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Witt O'Brien's

Global crisis and emergency management consultancy

Associate – Marine Technical

Part-TimeUpdated on 10/8/2026
No salary listed
Senior
Bachelor's, Certification
Corpus Christi, TX, USA+1 moreMore locations: Lake Charles, LA, USA
RemoteRemote between Corpus Christi and Lake Charles preferred; travel may be domestic or foreign, approximately 25%.

About the job

Requirements
  • Ten years of experience with the United States Coast Guard or as a Master Mariner or Chief Engineer.
  • A bachelor's degree in a relevant field from an accredited college or university, or qualifying work experience substituted for education at a ratio of two years of technical-discipline experience for one year of education; eight years of relevant work experience is equivalent to a bachelor's degree.
  • At least six years of professional experience in project management or maritime consulting.
  • Demonstrated experience working with International Gas Code (IGC).
  • Demonstrated experience working with regulatory agencies or shipping companies on United States compliance issues.
  • Ability to self-direct and manage time effectively, work hours as needed to meet business development and project implementation goals, and travel as necessary.
  • Ability to work after hours and weekends as necessary.
  • Ability to plan effectively to meet position objectives.
  • Ability to maintain account and company information in an organized manner.
  • Strong attention to detail and ability to work well under pressure.
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills.
  • Excellent decision-making and problem-solving skills.
  • Ability to work individually and as part of a team and handle multiple projects and details simultaneously.
  • Ability to use Microsoft Office Suite, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
  • Valid Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) to enter port facilities.
Responsibilities
  • Conduct and coordinate safety and security audits aboard customer vessels, and provide training to merchant mariners on relevant United States laws and regulations.
  • Conduct safety and security inspections for United States and foreign vessel clients; sail with vessels on short coastwise voyages when required.
  • Provide third-party and/or court-appointed auditor services in support of Environmental Compliance Programs.
  • Guide vessel captains before, during, and after United States Coast Guard Port State Control vessel examinations and inspections.
  • Apply knowledge of vessel safety and security, safety management systems, crew training, firefighting, pollution prevention, navigation, hull construction, machinery, cargo segregation and transfer systems, crew manning, and vessel operators and owners.
  • Conduct environmental, safety, and security audits and merchant mariner training to support awareness, understanding, productivity, and safe operations.
  • Conduct International Safety Management (ISM) and navigation audits as needed.
  • Support client preparedness activities, including exercises and training.
  • Perform other duties as assigned.
  • Respond to urgent correspondence, calls, and arrangements outside normal United States business hours when required by the worldwide customer base.
  • Complete vessel attendance activities during weekends or outside normal business hours, including extended hours when required by vessel schedules.
  • Travel on deployment to attend vessels, sometimes with less than 72 hours' notice.
Desired Qualifications
  • At least five years of experience as a Master, Chief Officer, or Chief Engineer, or experience as a United States Coast Guard Marine Inspector.
  • Vocational certificate or engineering qualification, or equivalent to at least five years of industry experience.
  • United States Coast Guard Port State Control Officer qualifications.
  • Drydock or plan review experience.
  • Maritime casualty and pollution investigation experience.
  • Experience with United States regulations and International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea standards.
  • Experience with ISM audits or as an ISM Certified Examiner.
  • Experience with gas carriers.
  • Knowledge of safety management systems (SMS) and maritime health, safety, security, environment, and quality (HSSEQ) practices.
  • Knowledge of 33 and 46 Code of Federal Regulations requirements for commercial vessels and of SOLAS, MARPOL, and ISPS requirements.
  • More than five years of experience in emergency response, such as oil spills or hazardous-material releases, maritime emergency response, civil unrest, man-made disasters, natural disasters, or equivalent experience.
  • Experience with oil spills, maritime responses, or other complex emergencies involving natural disasters, fires, civil disturbances, and pollution responses, including work with government and industrial response teams at local, state, federal, and international levels.
  • Knowledge of oil spill response methodologies.
  • Incident Command System (ICS) 100, 200, 700, and 800 training.
  • Experience holding a Command or General Staff position during an actual incident or multiple exercises.

About the company

Witt O’Brien’s provides crisis and emergency management services for governments and private sector clients, helping them prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate disruptions across the full disaster lifecycle. Clients engage the firm to assess risks, develop preparedness plans, train staff, conduct exercises, manage grants (such as FEMA Public Assistance), ensure regulatory compliance, and coordinate crisis communications, with specialized maritime support available. The company combines veteran public-sector disaster management expertise with private-sector incident response, augmented by acquisitions in crisis communications and reputation management to offer end-to-end services. Its goal is to boost resilience for operations, people, assets, and reputations in the face of natural and man-made risks.

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

Acquired

Total Funding

N/A

Headquarters

null

Founded

2001

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • FEMA reopened BRIC in April 2026, directly expanding demand for Witt O'Brien's services.
  • Witt O'Brien's joined April 2026 conferences on continuity and AI, signaling active client demand.
  • Ambipar still backs a global response platform, preserving international reach after the 2022 acquisition.

What critics are saying

  • Ambipar filed judicial recovery in October 2025, exposing Witt O'Brien's to parent distress.
  • Ambipar creditors challenged delayed statements in August 2026, prolonging restructuring uncertainty.
  • A failed Ambipar plan can trigger liquidation, disrupting Witt O'Brien's funding and contracts.

What makes Witt O'Brien's unique

  • Witt O'Brien's combines FEMA grants expertise with oil-spill and maritime response know-how.
  • Its April 2026 BRIC webinar shows deep positioning in hazard mitigation and grant management.
  • The firm markets practical AI for crisis management, not just strategy decks.

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