Director, Entertainment and Programming

Job Description

Holland America Line has been exploring the world since 1873. Our ships offer innovative features and enriching experiences focused on destination exploration and personalized travel, inviting guests to savor the journey.

We are looking for a Director of Entertainment Product & Programming. The Director of Entertainment Product & Programming leads Holland America Line and Seabourn’s Entertainment Experience Team, overseeing the strategic development, integration, and continuous evolution of all guest-facing entertainment products. This role supervises and guides the Experience Owners for Shows & Live Music, Activities & Destination Information, Speakers & Cultural Enrichment, and Media & Events — ensuring their work aligns with brand identity, guest demographics, the Entertainment Experience Lifecycle, and the three strategic pillars:
Fit & Appeal, Breadth & Frequency, and Trade Adaptation. The Director ensures that every entertainment experience — from world‑class mainstage productions to enrichment talks, activities, and onboard media — is designed with clarity, authenticity, cultural intelligence, and operational feasibility. They serve as the principal architect of cross‑category entertainment strategy and work closely with Process & System Owners to ensure scalability, quality, and cost discipline across 16 ships.

This is a senior strategic role requiring creative judgment, systems thinking, organizational leadership, strong emotional intelligence, and the ability to maintain the taste standard for both HAL and Seabourn brands.

Here’sa summary of what Holland America Line is looking for. Isthisyou?

Responsibilities
:

• Leadership and Execution:
  Directly lead, coach, and develop the Experience Owners (EOs), each reasonable for the overall effectiveness of their assigned area of the entertainment experience:
  Shows & Live Music, Activities & Destination Information, Speakers & Cultural Enrichment, Media & Events.
  
  Ensure cross-category cohesion, shared standards, and unified strategic direction. Drive a culture of clarity, taste, emotional intelligence, and accountability within the Experience Team.
• Entertainment Product Development & Road mapping:
  Lead the multi-year entertainment product development strategy for both brands, in partnership with the VP, Entertainment. Oversee portfolio planning across daily entertainment, signature experiences, long and complex itineraries, and new product initiatives. Ensure all experience roadmaps consider the strategic pillars and brand vision as defined based on guest insights and company goals. Decide what goes into the fleet, why, and when with oversight of end-to-end product development.
• Lifecycle Governance — Oversight of Design & Development:
  Own the Design & Develop stage at the leadership level; ensure each EO executes it with effectiveness and clarity. Coach EOs in experience design, creative direction, and product management, and overall calibration within each brand's distinctive identity and brand standards. Ensure experiences are simple to operate, scalable, and cost efficient for desired impact. Partner with Process & System Owners to ensure each product meets requirements for Casting, Tech/Safety, Procurement, and Delivery/Sustained Quality.
• Brand Integrity & Differentiation:
  Serve as a steward of both HAL and Seabourn entertainment identities. Partner closely with the Marketing and Guest Experience leaders for each brand, to ensure standards are protected and onboard experiences developed and executed in collaboration with other hotel departments for optimal impact. Collaborate with the VP, Entertainment to ensure that all pre and post cruise guest communications are directly correlated with the actual onboard experience, including monitoring each brand's website and sales materials.
  
  Uphold brand taste level across all entertainment experiences; eliminate clichés, disingenuity, or off-brand characteristics to confirm all creative and product decisions and executions are data-driven and in service to each brand's primary and emerging audiences.
• Strategic Partnerships & Visibility:
  Collaborate with VP Entertainment, Marketing, and…