Chief of Staff (AVP, Maritime Strategy & Operations) to the Chief Maritime Officer

Job Description

At Carnival Corporation, we bring the worlds most extraordinary vacations to life. With a global fleet sailing to hundreds of destinations, we are driven by a passion for safe operations, environmental stewardship, and unforgettable guest experiences. Behind every voyage is a dedicated team charting the course—and our maritime organisation is at the heart of that mission.

About the Role

Were looking for an exceptional Chief of Staff to partner with our Chief Maritime Officer and help lead one of the most complex maritime organisations in the world. This is a role for someone who thrives on challenge, navigates complexity with confidence, and brings the discipline, judgment, and leadership expected of a best-in-class Chief of Staff.

This is not a role for the faint-hearted. Youll be supporting high-stakes decision-making, coordinating across global brands and ship operations, and ensuring that our commitment to safety, sustainability, and operational excellence is advanced every single day. If you operate at your best when expectations are high and the pace is fast, youll feel right at home here.

What Youll Do

Drive Clarity, Focus, and Follow-Through

Work side by side with the CMO to align on priorities and ensure critical maritime initiatives land with impact.Anticipate needs, remove obstacles, and create structure in a dynamic, matrixed environment.

Lead with Insight and Precision

Prepare executive briefings, analyses, and presentations that translate complex maritime topics into clear, actionable insights.Serve as a trusted advisor who can challenge thinking, sharpen strategy, and elevate decision-making.

Orchestrate Across a Global Fleet

Ensure seamless communication and coordination across Safety, Marine Operations, Environmental Compliance, Technical Services, Fleet Management, and brand maritime teams.Help the organisation stay disciplined, accountable, and aligned on key operational goals.

Champion Key Projects and Initiatives

Drive cross-functional maritime programs—from transformation efforts to fleet efficiency and safety enhancement projects.Monitor progress, risks, and outcomes with a steady hand and a solutions-oriented mindset.

Strengthen the Maritime Organisation

Support leadership rhythms, operating processes, and cultural alignment within a global team.Foster collaboration built on trust, transparency, and Carnivals service-oriented values.

Who You Are

A seasoned operator with a background in Industrial Engineering, consulting, or comparable environments.A natural integrator who excels at bringing order to complexity and maintaining calm under pressure.A sharp communicator who can brief senior executives with clarity and confidence.A relationship-builder who can influence without authority and build trust across brands, cultures, and time zones.A strategic thinker who can zoom out to the big picture and dive in when hands-on leadership is needed.Someone who embraces accountability, pace, and high expectations—and delivers consistently.

Why This Role Matters

Our maritime team is responsible for the safe and sustainable operation of our global fleet. As Chief of Staff to the CMO, you will help shape the future of that mission. Your work will directly support operational excellence, environmental leadership, and the guest experience that millions of travellers count on.

What Youll Gain

A high-impact role with visibility across Carnival Corporations global leadership.Opportunities to influence major decisions and drive meaningful improvements in maritime operations.Competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, and travel perks—plus the satisfaction of supporting an industry-leading organisation.

 

Why Join Us?

Positioned within our internal structure from CUK15 (entry level) to CUK1 (Brand President), this role is classified as a CUK04 offered as a full-time or part-time position, on a permanent basis, with an offering of hybrid work including up to two days from home.

We're more than just a holiday company; we're a community that values work-life balance, personal growth, and wellbeing. As part of our team, you'll enjoy:

Employee Discounted Cruising plus Friends and Family offers25% Annual bonus Equity in Carnival UKEmployee Shares Plan Minimum 25 days leave, bank holiday allowance and holiday trading schemeRegular office events including live entertainment, lifestyle events and charity partner fundraisers Extensive learning and development opportunities Employee-led networksEmployee Assistance and Wellbeing programmesContributory Defined Contribution Pension schemeCompany paid private medical and dental insurance and health assessmentIn-house Occupational Health help and access to digital GPLife AssuranceParental and adoption leaveElectric Car and Cycle to Work schemesOnsite restaurant offering range of healthy cooked and grab and go mealsDiscounted retail and leisure via discounts portal

 

Application Note:

Due to the high volume of interest in our roles, we encourage early applications. This is your chance to contribute to a company that's setting the standard for holiday experiences. Apply today to be part of our journey to create joy and memories for our customers—and for you.

Don't let this opportunity sail away. Join us in making holiday dreams come true while advancing your career to new horizons.

Recruitment Journey

The recruitment journey for this role, will start in Jan 2026, so please expect to hear from us in the New Year.

For more information on your recruitment journey, please visit https://bit.ly/CUKCandidateJourney. 

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About Us

Holidays are one of lifes greatest pleasures. Having the chance to relax, escape and explore is a magical thing. And there is no better holiday than a cruise.

No one knows cruising like Carnival UK, where talented people from across the globe come together to create unforgettable holiday happiness. As part of the worlds largest holiday travel and leisure company, we take enormous pride in bringing to life two of the most iconic brands from Britains rich seafaring heritage, P&O Cruises and Cunard. Collectively they have been delivering unbridled joy, boundless adventure and lifelong memories to millions of people for over 350 years. And in a multi-million pound global holiday market, where cruising has barely scratched the surface, we have the opportunity to do that for many, many more people.

Our diverse yet tight knit teams share high standards, heartfelt values and passion for our purpose. Our Culture Essentials describe the expectations we have for ourselves and of each other, in building a culture that supports safe, sustainable, compliant operations and celebrates diversity, equity and inclusion.

Its through the successful delivery of these extraordinary travel experiences for our target markets and our distinctive culture, that we hope to become Travels Employer of Choice.

To keep everyone on board fit and well, colleagues who visit or work on our ships must be fully vaccinated, including boosters. Were reviewing this requirement regularly.

Carnival UK is committed to protecting against potential risks to safeguarding, security and/or fraud risks.  This post is subject to the disclosure of criminal records and vetting checks in the event of an individual being offered the position.  We will only ask about convictions which are defined as 'not protected'.

Holidays are one of life's greatest pleasures. Having the chance to relax, escape and explore is a magical thing. And there is no better holiday than a cruise.

No one knows cruising like Carnival UK, where talented people from across the globe come together to create unforgettable holiday happiness. As part of the world's largest holiday travel and leisure company, we take enormous pride in bringing to life two of the most iconic brands from Britain's rich seafaring heritage, P&O Cruises and Cunard. Collectively they have been delivering unbridled joy, boundless adventure and lifelong memories to millions of people for over 350 years. And in a multi million pound global holiday market, where cruising has barely scratched the surface, we have the opportunity to do that for many, many more people.

Our diverse yet tight knit teams share high standards, heartfelt values and passion for our purpose. Our Culture Essentials describe the expectations we have for ourselves and of each other, in building a culture that supports safe, sustainable, compliant operations and celebrates diversity, equity and inclusion.

It's through the successful delivery of these extraordinary travel experiences for our target markets and our distinctive culture, that we hope to become Travel's Employer of Choice.

To keep everyone on board fit and well, colleagues who visit or work on our ships must be fully vaccinated. We're reviewing this requirement regularly and you will be advised accordingly should requirements change.

Carnival UK is committed to protecting against potential risks to safeguarding, security and/or fraud risks. This post is subject to the disclosure of criminal records and vetting checks in the event of an individual being offered the position.  We will only ask about convictions which are defined as 'not protected'.