Subsea Tooling Manager
Location: Aberdeen, Newcastle or North Yorkshire
Role Purpose
The Subsea Tooling Manager is responsible for the technical, commercial, and strategic management of a global subsea tooling portfolio. The role ensures tooling solutions are engineered, delivered, and cost-managed to meet project requirements safely, efficiently, and reliably, while driving performance, profitability, and market growth.
Key Responsibilities
Technical Leadership
* Lead the design, development, selection, and integration of subsea tooling, including pipeline PIG launch and recovery systems and subsea connectors.
* Provide technical leadership to tooling engineers, ensuring compliance with industry standards and best practices.
* Ensure tooling designs are maintained, certified, and compliant with regulatory and quality requirements.
* Support projects through technical reviews, feasibility assessments, and operational troubleshooting.
* Drive continuous improvement in tooling performance, reliability, and innovation.
Commercial & Strategic Management
* Own the commercial strategy for subsea tooling, including budgeting, pricing, and cost control.
* Support sales enquiries and prepare technical and commercial proposals in response to RFQs.
* Manage vendor relationships, procurement strategies, and contract negotiations.
* Optimise tooling inventory and lifecycle management to reduce cost and lead times.
* Identify market trends, emerging technologies, and growth opportunities.
* Develop and deliver short-term revenue improvement plans and a 3–5 year strategic roadmap, including funded new product development.
* Support marketing activities, customer engagement, and industry exhibitions.
Project, Operational, HSE & Quality
* Coordinate with internal teams to ensure tooling is delivered to customer expectations.
* Ensure timely resolution of equipment and operational issues.
* Champion a strong HSE culture and ensure compliance with safety, legislative, and quality systems.
* Participate in audits, incident investigations, and continuous improvement activities.
Key Competencies
* Strong technical expertise in subsea tooling and ROV-related systems.
* Proven commercial and financial management capability.
* Leadership, strategic planning, and execution skills.
* Strong organisational, communication, and problem-solving abilities.
* Commitment to safety, quality, and continuous improvement.
Qualifications & Experience
* Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Marine Engineering, Robotics, or related discipline.
* Chartered Engineer status desirable.
* 7+ years’ experience in subsea tooling, ROV operations, or subsea engineering.
* Proven experience in design-and-build environments and technical team management.
* Strong knowledge of offshore energy industry standards (API, ISO, IMCA).
Work Environment
* Office-based with regular travel to operational teams, customers, and exhibitions in the UK and overseas