
The Future is Yours at BIW.
As one of the largest private employers in Maine, BIW offers a wide range of career opportunities in three primary areas:
- Manufacturing and Trades
- Engineering and Design
- Business Support and Professional

Manufacturing and Trades
The skilled trades are the crux of the BIW workforce. Often employees will launch their careers by starting as a General Laborer, exposing them to multiple occupations, then go on to more specialized trades, such as:
- Shipfitter, Welders, Tinsmiths
- Crane Operators, Riggers, Material Handlers
- Marine Electricians, Pipefitters, Insulators
- …and more!

Engineering and Design
Engineers and Designers plan how a ship is built, from the design of the ship’s hull to where pipes and cables are placed. Jobs in this career area include:
- Civil Engineers, Industrial Engineers
- Marine Designers, Marine Engineers
- Electrical Engineers, Shock Engineers
- Naval Architects, Mechanical Engineers
- …and more!

Business Support and Professional
Business professionals play a crucial role in supporting business operations, projects and the workforce. Examples of jobs in this career area include:
- Buyers, Planners, Financial Analysts
- HR Professionals, Admin Assistants
- Firefighters/EMTs, Nurses, Security Specialists
- …and more!

Navigating Your Future can be challenging.
This hub is a starting point to connect you to the numerous resources BIW offers to fuel your career development and help you navigate your pathway toward long-term success.
Choose your path
Operations
Learn where your career can take you in manufacturing, from becoming a front line supervisor to higher leadership roles.
Are you in the trades? Click here to view an example of your possible career paths.
Front Line Supervisor
A leadership role primarily responsible for the safety, quality, and efficient execution of tasks within a trade. Front Line Supervisors coach, and mentor the mechanics assigned to their crew.
Area Supervisor
Area Supervisors are responsible for ensuring a safe, clean working environment in their area. An Area Supervisor is also required to coordinate work for the multiple Front-Line Supervisors that report to them.
Assistant Superintendent
The Assistant Superintendent is a frontline leadership role responsible for supporting trade operations across assigned areas. This position ensures safe, high-quality, and efficient execution of trade work to support ship/unit construction schedules. This role provides technical and resource management for trade activities and plays a key role in coaching and mentoring Front Line Supervisors to strengthen trade performance and team effectiveness.
Section Manager
The Section Manager is a mid-level leadership role responsible for supporting operations through direct oversight of trade activities in their designated area. The Section Manager works closely with the area management to achieve production goals.
Superintendent
The Superintendent provides strategic departmental based technical and resource management for their assigned trade. This position is the primary point of contact for the assigned trade’s construction and testing activity across the shipyard.
Manager
The Manager has a key leadership role which is responsible for all construction operations within the area they are assigned. The Manager oversees area operations, ensuring compliance with safety, quality, and performance standards, and collaborates closely with support functions to align production efforts with broader organizational goals.
Chief Superintendent
The Chief Superintendent is a high-visibility leadership role accountable for overseeing the construction, testing and acceptance of Navy surface combatant vessels. This position is responsible for the overall safety, quality, schedule adherence, cost performance, and personnel management during build, test and delivery process of the assigned ship.
Director of Operations
The Director of Operations I is a leadership role accountable for overseeing operations across all BIW fabrication facilities. This position reports to the VP, Operations and is responsible for the safety, quality, schedule adherence, cost performance, and personnel management within all fabrication operations.
Engineering
Learn what paths in engineering you can take, from becoming a senior principal engineer to taking on management roles.
Engineers (Level I – Sr.)
Entry to senior level engineers are individual contributor positions that require application of fundamental concepts, practices and procedures of engineering.
Engineering Supervisor
Engineering supervisors serve as a team leader who monitors daily operations of a group or team and actively assists, or provides direction to, subordinates as required.
Engineering Manager
Engineering managers serve as operational leaders of a business function or section within the Engineering Department. They are technical experts with extensive knowledge in their area.

Mapping It Out
preparing for the next step in your career
For questions on how to hold a career conversation, contact 207-442-1394 or [email protected].
Career Conversation Prep Guide
Print this template to map out your career plan and prepare for a productive conversation with your frontline supervisor or manager about your future. Start with your personal planning sheet, then bring the conversation guide to a 1:1 with your FLS or manager.
GROWTH MIndset
Development Opportunities
Explore the programs that can help you grow your skills and take your career to the next level.
Apprenticeship Program
Are you highly motivated and looking for an education as well as building a career in shipbuilding? The BIW Apprentice School is committed to fostering leadership development through academics and craft training. Upon graduation, you will receive an Associate of Science degree.

Professional Development Program
Do you strive to become a successful leader? The Professional Development Program is a two-year program championed by BIW’s senior leadership. As a PDP, you’ll be mentored by an experienced employee and receive real world training as you complete a set of core program rotations.

Engineering Development Program
Are you an engineer seeking to expand your technical and leadership skills? The Engineering Development Program is a two-year rotational program that provides you the opportunity to explore multiple departments across the company and gain a holistic view of how BIW teams come together to build ships.

Leadership I & II
Are you currently in a leadership role – leading people, a project or a program? If you’re interested in building your leadership skills, talk to your manager about your eligibility for our Shipbuilding Leadership classes offered through SMCC. These classes are fully supplemented by BIW.

Operations Supervisor Leadership Program
If you’re a newly hired frontline supervisor in manufacturing, you will take the Operations Supervisor Leadership Program (OSLP). During this nine-day training period, you will learn about the expectations associated with being a frontline supervisor at BIW, with a specific focus on safely executing high-quality work.

reach your academic goals
Tuition Reimbursement
If continuing your education is part of your career goals, BIW can help. Find guidelines, eligibility details and the process for requesting reimbursement.
College Discounts



Thoughts and Advice on Navigating Your Future
President Chuck Krugh, From The Helm Blog
Although a company will provide opportunities for your career, it is up to you to take advantage of them.
You have to take time to evaluate what’s important for you and your family. No one else can do it for you.
I can’t manage your career for you, but I can try to help you by sharing things that have worked for me.
It really comes down to doing what it takes to be successful (do the work) with a good attitude.
Managing your career is an active exercise that can only be done by you.
Leadership Library
These recommended books offer practical ideas to help you communicate better, take ownership, grow your skills and work more effectively with others – no matter your role.
7 Habits of Highly Effective People
by Stephen R. Covey
Practical habits that help you take control of your work, communicate better and be more effective everyday.

Everybody Matters
by Bob Chapman and Raj Sisodia
A people first leadership book about why every person’s work matters and how respect builds stronger teams.

Crucial Conversations
by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler
Simple tools for having tough conversations calmly, clearly and without things blowing up.

Mindset
by Carol S. Dweck
Learn how your mindset affects learning, performance and growth, and how anyone can improve over time.

Turn the Ship Around
by L. David Marquet
A leadership story about taking ownership, speaking up and making better decisions at every level.

The Goal
by Eliyahu M. Goldratt
A practical business story about identifying bottlenecks and improving how work flows to get better results.

Good To Great
by Jim Collins
A research-based look at how organizations improve performance through disciplined thinking, people and action.

Extreme Ownership
by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
Extreme Ownership shows how taking full responsibility for your work, decisions and outcomes builds trust, improves teamwork and drives results – on the job and beyond.

Continue exploring
