Sr. Director Onboard Applications

Join the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection:  Where Every Voyage is a Symphony of Luxury

Embark on an extraordinary journey with the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, an exquisite extension of the renowned Ritz-Carlton brand, dedicated to redefining ultra-luxury hospitality at sea. As a "Lady or Gentleman" of our esteemed team, you'll be entrusted with the art of delivering the impeccable "Gold Standards" that have made the Ritz-Carlton an epitome of excellence across the globe.

The Essence of Excellence: The Gold Standards
The Gold Standards are the bedrock of the Ritz-Carlton experience, setting us apart in the industry and establishing a legacy of unparalleled service. These standards embody the values and culture that define our brand, and serve as the compass guiding our every endeavor.

The Employee Promise

At The Ritz-Carlton, our Ladies and Gentlemen are the most important resource in our service commitment to our guests.  By applying the principles of trust, honesty, respect, integrity and commitment, we nurture and maximize talent to the benefit of each individual and the company.  The Ritz-Carlton fosters a work environment where diversity is valued, quality of life is enhanced, individual aspirations are fulfilled, and the Ritz-Carlton Mystique is strengthened.

Join us on a journey where every day is a testament to the highest standard of luxury and service. Apply now and be part of an unparalleled legacy in hospitality.

Job Summary

As the Sr. Director of Onboard Applications at the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the technological landscape of our ultra-luxury hospitality at sea. In this leadership position, you will be responsible for delivering excellence in our onboard applications, including Property Management Systems (POS), Point of Sales system (POS), Crew Management applications, and all shipboard related applications. You will be responsible for establishing strategic and operational processes by working with members of the senior/executive management team while ensuring IT initiatives achieve business goals by fostering innovation, prioritizing initiatives, coordinating the evaluation, deployment, and management of current and future projects. Strong technical background and hands on experience in cruise line applications is fundamental for success in this role. This role requires hands-on technical leaders whose skills combine demonstrated expertise in architecture and technical delivery, vendor selection and management, business alignment and partnership, with the ability to drive teams through the application development lifecycle.

Essential Functions

• Lead and manage all technology functions for the onboard applications (Engineering and Operations) focused both strategic and operational business needs and initiatives within the Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection.
• Co-develop and implement strategies to enhance guest experiences and drive business growth from pre voyage through onboard and post voyages journeys.
• Oversee the selection, development, deployment, monitoring, maintenance, and enhancement of the company’s shipboard applications.
• Oversees all aspects of interactive development, including PMS/POS and other shipboard applications, dev ops, server architecture and maintenance, and security strategy.
• Monitor current systems and processes for all guest touchpoints including Embarkation, onboard etc., and ensure we achieve maximum guest satisfactions through technology improvements and innovations.
• Ensure seamless data flow and process automation through effective use of APIs and other integration technologies.
• Support design and development of integration solutions to connect the onboard systems with other business applications (e.g., reservations systems, ERP, etc.).
• Oversee system upgrades, patches, and enhancements, collaborating with IT teams or vendors as necessary.
• Conduct regular maintenance activities, such as updates and patches to ensure system stability and security.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment with business goals and objectives.
• Establish service level agreements and monitor progress toward key service delivery performance indicators (KPI’s) or metrics.
• Drive focus on operational excellence throughout the organization & partners, including (but not limited to) processes, governance, efficient working approaches, collaboration.
• Owns the platform implementation lifecycle and 24 x 7 operational support.
• Collect, measure, report, and communicate progress with Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection’s Executive Leadership Team, as well as stakeholders in other areas of the business as necessary.
• Collaborate with IT leadership on the evaluation, allocation, and management of technology assets, including budget and strategic planning.
• Provide leadership, motivation, coaching, professional development, and day-to-day support to foster an engaged work environment with a focus on excellent customer service.
• Stay abreast of industry trends and best practices to drive innovation and continuous improvement.
• Manage relationships with external vendors and partners to ensure the successful delivery of initiatives.

Skills and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field; Master's degree preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in the relevant field and software development.
• Background in the Cruise Industry is strongly preferred, however, equivalent travel industry (Hotel, Airline) or the Marine Industry (Military, Merchant Marine, etc.) will be considered
• Experience with system integration, API development, and data management
• Experience with leading and implementing PMS/POS, Crew Applications, and onboard infrastructures and technologies
• Proven track record of successfully leading technical teams and implementing large scale technology initiatives.
• Understanding of best practice in development operations and code deployment approaches
• Extensive experience in agile development methodology
• Understanding of best practices to minimize security vulnerabilities
• Experience with ITIL and processes such as incident, request, change, configuration, and problem
• Strong experience in technology planning, project planning, team leadership, as well as establishing and managing service measures to ensure organizational effectiveness.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, plus solid organization, presentation, and documentation abilities.
• Proven experience in project leadership, communications at different levels, conflict resolution, planning, organization, and management..

Work Environment

• Hybrid, working in a typical office environment.
• Work is dynamic where sitting is required most of the time, however walking and standing are required frequently. Visual acuity is required to perform activities such as: preparing and analyzing data, viewing a computer terminal, reading documents, reports, and emails.
• Approximately 10-30% of travel, including working at shipyards, working internationally, and working aboard our cruise ships.
• Candidate must be able to pass a background check to obtain a Transportation Worker Identification Card and other cruise port access IDs worldwide.

The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection is an Equal opportunity, inclusive employer and will consider all applicants for employment with the Company on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.