 5-day schedule
- Parking space or contribution to public transport
- Staff travel discounts with international travel brands
- One complimentary river cruise per year after one year of employment
- Stable, international employer with long-term career perspective
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