What are the responsibilities and job description for the Area Manager position at LEAD Staffing?
Area Manager – Shipboard Operations & Repair
Location: San Diego, CA (Shipyard)
Position Type: Full-Time / Direct Placement & Extended Contract Options
Pay Range: Competitive Salary (DOE) Benefits Package
Shift: 1st Shift (Flexibility required for shipboard production schedules)
ABOUT LEAD STAFFING
LEAD Staffing is a national leader in marine, shipyard, and commercial trade staffing. We partner with top-tier shipyards, defense contractors, and industrial operators to place highly skilled craftspeople and operational leaders into critical roles across the country.
POSITION OVERVIEW
We are seeking an experienced Area Manager to oversee ship construction and repair operations within assigned shipboard areas at a major shipyard facility in San Diego, CA.
In this role, you will be directly accountable for managing production trade execution, subcontractor coordination, safety compliance, quality assurance, schedule adherence, and cost efficiency. As the primary operational lead for your assigned project zone, you will bridge the gap between production trades, ship managers, planning, engineering, and customer representatives (including NAVSEA and Ship’s Force).
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Operational & Production Leadership: Oversee daily trade activities, sequencing, and workflow in assigned shipboard zones; ensure work is completed safely, on schedule, and within budget.
- Safety & Environmental Standards: Manage ship-wide safety, housekeeping, and environmental compliance; ensure strict adherence to OSHA and shipyard safety protocols.
- Trade & Subcontractor Coordination: Resolve conflicting trade priorities, coordinate resource allocation with Trade General Supervisors, and direct subcontractor activities.
- Schedule & Budget Control: Monitor project milestones, anticipate schedule/budget deviations, and implement proactive corrective action plans.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with Quality Assurance, Planning, Contracts, Material Control, Warehousing, Test & Trials, and Engineering to maintain project momentum.
- NAVSEA & Regulatory Compliance: Understand and administer NAVSEA Standard Items (for repair availabilities) and interface directly with customer representatives and regulatory bodies.
- Reporting & Process Improvement: Provide structured progress reports, lessons learned, and Engineering Change Notices (ECNs) to senior leadership to drive productivity improvements on ongoing and follow-on hulls.
QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS
- Education: High School Diploma or GED required; formal maritime, trade school, or college education is a plus.
- Experience: Minimum of 2 years of supervisory or operations experience in a major shipbuilding, ship repair, or heavy industrial manufacturing environment.
- Technical Knowledge: Strong working knowledge of ship systems, trade responsibilities, line management, and shipboard construction/repair practices.
- NAVSEA Knowledge: Practical understanding of NAVSEA Standard Items, Work Authorization Forms (WAFs), and shipboard Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) processes.
- Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills with a proven track record of writing effective progress and status reports.
- Leadership: Strong team-building, problem-solving, and conflict-resolution abilities under fast-paced production deadlines.
- Work Authorization: Must be eligible to work in the U.S. and obtain/maintain required shipyard access credentials (e.g., DBIDS / SECNAV).
PHYSICAL DEMANDS & WORK ENVIRONMENT
- Must be able to spend up to 60% of time in an outdoor shipyard environment across all weather conditions.
- Capable of climbing scaffolding, stairs, and vertical ladders; transiting through manholes () and tight, confined, or congested shipboard spaces.
- Comfortable working at elevated heights (12’ ) aboard vessels under construction or repair.
- Physical agility to bend, stoop, crouch, reach, and lift/maneuver on uneven surfaces.
- Ability to work in noisy production environments (requiring standard PPE including steel-toe boots, hard hat, safety glasses, and hearing protection).
Benefits:
- Health insurance
- 6 Paid holidays
- 40 Hours of Paid sick leave
*The benefits listed above are subject to eligibility requirements*
To see a list of more available jobs, please visit www.leadstaff.com/jobs/
HOW TO APPLY
Ready to lead major shipboard operations in San Diego?
- Call/Text: (619) 468-2372
- Email Resume: [leadmarine@leadstaff.com]
- Apply Online: [www.leadstaff.com]
About LEAD Staffing
Lead Staffing, established in 2010, specializes in Construction, Industrial and Marine Staffing of Skilled Tradespeople throughout the United States of America. Our goal is to work with regional and national contractors that share our commitment towards safety and to provide long term rewarding work assignments for our valued employees.
LEAD is proud to be an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer.
LEAD is committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information (including characteristics and testing), military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We believe that diversity and inclusion among our teammates is critical to our success as a growing national company, and we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool.