Director, Product Development

Journey with us!

Combine your career goals and sense of adventure by joining our incredible team of employees at Royal Caribbean Group. We are proud to offer a competitive compensation and benefits package, and excellent career development opportunities, each offering unique ways to explore the world.

We are proud to be the vacation‑industry leader with global brands — including Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises — the most innovative fleet and private destinations, and the best people. Together, we are dedicated to turning the vacation of a lifetime into a lifetime of vacations for our guests.

Royal Caribbean Group’s Celebrity Marketing Team has an exciting career opportunity for a full‑time Director, Product Development, Celebrity Cruises reporting to the Vice President, Product Development.

Position Summary

The Director of Product Development (Basel) is the primary Product Development leader for River guest experiences, with additional oversight and project‑based support across Destination Experiences and select Ocean initiatives as needed. Acting as a direct extension of the Miami‑based Product Development organization, this role ensures that River onboard and destination experiences are delivered with operational excellence, brand consistency, and strict adherence to SOPs throughout their lifecycle—not only at launch, but in steady‑state operation.

This position owns Product Development leadership for:
• River onboard experiences (primary priority)
• River destination experiences and shore-based programming
• Entertainment scheduling and experiential flow on River
• Partnerships, activations, and experiential collaborations (River-first)
• Seasonal programming and special events (River-led)

While River is the clear priority, this role may support Ocean initiatives—including audits, launches, or
targeted projects—where regional presence, operational expertise, or product continuity is required.
The Director serves as the Product Development authority in-region, ensuring experiences perform as
designed, scale operationally, and continuously improve—while acting as a trusted partner to Basel-based
Operations during live execution and unanticipated disruption.

This role is based in Basel, Switzerland. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

LEADERSHIP ATTRIBUTES
• River-First Product Leader: Deep ownership of River guest experience execution and excellence.
• Operationally Embedded: Works directly with live operations to ensure experiences are delivered as
designed.
• Brand & Standards Steward: Protects brand intent, service standards, and SOP integrity.
• Pragmatic Problem Solver: Navigates disruption without compromising the guest experience.

PRODUCT OVERSIGHT
• Serve as the Product Development owner for all existing River onboard and destination experiences.
• Ensure River experiences – land and ship - are delivered in alignment with approved experience
concepts, brand standards, and operating procedures.
• Act as the primary escalation point for River product execution issues impacting the guest experience.
• Partner closely with Miami-based Product Development leadership to align global product intent with
regional operational realities.

OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE & SOP DELIVERY
• Ensure consistent execution of SOPs across all River guest experiences.
• Identify gaps between documented procedures and live execution; partner with Operations to drive
corrective action.
• Support operational teams in embedding product standards into day-to-day service delivery.
• Champion standardization, repeatability, and continuous refinement across the River fleet.

EXPERIENCE AUDIT & QUALITY ASSURANCE
• Lead ongoing audits of River onboard and destination experiences, including:
• Guest journey flow
• Service delivery consistency
• Brand alignment and experience quality
• Evaluate performance against defined standards and guest expectations.
• Capture insights and operational learnings and feed them into future product refinements and
development efforts.

SHIPYARD & TECHNICAL COLLABORATION
• Partner with Shipyard teams to support design development workshops, reviews, and working sessions
related to River projects.
• Participate in mock-up reviews, sample evaluations, and prototype walk-throughs to validate guest
experience intent, functionality, and operational feasibility..
• Support translation of shipyard learnings into actionable product and operational refinements.

MARINE & REFURBISHMENT SUPPORT
• Partner with Marine and Technical teams to support refurbishment and upgrade decisions impacting
River guest experiences.
• Provide Product Development guidance on trade-offs related to functionality, durability, guest impact,
and brand integrity.
• Participate in review of refurbishment scopes, materials, and sequencing to ensure minimal disruption
to the guest experience.

ENTERTAINMENT, PROGRAMMING & SPECIAL EVENTS
• Provide Product Development oversight for River entertainment scheduling and experience flow.
• Coordinate and lead the guest experience execution for seasonal programming and special events
(e.g., holidays, themed sailings, regional activations).
• Ensure programming aligns with brand storytelling, guest expectations, and operational capacity.
• Partner with Entertainment, Marketing, and Operations to ensure cohesive and well-executed
experiences.

PARTNERSHIPS & ACTIVATIONS
• Oversee execution of River-focused partnerships and experiential activations.
• Ensure third-party experiences meet brand, service, and operational standards.
• Serve as the Product Development liaison for resolving partner-related execution issues.
• Support Ocean partnership initiatives on a project basis, as required.

OPERATIONAL PARTNERSHIP & DISRUPTION SUPPORT
• Act as a Product Development consultant and partner to Basel-based Operations, particularly for
River, during unanticipated disruptions.
• Support rapid decision-making related to schedule changes, staffing constraints, supply issues, or
technical limitations.
• Recommend temporary or permanent adjustments that protect the guest experience while enabling
operational continuity.

SECONDARY / AS-NEEDED SCOPE
• Provide targeted support for Ocean initiatives, including:
o Experience audits
o Special projects or activations
• Ensure Ocean-related work does not dilute River-first accountability.
• Share River-led insights and best practices where applicable.

LAUNCH & TRANSITION SUPPORT
• Support launches and pilots for new River experiences as required.
• Ensure new products transition seamlessly into steady-state operations.
• Validate that brand standards and SOPs are fully embedded prior to operational handoff.

GOVERNANCE, REPORTING & COMMUNICATION
• Provide structured updates to Miami-based Product Development leadership on:
• River experience performance
• Operational risks and mitigations
• Brand and SOP compliance
• Contribute to executive-ready summaries, issue logs, and continuous improvement documentation.
• Maintain disciplined records of decisions, deviations, and learnings.

EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATION & SPECIAL PROJECTS
• Prepare executive materials (briefings, business cases, steering updates) and lead confidential initiatives
as a trusted advisor to senior leadership.
• Lead confidential initiatives and special projects, serving as a trusted partner to the VP and senior
executives.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EDUCATION

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree in hospitality, design, engineering, architecture, or
business a plus.

• 10+ years of experience in Product Development, Guest Experience, Operations, Newbuild,
Refurbishment, or Hospitality within complex, service-driven environments.

• Existing internal employee preferred, understanding of existing brand culture and structure.

• River cruise, small-ship, luxury hospitality, or highly operational travel experience strongly preferred.

• Demonstrated experience leading existing product portfolios in live operation—not solely concept
development or launch.

• Proven experience working closely with Operations, Marine, Technical, and Shipyard partners.

• Experience supporting refurbishments, upgrades, and lifecycle improvements to physical guest
environments.

• Comfort operating in matrixed, global organizations with distributed teams and decision-makers

• High ownership mentality with strong accountability for outcomes.

• Adaptable and resilient in fast-moving, live operational environments.

• Willingness to travel extensively across River vessels, destinations, shipyards, and select Ocean ships.

• Passion for guest experience excellence and continuous improvement.

• Deep understanding of operational execution, service delivery, and SOP-based environments.

• Strong ability to translate product intent and brand standards into repeatable, scalable execution.

• Experience auditing guest experiences and identifying gaps between design intent and live delivery.

• Ability to balance guest experience quality, brand integrity, and operational feasibility—especially
during disruption.

• Skilled in cross-functional influence without formal authority.

• Strong judgment and decision-making in live, time-sensitive operational environments.

• Experience facilitating workshops, mock-up reviews, and working sessions with Shipyards, designers,
and technical teams.

• Assignment includes regular travel across River vessels, destinations, and select Ocean assets.