RIVER - Nautic - 1st Officer

First Officer
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 First Officer ensures safe navigation in compliance with all the statutory regulations and makes sure that the guests feel comfortable. The First Officer reports to the Captain.

WHAT YOU WILL DO ON BOARD

• Overall responsible for safety on board the ship including performing of safety drills and familiarization with safety procedures for the whole crew.
• Captain’s representative onboard.
• Navigating without supervision on assigned stretches in compliance with regulations, timetables and lock times to avoid incidents and delays.
• Cost-conscious use of all energy resources (gas oil, lubricants, etc.)
• Responsible for the administrative process and timely submission of all mandatory reports.
• Provide training for candidates of internal training programs and other crew.
• Check whether the necessary patents for the route are present onboard and if the nautical crew’s service book contains the necessary qualifications for the operating system according to regulations.
• Participates in regular meetings and company-relevant trainings.

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
• On-the-job coaching to help you advance rapidly
  • Unlimited contracts with a 4/4 or 4/2 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
• Guaranteed single cabin
• 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 2 years of work experience as a Second Officer
• Interested in further education (certificate extension, language skills…)
• Independent and flexible
• Decisive and assertive
• Strong team worker and able to motivate the crew
• Shows ambition and initiative; perseverant

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 Mainz (km 1000 – 493)
• 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 license 
• 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.