River - Nautic - Captain

CAPTAIN

River - Nautic

Viking was founded in 1997 and has grown to be the leading small ship travel company, offering destination-focused river, ocean and expedition voyages on all seven continents. Designed for experienced travelers with interests in science, history, culture and cuisine, Chairman Torstein Hagen often says Viking offers guests The Thinking Person’s Cruise® in contrast to mainstream cruises.

With more than 250 awards to its name, the company currently operates a fleet of state-of-the-art ships that have received numerous accolades since their launch from industry experts and travelers alike. For the second year in a row, Viking was voted the #1 River Line and the #1 Ocean Line by Condé Nast Traveler in the publication’s 2022 Readers’ Choice Awards. Viking was also named #1 for both Rivers and Oceans by Travel + Leisure in the 2022 World’s Best Awards making it the only cruise line to reach the top of its categories in both publications in the same year.

ROLE OVERVIEW

Part of our nautical team on our River vessels, the Captain safely navigates our Viking Longships in compliance with all statutory regulations and ensures that guests feel comfortable. The Captain reports to the Corporate Captains and the Nautical Director.

WHAT YOU WILL DO ON BOARD

• Serves as a role model for the entire crew
• Navigates the vessel in compliance with regulations, timetables and lock times, to avoid delays and incidents
• In case of high or low water, damage, and technical problems the Captain and the Program Director take ownership and inform the guests accordingly
• Motivates crew and provides training for candidates of internal training programs and other crew members, including regular safety drills
• Conducts frequently scheduled ship inspections, including monthly inspections of mooring lines
• Organizes dumpsters and drinking water
• Participates in meetings and company-relevant trainings
• Acts as a brand ambassador on behalf of Viking including social obligations towards our guests (presence in public areas, welcome cocktail, Captain's dinner)

WHY JOIN VIKING? 

Elevate Your Career 

Regardless of where you are on your career journey, Viking can help you in reaching new destinations with: 

• Regular training and simulator assessments within working time
  • Unlimited contracts with a 4/4, 4/2 or 2/2 system

On board our ship 

• Uniforms, laundry and unlimited Wi-Fi are free of charge for all crew members
• Lodging and meals are provided to you by Viking onboard
• Single cabin guaranteed
• Travel to/from the ship reimbursement payment
• Dedicated crew area
• Sundeck area for crew use  

Employee benefits 

• Paid vacation 
• Referral program 
• Loyalty bonuses 
• Salary payments and social security benefits in accordance with Swiss conditions

ABOUT YOU

• At least 1 year of work experience as a Captain/several years as a First Officer
• Interested in further education (certificate extension, language skills…)
• Independent and flexible
• Decisive and assertive
• Strong team worker and able to train/ lead the crew
• Shows ambition and initiative; perseverant
• Genuine interest in guest communication

Depending in which geographical area you are eligible to sail you need to fulfill the following obligatory requirements:

Rhine – Elbe – Mosel

• Boatmaster License
• Rhine patent until Iffezheim (km 1000 – 333)
• VHF
• Radar
• Safety Expert (Sachkunde)
• Languages: German and English (mandatory), Dutch and French as an asset

Danube

• Boatmaster License
• Danube patent from Sulina to Regensburg (km 0 – 2370)
• VHF
• Radar
• Safety Expert (Sachkunde)
• Languages: German and English (mandatory), Russian as an asset

Rhine – Main – Danube

• Boatmaster License
• Rhine patent until Mainz (km 1000 – 493)
• Danube patent
• Radar
• VHF
• Safety Expert (Sachkunde)
• Languages: German and English (mandatory), French and Russian as an asset

France

• Longueur illimitée
• Radar
• VHF
• Safety Expert (expert)
• Languages: French and English (mandatory), German as an asset

APPLICATION AND JOB RELEVANT INFORMATION

Our roles will be subject to our appearance standards (including in relation to visible tattoos) and employees are expected to project a professional image at all times. Visible tattoos are not permitted. Tattoos concealed with make-up, skin-colored sleeves, or any covering other than the company uniform will still be considered visible for the purposes of our appearance standards. Exemptions to this may be considered on a case-by-case basis where appropriate. Tattoo removal may not result in successful employment and therefore is not encouraged and is the candidate’s personal decision. Furthermore, any offer of employment is subject to you passing all mandatory medical examinations as required by the company.  For further information, please contact our recruiting team.

DISCLAIMER

As part of any recruitment process, Viking collects and processes personal data relating to job applicants. We are committed to being transparent about how we collect and use that data and to meeting our data protection obligations. If you would like to find out more about how your information will be used, please view the privacy notice on our careers page.