Safety & Compliance Officer; f​/m​/d

It’s time to make safety the strongest standard on Europe’s rivers — Join River Advice as Safety & Compliance Officer.

River Advice manages nautical, technical and hospitality operations for a fleet of around 70 river cruise vessels across Europe’s waterways, on behalf of leading international partners. For us, safety on board is not a nice-to-have – it is an essential part of daily ship operations. To strengthen our safety organization, we are expanding our Safety & Compliance department with real responsibility, regular presence on board and genuine impact – combining hands‑on audit and training work with the further development of our safety systems.

• Own fleet-wide safety management and compliance, including Ship Emergency Response Systems, ISO 28701 implementation, and continuous improvement processes
• Conduct vessel safety audits and inspections (announced and unannounced), ensuring compliance with regulations, safety standards, documentation, equipment, and crew readiness
• Deliver and coordinate onboard safety training, briefings, drills, and emergency exercises to strengthen crew competence and operational preparedness
• Evaluate and optimize emergency response procedures and drills, sharing best practices across the fleet
• Develop and maintain safety documentation, including SOPs, emergency plans, checklists, evacuation procedures, and training materials
• Lead incident and near‑miss investigations, define corrective actions, and ensure effective follow‑up to closure
• Identify and monitor technical safety improvements in cooperation with Safety and Technical departments
• Coordinate with authorities, emergency services, and internal stakeholders, support real incidents, and contribute to newbuild vessel integration

• Extensive operational experience (8+ years) in maritime and/or inland waterway operations, ideally combining onboard safety roles with corporate safety governance or HSEQ work
• A recognized nautical or technical qualification; a Master’s licence or comparable inland navigation patent is a strong advantage
• Proven experience as a designated Safety Officer or Safety & Security Officer on passenger vessels – you have owned drills, muster lists, and emergency readiness yourself
• A track record in delivering training at scale to multinational crews and in creating the materials behind it: SOPs, manuals, checklists, video scripts, or e‑learning
• Experience in incident investigation, near‑miss analysis and corrective action management
• Audit competence — an internal auditor qualification or comparable audit experience is an asset
  
  Confidence in dealing with authorities, external emergency services and inspections
• A structured, independent working style, credibility with captains and crews and a cooperative, solution‑oriented approach
• High willingness to travel across the European waterways during the season
• Fluent English;
  German is a strong advantage; further languages are a plus

We are looking for a person who:

• Promote safety as a culture and an integrated system, not just a checklist or a series of individual fixes
• Combine hands‑on onboard leadership with strong procedural expertise — from conducting drills to developing the processes behind them
• Stay present and proactive: observe closely, communicate openly, identify risks, and ensure issues are followed through to resolution
• Raise safety standards by empowering crews through effective training, practical solutions, and continuous improvement

• A newly strengthened safety organization with clearly defined regional fleets and realistic workloads
• A permanent, full‑time position with genuine responsibility, from the vessel deck to management reporting
• Close cooperation with the Safety Department, the Director Nautical Operations, Director Technical Operations, and Fleet Managers
• Room to shape systems, not just execute them: drill assessment, emergency documentation, and training formats across the fleet
• The opportunity to shape the safety culture of one of Europe’s largest river cruise operations and to strengthen the River Advice brand

If you want to combine seamanship, safety systems and the development of people – and actively build a strong safety culture across a growing fleet – we look forward to your application.