SUMMARY & KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Reporting to the VP, Entertainment for Celebrity Cruises, the Senior Lead, Entertainment Operations –
River plays a pivotal role in shaping and operationalizing the entertainment vision for our River Cruise
portfolio. This is a unique opportunity to help build and define a new facet of the Celebrity Cruises
experience—where innovation, agility, and creativity are essential.
Based in Basel, Switzerland and working in close partnership with the Miami headquarters, this leader
will drive the evolution of entertainment and programming across the river fleet—balancing strategic
direction with hands-on execution. The role requires an entrepreneurial mindset: someone who
thrives in ambiguity, embraces discovery, rethinking the norm, and is energized by building new
frameworks, partnerships, and guest experiences from the ground up through alignment with key
stakeholders and strategic partners.
This position will contribute not only to the delivery of exceptional, destination-driven entertainment
that spans across foundational, itinerary based, and signature event activations, but also to the
ongoing refinement of strategy, operating models, and best practices as the business continues to
scale. This position will work closely with Product Development in Miami as well as any Product
Development Partners in Basel to refine the strategy and review opportunities to adjust the product
as we capture learnings, enter new destinations and manage partnerships.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
• Oversee the implementation and ongoing execution of entertainment programming across the river fleet.
• Support the ongoing development and evolution of Celebrity River entertainment programming in partnership with Product Development and key stakeholders.
• Evaluate guest feedback, operational results, and destination opportunities to enhance programming and guest engagement.
• Proactively identify emerging trends, talent, and creative concepts and present recommendations to leadership.
• Adapt entertainment best practices to the river environment while maintaining alignment with Celebrity brand standards.
• Collaborate with vendors and cross-functional teams to curate experiences reflecting local culture and regional authenticity.
• Develop and maintain entertainment operating standards, processes, program assets, and supporting documentation.
• Manage entertainment-related SOPs, program materials, audits, and vessel support initiatives.
• Serve as the primary shoreside contact for operational issues, contingency planning, and entertainment service recovery.
• Ensure Cruise Directors and shipboard teams are trained, supported, and operating in alignment with established standards and expectations.
• Oversee Cruise Director delivery of activity programming in partnership with the Activities team.
• Coordinate the day-to-day live music operation, including recruitment support, agency coordination, scheduling, deployment, and performance oversight.
• Lead the curation and execution of shipboard background music in collaboration with Product Development, Broadcast, Live Music, and external partners.
• Support onboard entertainment media delivery, including television content, films, digital signage, promotional assets, and special event broadcasts, ensuring a consistent and highquality guest experience.
• Support forecasting and management of entertainment-related budgets, including talent,
travel, vendor, broadcast, and operational expenses.
• Establish and monitor performance metrics to evaluate program effectiveness and guest satisfaction.
• Use data-driven insights to identify opportunities for operational improvement and program optimization.
• Partner with Entertainment, Hotel Operations, Food & Beverage, Onboard Revenue, Product Development, Marketing, Legal, Finance, and other stakeholders to support integrated guest experiences.
• Collaborate with Miami and Basel teams to ensure alignment of strategy, execution, and operational standards across the fleet.
• Contribute to the development of scalable organizational practices and support future team growth as the river business expands.
• Embrace a test-and-learn approach to continuously improve the guest experience and operations.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EDUCATION
• Proven experience in entertainment operations, programming, or talent management within ocean/river cruise, hospitality, or adjacent industries
• Demonstrated ability to build or scale programs, processes, or experiences in evolving environments
• Strong commercial and creative acumen, with a deep understanding of guest experience
• Established network or familiarity with talent sourcing, agencies, and entertainment trends— particularly within European markets
• Exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to influence across functions and levels
• Analytical mindset with the ability to translate insights into action
• Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent professional experience
• Working knowledge of German is preferred, along with proficiency in one or more of the following languages: French, Portuguese, Dutch, Hungarian, Romanian, Bulgarian, or Serbian.
This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties performed by the employee occupying this position. Employees will be required to perform any other job-related duties assigned by their supervisor or management.
FINANCIAL/QUANTITIVE RESPONSIBILITIES
• Responsible for forecasting and managing entertainment programming budgets, including talent, travel, broadcast, and operational costs.
WORKING CONDITIONS
Based in Basel with regular collaboration across global time zones. This role requires 25-30%
international travel and time onboard vessels, as well as engagement with industry partners and
talent markets.
If you are interested in joining us, we are looking forward to receiving your application via our career website: Senior Lead, Entertainment Operations Job Details | Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd