Director, and Cost Management

Job Description

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, elevate, 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?

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; elevate 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…