Description

Position Summary
We are hiring a Marine Blasting & Coatings Superintendent to lead all surface preparation, blasting, and painting operations within a fast-paced shipyard environment. This role is responsible for overseeing crews, coordinating cross-trade execution, and ensuring high-quality marine coatings are delivered safely, on time, and to strict specifications.

This is a hands-on leadership position ideal for professionals experienced in shipyard painting, surface prep, and industrial/marine coatings who thrive in driving productivity, managing crews, and delivering results under tight schedules.

Join a team where your expertise in marine coatings directly impacts high-value shipyard projects

Key Responsibilities

• Run daily operations for marine blasting, surface preparation, and industrial/coatings application across shipyard projects
• Supervise painters and laborers, assigning work based on priorities and schedule demands
• Hold daily kickoff meetings with crews to assign work, priorities, and expectations
• Actively utilize laborers to support painting operations and overall yard productivity (material handling, staging, cleanup, containment, etc.)
• Take charge of production output for all blasting and painting work
• Adjust manpower in real-time to keep jobs on schedule
• Plan ahead – ensure paint, consumables, and equipment are on hand before work starts.    
• Coordinate manpower and equipment to hit production goals and avoid downtime
• Oversee surface preparation including abrasive blasting, power tool cleaning, washing, masking, and containment setup for marine coatings, washing, masking, and containment setup
• Ensure coatings are applied correctly per spec (DFT, environmental conditions, cure times, etc.)
• Inspect work in progress and completed work to ensure quality and minimize rework
• Identify and correct issues early to prevent rework and lost time
• Work closely with Project Managers, QA/QC, and other trades to keep jobs moving without conflicts
• Manage subcontractors when used for blasting, coatings, or containment
• Maintain daily reports including labor, production, and material usage
• Enforce safety and environmental compliance (OSHA, shipyard practices, containment, waste handling)
• Hold crew members accountable for performance, attendance, and quality of work

Requirements

Qualifications & Experience

• 5+ years shipyard painting/blasting experience (marine environment required)
• 2+ years running crews (painters and/or laborers)
• Strong understanding of marine coating systems and surface prep standards (SSPC / NACE / AMPP)                                   
• AMPP CIP Level 1 or 2, or the ability to pass and obtain level 1
• Ability to read and understand specs, drawings, and coating requirements
• Experience with containment, environmental controls, and waste handling in a shipyard setting
• Strong leadership—must be able to manage crews, push production, and hold people accountable
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) is a major plus and strongly preferred
• Basic computer skills (daily logs, tracking, communication)

Work Environment

• Shipyard environment (outdoors, vessels, confined spaces, heights)
• Fast-paced with shifting priorities
• Requires hands-on involvement, not just supervision
• Must be able to make decisions quickly and keep work moving
• Train new employees to develop a strong workforce

What Success Looks Like

• Crews are productive and know what they’re doing every day
• Materials are always ready ahead of the job
• Minimal rework due to proper prep and application
• Jobs stay on schedule
• Laborers are effectively used to support painting and overall yard needs
• Strong communication between field and office