Manager, Maritime HR Operations

Carnival Corporation•Seattle, WA

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Manager, Maritime HR Operations leads talent management and performance management for Deck and Technical (D&T) seafarers—Officers, Petty Officers and ratings—serving on Holland America Line and Seabourn vessels. Reporting to the Director, Maritime HR and Operations, the role is the consistent shore-side contact for ship leadership on talent matters and partners with Marine Operations and Technical Operations to support seafarer development, recognition and promotion. The Manager owns promotion eligibility tracking and the “Ready for Promotion” list; oversees performance appraisal and Professional Development Record (PDR) processes; and produces workforce and talent reports for Maritime HR and operational leaders. The role maintains D&T job descriptions, career paths and organization charts so they reflect onboard responsibilities, competency frameworks, applicable collective bargaining agreements (CBAs), and flag-state and STCW requirements. It also coordinates across Maritime HR Strategy & Operations and related teams to support a transparent, connected career journey for seafarers. This is an individual-contributor role that leads through influence, with no direct reports. It involves collaboration with shipboard and shoreside teams, and travel of less than 25% is anticipated, with shipboard travel likely. The position is classified as in-office: employees work from a designated office Monday through Thursday and may work from home on Fridays. Work is primarily in a climate-controlled environment with minimal safety or health hazards. Employees must be able to remain stationary at a desk and/or computer for extended periods. The company describes its highest responsibility as compliance, environmental protection, and the health, safety and well-being of guests, local communities, and shipboard and shoreside employees. Holland America is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable accommodations during the application process as required by law.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Human Resources, Maritime Studies, Business Administration or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.
Strong working knowledge of talent management and performance management processes, including appraisals, development plans, promotions and succession planning.
Advanced Excel and data-reporting skills.
Ability to interpret CBAs, company policies and maritime regulatory requirements, including STCW, MLC and flag-state requirements, as they apply to seafarers.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, including the ability to engage credibly with Captains, Chief Engineers and shoreside leaders.
Highly organized, accurate and detail-oriented, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
Professionalism, confidentiality and discretion when handling sensitive personnel data.
Collaborative, solution-focused approach and openness to new ideas, technology and process improvement.
At least five years of experience in HR, maritime operations, talent management, performance management or crew/workforce management.
Experience administering promotion processes, performance appraisal cycles or competency frameworks for a large, multinational workforce.
Proven experience producing workforce reports, dashboards and KPIs for leadership audiences.
Experience maintaining job descriptions, career paths and organization charts.
Track record of building effective relationships across ship and shore and working in a fast-paced, operationally complex environment.

Nice To Haves

Experience in the maritime or cruise industry.
Shipboard experience as a Deck or Technical Officer, or significant experience supporting D&T seafarers.
Experience with Power BI or similar reporting tools, crew management systems and HRIS.
Experience working with unions, CBAs, manning agencies or multiple employing entities.

Responsibilities

Maintain a per-person view of the D&T talent pool across Holland America Line and Seabourn and support timely promotion and succession decisions.
Review promotion recommendations and verify eligibility against the Promotion Policy and applicable CBAs, including performance history, PDR or position-skill-set completion, time in rank or sea time, certificates and training, disciplinary standing, and individual ambition.
Maintain and review at least quarterly an accurate “Ready for Promotion” list.
Prepare candidate information for talent reviews and Senior Officer promotion panels at CSMART in partnership with operational leadership and the Director.
Coordinate temporary promotions (TWC), track temporary-promotion days against CBA limits, and hand promotion outcomes over to Fleet Compensation, Crew Planning/Scheduling and FRST for wage, assignment and system updates.
Identify high-potential Officers and ratings, support succession plans for key ranks, and share progression timelines and internal candidate pools with Talent Acquisition before external hiring is opened.
Identify progression bottlenecks and propose practical solutions.
Own the D&T performance management cycle across both brands, monitoring completion and quality of appraisals and PDRs and following up on overdue or incomplete reviews.
Support objective, evidence-based appraisals aligned with the competency framework, and advise ship leadership on performance improvement, development plans and corrective actions in coordination with relevant teams.
Monitor and document performance during temporary promotions and probationary periods.
Analyze appraisal and training feedback to identify skill gaps and development needs, and contribute to annual training planning with Fleet Training & Compliance and CSMART.
Provide performance input to Fleet Compensation for annual equity analysis and other pay decisions; promote fair, transparent and consistent performance processes across vessels, ranks and nationalities.
Create and maintain standard D&T talent and performance reporting, including monthly dashboards and status reports on promotion eligibility, succession coverage, appraisal and PDR completion, temporary promotions, time in rank, internal promotion rates, turnover and retention, and establishment alignment with the Focus Report.
Reconcile data across the crew management system, MAPS, Mistral and related tools; identify data-quality gaps and work with the Policy & Data Analyst and system owners to correct them.
Tailor reports for the Director, VP Maritime HR Strategy & Operations, and Marine and Technical Operations leadership; use automation, Microsoft 365 and AI tools where appropriate to reduce manual effort and improve per-person career-status reporting.
Maintain D&T shipboard job descriptions, career paths and organization charts for Holland America Line and Seabourn, ensuring alignment with onboard responsibilities, licenses, STCW certificates, competencies, PDR requirements, CBA rank structures and wage scales.
Maintain and publish career paths for Officers, Petty Officers and ratings, including new and evolving ranks and pathways, and keep organization charts current, including Table of Personnel and fleet or newbuild changes.
Run a controlled review cycle for job descriptions, career paths and organization charts, including version control, approvals and communication of changes; incorporate feedback from ship visits and fleet leadership meetings.
Serve as a consistent shore-side contact for ship leadership on talent and performance matters, support recurring check-ins with Deck and Technical leadership, and participate in ship visits to engage with Officers and ratings.
Collaborate with Talent Acquisition, Fleet Training & Compliance, Fleet Compensation, the Competency Framework team, Crew Planning/Scheduling, Onboarding, Expedition Maritime HR, Fleet People Partners and corporate Performance Management to coordinate processes and handoffs.
Ensure talent and performance processes comply with company policy, CBAs, MLC and flag-state requirements; keep records audit-ready, maintain procedures and SOPs, and recommend process improvements based on data and fleet feedback.
Guide ship leadership on talent and performance processes, coach appraisers on objective and evidence-based reviews, and represent Maritime HR in fleet leadership meetings and ship visits.