Business Development Manager

We are Helsinki Shipyard – celebrating 160 years of shipbuilding excellence. Since 1865, we have been designing, building, and commissioning tailor-made, high-class passenger vessels and icebreakers for extreme conditions. We proudly continue the legacy of Helsinki’s own Shipyard, right in the heart of Helsinki. With us, you get to design and build the ships under one roof from start to finish, in close collaboration with our customers. Our specialty lies in vessels that operate on the polar seas, but we can build everything from smaller yachts to complex multi-purpose icebreakers. To provide you with some perspective, we've built 50% of the world's icebreakers - without us it would be hard to navigate in the icy seas! We are now beginning construction on a new heavy icebreaker for the Canadian government. The vessel will be constructed in Helsinki before being completed at Davie's shipyard in Quebec by 2030. Since November 2023, Helsinki Shipyard has been a part of Group Davie together with SATA Shipbuilding in Pori and Chantier Davie in Levie, Quebec. We are looking for a Senior Manager, Cruise Concepts & Business Development to join our Sales & Marketing organization. In this role, you will shape the future of our Cruise Ship business by driving concept development, market intelligence, and customer engagement activities. We are looking for a professional with a strong understanding of ship concept design and the cruise shipping business. This role is ideal for someone with a background in concept design who is also eager to work at the client interface, bridging technical, commercial, and customer perspectives to develop successful solutions. You will play a key role in defining our long-term vision and roadmap for Cruise Shipbuilding, ensuring that Helsinki Shipyard remains at the forefront of industry developments, customer expectations, emerging technologies, and regulatory changes. As a key contributor to our future business growth, you will identify market opportunities, develop competitive vessel concepts, and support customer-facing sales activities from the earliest stages. You will work closely with Sales, Vessel Segments, Project Design, and external stakeholders to transform market insights into compelling solutions that strengthen our position in the global cruise shipbuilding market. In this role you get to: - Contribute to the development of the shipyard's Cruise products and concepts - Help build and maintain the vision and roadmap for our Cruise Shipbuilding business - Lead market research and competitive intelligence activities, developing tools and processes to support business decisions - Monitor new technologies, regulations and industry trends, ensuring the shipyard remains well-positioned to adapt and respond - Support front-end customer engagement and sales activities together with the Sales and Project teams - Support Project Design and customer-specific concept development to ensure our solutions meet or exceed customer expectations - Participate in the development of future cruise vessel concepts and value propositions - Build and maintain relationships with key external stakeholders, including consultants, designers, brokers and industry partners - Contribute to strategic business development initiatives supporting future growth within the Cruise segment To succeed in this role, we expect you to have: - Previous experience in Ship Design and Construction, either on the Ship Owner/Operator or Shipyard side - Previous experience from the Cruise Shipping industry and/or Cruise Shipbuilding - Broad experience and understanding of Ship General Design - Good understanding of shipbuilding regulations and requirements, including IMO regulations and Classification Society rules - Strong communication and presentation skills - Customer-oriented mindset with strong problem-solving capabilities - Capability to lead small project teams and coordinate multidisciplinary stakeholders - Ability to work effectively under demanding timelines when required - Capability to work as part of a larger team and organization - Strong business-oriented mindset - A degree in Naval Architecture or Marine Engineering is essential for success in this role. - Experience in concept development, market analysis and customer-facing business development activities is considered highly beneficial. - Fluent English is required as we work with international customers and stakeholders. Other language skills are considered an advantage. What makes us a good choice? - You will have the opportunity to shape the future direction of our Cruise Ship business and contribute directly to the development of next-generation vessel concepts - You will work at the intersection of technology, design, business development and customer engagement in a highly international environment - In our close-knit Design organization of approximately 150 professionals, everyone knows each other and has the opportunity to make a meaningful impact - Environmental responsibility is a core value for us. As part of our commitment, we participate in joint Helsinki sea monitoring, where the quality and harmful substances in the water are monitored 📍Our office is centrally located at the Shipyard in Hietalahti, Helsinki. Our team members work in a hybrid model, combining remote work with time spent at the office depending on the nature of the work and project phase. Typically, we work on-site two to three days per week. We are also open to candidates who would like to relocate for the role. While we are unfortunately unable to provide relocation support at this time, we are happy to consider applicants who are planning to move to Finland independently and already hold a valid permit that allows them to work in Finland. Continue our historical story with us! Tell us about yourself by 9.8.2026. Please note that we review and interview promising candidates throughout the application period. However, as the recruitment takes place during the summer holiday season, there may occasionally be longer response times than usual. We appreciate your patience and will get back to you as soon as possible. If you have any questions about the role, please contact Jussi Lehtinen, Vice President, Sales & Marketing via e-mail: jussi.lehtinen@helsinkishipyard.fi ----- As part of the recruitment process, selected candidates will undergo a routine medical check, including a drug test. For certain roles, a security clearance may also be required.