Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is a family-run business that has been offering exceptional cruise experiences for over 170 years. With a fleet of ships that provide intimate, friendly, and immersive voyages, we are committed to delivering world-class service with a personal touch. Join us and be part of a proud heritage that is all about making lasting memories for our guests.
As we continue to grow, we are now strengthening our team with a Cruise Programme Manager in our Ipswich Head Office.
We are looking for an experienced Cruise Programme Manager to lead complex, business-critical change across our cruise business. You will provide clear direction, joined-up planning, and delivery excellence across technology and business change, making sure programmes translate into measurable guest, commercial, and operational benefits with sustainable, long-term impact.
Key Responsibilities:
Strategic Programme Leadership
* Lead the design and delivery of strategic programmes aligned with business priorities.
* Shape programme objectives, scope, and success measures in partnership with executive stakeholders.
* Provide leadership and direction to project and delivery managers, ensuring coherence and accountability across all programme workstreams and delivery outcomes.
* Act as the key interface between delivery management and executive sponsors, engaging confidently with senior leadership (Director/C-level) while maintaining established governance and reporting lines.
* Apply strong domain knowledge of travel, cruise, and hospitality operations to ensure programme decisions are grounded in business reality and customer impact.
* Track and report progress against agreed KPIs to demonstrate delivery performance and strategic impact.
* Ensure programme outcomes align with the company’s strategic pillars.
Delivery Management
* Lead and guide project and delivery managers, ensuring coordinated planning, scheduling, and execution across interdependent workstreams and suppliers.
* Balance strategic oversight with active engagement in delivery, providing clear direction and alignment across delivery teams to maintain focus on outcomes.
* Work closely with delivery managers to unblock challenges, build capability, and coach them towards greater delivery maturity.
* Manage programme budgets, forecasts, and resource plans.
* Implement effective risk, issue, and dependency management processes.
* Ensure adherence to governance standards and quality assurance frameworks.
* Establish, refine, and continuously improve programme and delivery management methods, governance, and tooling to strengthen execution capability.
* Where required, directly oversee or assume delivery responsibility for critical projects within the programme.
Stakeholder and Partner Engagement
* Engage confidently and collaboratively with senior leadership (Director/C-level) while operating within defined governance and reporting structures.
* Act as the primary interface between delivery teams, sponsors, and executive stakeholders to ensure alignment and proactive communication.
* Facilitate clear, timely communication and effective decision-making across diverse stakeholder groups.
* Lead steering committees and programme boards.
Business Change and Transformation
* Lead, implement, and embed business change across programmes to ensure successful adoption of new processes and systems.
* Drive continuous improvement in business processes and operational practices through effective change leadership and collaboration with business owners.
* Champion customer experience enhancements and technology adoption that support strategic transformation.
* Oversee communication and training activities to embed change and sustain business outcomes.
Our Values:
* We are caring - “We trust and care for each other, our guests and our environment”
* We are positive - “We live and share a positive attitude”
* We are real - “We are always ourselves and respect others”
* We are a team - “We are more than a team; we are a family”
As an equal opportunity employer, we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.