Overview Awarded World's Best Small Ship Cruise line, Windstar Cruises is known for intimate yacht style experience and unique voyages to the world's best small ports and hidden harbors.
Its three sailing yachts and three all-suite yachts carry just 148 to 342 guests and cruise around the world.
Our Mission: We imagine and deliver personalized and immersive experiences 180 degrees from ordinary
Our Vision: Enriching people's perspective through inspired travel
Our Values: Welcoming, Innovative, Now, Discipline, Serve, Teamwork, Authentic, Responsible
We are currently seeking a professional to serve as a key driver in advancing Windstar Cruises' operational efficiency, innovation, and guest experience across the organization.
The Director, Continuous Innovation & Automation serves as a crucial bridge to Windstar's technology teams and cross functional business units, ensuring the seamless integration of strategic initiatives aimed at achieving operational excellence, innovation and delivering outstanding guest experiences.
Responsibilities Develop and execute a robust continuous improvement strategy that aligns with Windstar's overarching business goals, driving operational enhancements cross functionally including shoreside and vessel operations.Identify and capitalize on opportunities to optimize processes, eliminate waste, maximize revenue and achieve cost savings throughout the organization leveraging technology and innovation while partnering and optimizing business processes.Lead cross-functional teams in performing detailed process analyses, root cause evaluations, and performance gap assessments to identify and address areas for improvement.Design and implement innovative solutions to enhance operational efficiency, leveraging methodologies such as Lean, Six Sigma, and other improvement frameworks.Establish, monitor, and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics to measure operational effectiveness and track the progress of improvement initiatives.Create and deploy training programs aimed at equipping teams with the skills and knowledge necessary for continuous improvement.Foster a culture of innovation, continuous improvement, and problem-solving across the organization, encouraging a proactive approach to operational challenges.Collaborate closely with both shipboard and shoreside departments to ensure alignment and unified support for improvement initiatives.Perform other job-related functions as assigned.Monitor development timelines, identify potential delays, and work with teams to mitigate risks.
Provide regular updates to stakeholders.Demonstrate familiarity with agile development processes and possess knowledge of scrum methodology.Support compliance with multiple industry and government data security and data privacy mandates including PII, GDPR, CCPA, and others.
Partner with Windstar and Xanterra IT to address updates as well as security vulnerabilities identified by the Infrastructure & Security team.Qualifications 10+ years of experience in Operations or Technology management, with a strong focus in continuous improvement.Demonstrated ability to drive cross-functional collaboration and manage stakeholders at all levels.Proficiency in Agile methodologies.Ability to convert business requirements into technical specifications.Excellent ability to communicate both verbally and in a written format is critical to the success of any individual in this position due to the amount of documentation and training required.Experience with Jira or similar tools.Strong analytical skills, including success criteria and data-driven decision-making.Proven ability to manage large-scale vendor relationships and contracts, with a focus on cost efficiency and service delivery.Strong project management and change management skills and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.Experience in the cruise industry is preferred but not required.BENEFITS: For full-time employees, Xanterra offers a comprehensive benefits package including: Medical, Dental & Vision; HSA & FSA; Life & Disability; Accident, Hospital & Critical Illness; Pet Insurance; Vacation, Sick and Holiday Paid Time Off; 401(k) with Company Match; Employee Assistance Plan; Education Assistance; and Employee Discounts and Travel Deals.
EEO: Windstar is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace.
We are an equal opportunity employer.
Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, pregnancy, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other legally protected status.
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