Operations Manager -Bareboat Crew

Job description

This role is on-site at our BVI base in Tortola and will manage a team of full-time captains, plus the freelance captains and cooks when contracted for charters.

Duties:

Operations and Team Leadership
• Day to day management of the bareboat crew including regular 1:1s and debriefs following charters.
• Provide supportive feedback and mentoring to bareboat crew to uphold and achieve excellent quality standards.
• Hold regular team meetings, and provide regular team updates, addressing points of concern quickly to the department.
• Ensure bareboat crew take accountability for yacht efficiency/operational readiness and the full product delivery.
• Management and organisation of yacht accommodation for full-time captains between charters.
• Collaborate with the central operations team to review, update, and maintain the standard operating procedures for bareboat crew, conducting annual reviews for continuous improvement.
• Assist the planning team with bareboat crew scheduling, ensuring all bookings are covered and schedules are communicated effectively. Ensure an equal level of charters are available to the roster.
• Work closely with captains to uphold technical standards whilst running charters, acting as a key liaison with the base technical team to foster professional collaboration across departments.
• Champion the fleet maintenance platform ‘Sailsense,’ providing support, advice, and assistance to captains to ensure all tasks are tracked and completed.
• Ensure bareboat crew are aware of customer arrival details and are available to meet and greet, then at end of charter support with departure process, and provide a warm goodbye.
• Ensure availability of full-time captains is communicated to customer service supervisors and operations managers to enable support with base duties such as briefings/debriefings and other base duties.
• Correct and efficient processing of payroll.
• Review vacation requests around operational demands. Ensure full time captains leave entitlement is used through spreading requests across low periods in a balanced manner.

HR/Capability
• Foster a positive team culture across the department that is collaborative across the base, and solution oriented.
• Delivery of thorough inductions for new bareboat crew including training on company policies, safety procedures, and customer service standards.
• Partner with the recruitment team in hiring full-time captains and building the freelance bareboat crew roster, including conducting interviews and assessments.
• Ensure compliance processes and checks are completed when utilising freelance bareboat crew.
• Collaborate with management and HR to develop a junior charter captain career pathway and outline key steps for skill development.
• Escalate any identified performance gaps or training needs to the management and HR teams.
• Support the safety agenda by ensuring bareboat crew follow protocols and promptly escalating any identified risks.

Other
• Conducting chart briefings, boat briefings, and debriefings as needed to support peak briefing hours/days.
• Support central sustainability projects.
• Collaborate with the marketing and sales teams to assist in creating promotional materials and increasing brand awareness.
• Generate and implement ideas to enhance and continuously improve the quality of our bareboat crew products.
• Support with base management across varied departments.
• Any other reasonable duties as allocated by line management; that contribute to the smooth and efficient operation of the department.

The ideal candidate with have the following:
• Experience in the marine industry, as onboard yacht crew or running charter operations.
• Strong leadership skills and experience managing a team.
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to understand issues, identify solutions, and make effective decisions.
• Strong customer service skills.
• Process oriented with natural inclination to resolving problems with a long-term solution in mind.
• Good administration skills and computer literacy ability.
• Demonstrated commitment to ensuring safety on the water, and competence in handling emergency situations.
• Ability to remain calm and composed under pressure.
• Adaptability to different working styles and cultures.
• A captain’s qualification and STCW (desirable).
• Good technical ability and hands-on experience with yacht systems (desirable).
• Flexibility regarding working hours and days, including evenings, weekends, and public holidays, to meet business demands.