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Shoreside
Yacht Safety Manager
A Yacht Safety Manager works ashore for a management company, writing and auditing the safety systems a fleet runs on, so crews drill properly, incidents are learned from and yachts stay compliant with ISM, ISPS and flag rules.
- Department
- Shoreside
- Reports to
- Designated Person Ashore (DPA) or Head of Compliance
- Yacht size
- Shore based, fleets of 24m to 150m+
- Contract
- Permanent, shore based
- Starting pay
- €60,000 a year
What the job is
You sit in a yacht management office and own the safety side of the Safety Management System for a fleet of yachts. That means writing and updating procedures, risk assessments, drill matrices and emergency response plans, then making sure each yacht actually uses them. Most of the work is practical. You turn a new flag circular or a lesson from an incident into a clear instruction a busy chief officer will read and follow.
Travel is a big part of the job. You fly to yachts in Antibes, Palma, Fort Lauderdale or the Caribbean to run internal ISM and ISPS audits, watch drills and walk the vessel with the captain. You check fire fighting equipment logs, enclosed space entry permits, tender launch procedures and crew familiarisation records. When you find gaps you raise non-conformities, agree corrective actions and follow them up until they are closed.
You are also part of the emergency response team ashore. If a yacht has a fire, a man overboard, a grounding or a serious injury, you help the DPA support the captain, deal with flag and insurers and later lead the investigation. Most people come into the role after years at sea as an officer or captain, because crews respect someone who has stood a watch and run a drill themselves.
What makes a good one
- Writing clear safety procedures
- Auditing to ISM and ISPS codes
- Incident investigation and root cause analysis
- Calm crisis response
- Earning respect from captains and crew
A day in the life
- 08:30Check overnight emails from the fleet. A 60m yacht in Sardinia has reported a crew member's hand injury from a mooring line, so you open an incident file.
- 09:15Call the chief officer to get the facts and photos. You agree interim measures and ask for crew statements by the end of the day.
- 10:00Update the fleet risk assessment template for tender recovery in swell after a near miss on another yacht. You write a short safety bulletin for all captains.
- 11:30Weekly compliance meeting with the DPA and technical managers. You review open non-conformities, upcoming flag surveys and certificate expiry dates across the fleet.
- 13:00Lunch, then drive to Port Vauban to a 45m motor yacht starting its season.
- 14:00Run an internal ISM audit with the captain. You check drill records, lifesaving appliance servicing, permit to work logs and crew training files.
- 16:00Watch the crew run a fire drill in the engine room. You debrief afterwards and note that two new crew need more breathing apparatus practice.
- 17:15Back at the office, write up the audit report with findings and agreed close-out dates. You upload it to the fleet management software.
- 18:30Brief the duty DPA before handing over. You stay reachable on the emergency phone for the injury case in Sardinia.
Pay by country
Annual gross salary for a permanent shore-based role. Figures follow local salary markets and rise with fleet size, sea-going rank and auditing experience. Travel expenses are paid on top; no charter tips.
- France and Monaco
- €60,000 – 85,000
- Spain
- €45,000 – 65,000
- Italy
- €45,000 – 62,000
- United Kingdom
- £50,000 – 75,000
- USA (Florida)
- US$80,000 – 115,000
- Caribbean
- US$65,000 – 90,000
- UAE
- AED 300,000 – 420,000
- Australia
- A$110,000 – 145,000
- New Zealand
- NZ$95,000 – 125,000
Required
- MCA Officer of the Watch (Yacht) 3000gt or above
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ISM Code internal auditor training
- Ship Security Officer
- Several years' sea-going officer experience
Recommended
- MCA Chief Mate or Master (Yacht) 3000gt
- DPA training course
- Company Security Officer
- NEBOSH International General Certificate
- ISO 45001 Lead Auditor
- Medical Care
Visas
- Right to work in the country of the office (EU, UK, US, UAE, Australia or New Zealand)
- Schengen for yacht visits in the Mediterranean
- US B1/B2 for visits to yachts in Florida and the US
Where it leads
Yacht Safety Manager jobs open now
Questions crew ask
Do I need to have been a captain to get this job?
Not always, but most hires have served as a chief officer or captain. An OOW 3000gt with strong safety experience can get in, especially with ISM auditor training.
How much travel is involved?
Expect to spend roughly a quarter to a third of your time visiting yachts for audits, drills and incident follow-up. Busy periods are before the summer season and around winter refits.
What is the difference between this role and a DPA?
The DPA is the legally named link between the yachts and top management under the ISM Code. The Safety Manager does much of the hands-on safety work for the DPA and often steps up into that role.