Director, Performance and Cost Management

Holland America Line has been exploring the world since 1873. Our ships offer innovative features and enriching experiences focused on destination exploration and personalized travel, inviting guests to savor the journey. 

The Director of Performance and Cost Management is an enterprise finance leader accountable for setting and governing cost‑management and capital‑efficiency strategy across Holland America Line and Seabourn. Reporting to the Brand CFO, this role owns the performance management framework for operating costs and capital returns, ensuring sustained delivery of savings, capital avoidance, and returns on invested capital (ROIC) while protecting brand standards and guest experience. The Director sets enterprise‑wide standards, targets, and governance mechanisms for cost and capital performance across shipboard and shoreside operations, including fuel and energy, food and beverage, hotel operations, technical maintenance, procurement, labor, shore excursions, and fleet investments. The role establishes clear accountability for realized financial outcomes, oversees benefit‑realization tracking, and has authority to challenge, escalate, and course‑correct initiatives that are not meeting targets. The Director is accountable for translating financial and operational insights into executable actions, embedding cost and capital discipline into budgeting, forecasting, long‑range planning, and investment decisions. The role also owns the evaluation, prioritization, and governance of AI‑enabled cost and capital initiatives, ensuring disciplined ROI/ROIC validation and measurable financial impact. As the enterprise owner of cost and capital performance frameworks, the Director serves as a primary decision partner to the Brand CFO and senior leaders, with responsibility for delivering measurable, sustained improvements in efficiency, capital productivity, and long‑term ROIC across both brands.

Here’s a summary of what Holland America Line is looking for.  Is this you? 

Responsibilities:

Cost Management, Optimization, and Performance Tracking

• Lead development and execution of comprehensive cost‑management strategies across all major shipboard and shoreside expense categories.

• Set enterprise cost‑performance targets and required run‑rate savings assumptions in partnership with the Brand CFO.

• Establish decision rights and escalation protocols for cost initiatives that fail to meet financial or operational commitments.

• Certify and report realized savings and capital benefits as part of monthly and quarterly financial reviews.

• Ensure sustainable cost savings while maintaining premium and ultra‑luxury service standards.

• Establish, track, and report KPIs for operational efficiency, productivity, financial performance, and ROIC.

• Maintain and govern structured tracking frameworks and dashboards for all cost‑saving and capital‑efficiency initiatives, with accountability for realized savings, capital avoidance, and ROIC impact; escalate variances and require corrective actions where targets are not achieved.

• Deliver clear, insight‑driven reports and presentations to senior leadership.

Capital Efficiency and ROIC Improvement

• Own the capital‑efficiency and ROIC governance framework for HAL and SBN, including standard methodologies, hurdle rates, and post‑investment performance review.

• Approve or challenge capital and operating initiatives based on ROI/ROIC outcomes, ensuring alignment with brand strategy and capital discipline.

• Lead post‑implementation reviews to validate returns and enforce accountability for underperforming investments.

• Develop and oversee frameworks to optimize capital efficiency, including working capital, fleet deployment, dry‑dock planning, and technology investments.

• Drive initiatives that enhance ROIC through improved asset utilization, predictive maintenance, and disciplined capital allocation.

• Conduct ROI/ROIC evaluations for major capital and operational projects, ensuring alignment with brand strategy and corporate priorities.

• Support budgeting, forecasting, and long‑range planning with capital‑efficiency insights and ROIC modeling.

Benchmarking, Strategic Analysis, and Process Improvement

• Establish enterprise benchmarking standards and recurring governance cadence, including required actions and leadership accountability tied to gaps.

• Determine which findings translate into mandated initiatives, not just insights, and oversee execution through benefit realization.

• Lead internal benchmarking across ships, itineraries, and brands to identify best practices and performance gaps.

• Conduct external benchmarking against Carnival brands, premium/luxury competitors, and broader hospitality/shipping peers.

• Use benchmarking insights to set targets, inform fleet and itinerary decisions, and prioritize high‑ROI initiatives.

• Drive cross‑functional process‑improvement projects to streamline operations, automate workflows, and enhance productivity.

• Perform deep‑dive analyses on cost drivers, capital allocation scenarios, sensitivity testing, and future cost structures.

AI‑Driven Innovation, Technology Evaluation, and Compliance

• Serve as enterprise owner of AI‑enabled cost and capital initiatives, including prioritization, funding recommendations, performance validation, and benefit realization.

• Approve continuation, scaling, or termination of pilots based on measured financial outcomes and risk assessments.

• Identify, evaluate, and prioritize AI/ML initiatives that reduce costs and improve capital efficiency across fuel, F&B, maintenance, labor, procurement, and other high‑impact areas.

• Implement structured tracking of AI benefits, including savings, capital avoidance, and ROIC impact.

• Ensure all initiatives comply with safety, regulatory, environmental, and brand‑quality standards.

• Foster a data‑driven, innovation‑oriented culture across shipboard and shoreside teams.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Scope: The Director of Performance and Cost Management holds enterprise accountability for cost and capital performance frameworks across two premium and ultra‑luxury cruise brands operating globally. The scope spans end‑to‑end ownership of cost and capital governance, including standard‑setting, target‑setting, performance monitoring, escalation, and benefit certification. While execution occurs through cross‑functional teams, this role owns the frameworks, methodologies, and outcomes, ensuring sustained financial impact across fuel, labor, F&B, maintenance, procurement, deployment, and fleet investments. The role operates horizontally across the organization with authority to influence decisions, enforce standards, and require action, rather than acting purely as an advisory function.

• Problem solving: This role addresses high‑complexity, enterprise‑level financial and operational problems where decisions carry material implications for brand profitability, capital deployment, and long‑term ROIC. The Director evaluates competing operational priorities, capital constraints, and strategic trade-offs, determining where cost or capital interventions should be mandated, adjusted, or discontinued. Problem‑solving extends beyond analysis to decision‑making and consequence management, including resolving underperformance in major initiatives, recalibrating targets, and enforcing corrective actions. The role requires judgment to balance luxury service imperatives with disciplined financial outcomes, often with incomplete information and under material financial stakes.

• Impact: The impact of this role is material, enterprise‑wide, and directly tied to financial results. The Director is accountable for delivering validated cost savings, capital avoidance, and ROIC improvements embedded in budget commitments and long‑range plans. Outcomes from this role directly influence EBITDA performance, free cash flow, capital allocation decisions, and investment prioritization across both brands. By governing performance transparency and benefit realization, the Director ensures that financial improvements are sustainable, repeatable, and auditable, not one‑time or theoretical. The role’s impact is visible at the executive and board‑level through its influence on profitability, capital productivity, and long‑term shareholder value.

• Leadership: Leadership in this role is exercised through enterprise influence, governance, and decision authority rather than direct people management. The Director leads through setting expectations, defining standards, enforcing accountability, and driving results across functional boundaries. The role requires credibility and confidence to challenge senior leaders, redirect initiatives, and escalate issues when financial commitments are at risk. As a trusted partner to the Brand CFO and leadership team, the Director shapes how the organization thinks about cost discipline, capital efficiency, and return‑based decision‑making—embedding these principles into the operating rhythm of the business.

Requirements 

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Engineering, Maritime Operations, Data Science, or a related field (MBA or advanced degree strongly preferred).

• Strong analytical skills, including financial modeling, KPI development, variance analysis, ROIC calculations, dashboard creation, and data visualization. Familiarity with AI applications in fuel optimization, predictive maintenance, demand forecasting, or similar maritime/hospitality use cases is a significant advantage.

• Excellent communication, presentation, and influencing skills — able to translate complex benchmarking, tracking, ROIC, and AI-related data into clear executive insights.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (advanced Excel), financial/ERP systems (e.g., Oracle), business intelligence tools, and exposure to AI/analytics platforms.

• Willingness to travel occasionally to ships, headquarters (Seattle area), or other locations as needed.

• 10–12+ years of progressive experience in performance management, cost optimization, capital allocation, FP&A, operations finance, or operational improvement within complex, multi‑site organizations, preferably in the cruise, hospitality, maritime, transportation, or asset‑intensive service industries.

• Demonstrated progression into enterprise‑level roles with accountability for setting frameworks, targets, and governance, not solely conducting analysis or supporting decision‑makers.

• Proven track record of owning and delivering sustained, material cost savings, capital avoidance, and ROIC improvement, with direct responsibility for initiative prioritization, benefit realization, and post‑implementation performance validation.

• Experience leading enterprise‑wide benchmarking, performance governance, and operating cadence, including translating insights into mandated actions and holding senior stakeholders accountable for results.

• Deep expertise in major cruise or hospitality cost drivers (fuel, labor, food & beverage, maintenance, hotel operations, technical operations, procurement) and associated financial and operational performance metrics (e.g., cost per ALBD, productivity ratios, capital productivity, ROIC).

• Hands‑on experience evaluating and governing large‑scale operational or analytical initiatives, including technology‑enabled or AI‑driven solutions, with accountability for ROI/ROIC assessment, prioritization, and ongoing performance outcomes.

• Demonstrated ability to operate credibly at the executive level, influencing Brand Presidents, CFOs, and functional leaders; effectively challenging assumptions, redirecting initiatives, and escalating issues where financial commitments are at risk.

• Experience working across multiple brands, business units, or operating models, with the ability to balance enterprise consistency and governance with brand‑specific strategic and operational needs.

• Prior experience within Carnival Corporation brands or similar‑scale global organizations is highly desirable.

Travel: Less than 25% with shipboard travel likely

Work Conditions: Work primarily in a climate-controlled environment with minimal safety/health hazard potential.

Physical Demands: Must be able to remain in a stationary position at a desk and/or computer for extended periods of time.

This position is classified as “in-office.”  As an in-office role, it requires employees to work from a designated Carnival office in South Florida Monday through Thursday each week. 

What You Can Expect  

• Cruise and Travel Privileges for You and Your Family 
• Health Benefits 
• 401(k)  
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan  
• Training & Professional Development 
• Tuition & Professional Certification Reimbursement 
• Base Salary  Range: $136,200 to $183,900. The range is applicable for the labor market where the role is intended to be hired. Final base salary is directly related to each candidate’s qualifications and experience uniquely. 

Our Culture…Stronger Together 

Our highest responsibility and top priority is compliance, environmental protection and the health, safety and well-being of our guests, the people in the communities we touch and serve, and our shipboard and shoreside employees.  Please visit our site to learn more about our Culture Essentials, Corporate Vision Statement and our Core Values at: https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/our-company/mission-values.html 
 
Holland America is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. 

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)  

Holland America will provide reasonable accommodations with the application process, upon your request, as required to comply with applicable laws.  If you have a disability and require assistance in this application process, please contact [email protected] 
 

#HAL

#LI-Hybrid

#LI-SR1