Maritime Operations Manager

REGENT • North Kingstown, RI

2d • Onsite

About The Position

At REGENT, we’re on a mission to revolutionize regional transportation between coastal cities. We're not just building vehicles, we're creating a new category of transportation: the Seaglider. These groundbreaking wing-in-ground-effect craft travel just above the water’s surface, combining the speed of an airplane with the low operating costs of a boat. Capable of 180 miles at 180 mph on today's battery tech (and up to 400 miles with next-gen batteries), Seagliders will unlock fast, affordable, and sustainable coastal transit for passengers and cargo - connecting cities, islands, and communities like never before.
Backed by leading investors and powered by a team of passionate, forward-thinking engineers, builders, and operators, we’re now scaling from a breakthrough prototype to full production - and building the team to make it happen.
Role Overview
As Maritime Operations Manager, you will lead and grow REGENT's Shore Operations Team – responsible for Seaglider test support, vessel and equipment operations, crane and lift operations, and on-water safety. This is a build role: establish training programs, build the internal capability to safely and efficiently execute Seaglider testing.
You will be the leader of maritime operations — from pre-test coordination through execution, to sustaining a world-class operations organization. Before each test event, you'll drive the planning, readiness reviews, and cross-functional alignment that set the team up to succeed. On test days, you'll be the operational authority on site — integrating with Test Ops, Engineering, and Program Management in real time, commanding launches and recoveries, and making go/no-go calls. Beyond individual test events, you'll own the longer arc: building the team, establishing the training and certification infrastructure, and scaling Shore Operations into a function that can support higher-frequency testing, remote demonstrations, and the full lifecycle of REGENT's Seaglider program.
If you're energized by building and leading a high-performing operations team in a fast-moving, high-consequence test environment, we'd be thrilled to have you on ours.

Requirements

• Operational Leadership Experience: Experienced in leading marine operations teams in high-stakes, high-tempo environments — vehicle test programs, military small craft, flight test, or similar programs where you were the person running operations, not just supporting them.
• Team Building Track Record: Led hiring and developing hands-on technical or operations personnel. Has built training and certification programs, established accountability structures, and held a high performance bar across a growing team.
• Hands-On Technical Depth: Experience operating chase/support vessels around high-value, fragile assets. Experience as a rigger, signal person, or crane operator — can lead a lift and set the standard for the team.
• Safety Plan Ownership: Has designed emergency action plans, run safety tabletops, and built a proactive safety culture on an operational team — not just follow existing procedures.
• Cross-Functional Communication: Can translate between operational constraints and engineering or program requirements. Recognizes risks early and gives clear, honest status to stakeholders across the organization.
• Collaborative Team Player: You believe that great things happen when teams work together. You communicate effectively and collaborate with engineers, stakeholders, and other cross-functional teams to align on goals and move projects forward. You bring people together, ensuring that everyone is on the same page and moving towards a shared vision.
• Creative Problem Solver: You thrive on tackling complex challenges and finding innovative solutions. You don't just patch issues - you improve processes, anticipate downstream impacts, and help turn one-off fixes into scalable solutions that raise the bar for future builds.
• Adaptable & Agile: In a fast-paced, ever-evolving startup environment, you quickly adapt to changing priorities and requirements. You approach challenges with a calm, resilient mindset, and know how to pivot and adjust your approach as needed, ensuring that progress continues without missing a beat.
• Innovative Mindset: You’re driven by curiosity and a passion for technology. You’re passionate about driving continuous improvement, embracing new technologies and methodologies to enhance efficiency, quality, and team performance.

Responsibilities

• Lead Day-of-Test Operations: Serve as the operational lead on test days — coordinating Seaglider launches and recoveries, chase boats, crane/lift operations, and on-water safety. Make and own go/no-go decisions. Integrate in real time with Test Ops, Engineering, and Program Management to enable safe, efficient test execution. When you aren’t present, have trained capable individuals to lead operationally.
• Own On-Water Safety: Design, maintain, and drill the team on emergency action plans and on-water safety procedures. Build a proactive safety culture that holds regardless of schedule pressure, and that the team can execute without you in the room.
• Build and Develop the Team: Hire, onboard, and develop a Shore Operations team. Establish the training and certification pipeline — vessel operations, crane/lift, emergency response, and Seaglider-specific procedures. Set a high performance bar and hold it.
• Manage the Maritime Fleet: Own the day-to-day readiness of REGENT's support vessel fleet and dock equipment — maintenance schedules, vendor and marina relationships, safety equipment, and test-day logistics. Keep the fleet mission-ready.
• Scale Shore Operations: Build the processes, documentation, and team depth that allow Shore Ops to support remote demonstrations, higher-frequency testing, and product qualification.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation including a robust equity incentive plan.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance - we cover 100% of your premiums.
• 401(k) with company matching, so you can plan for the future.
• Generous flexible time off, paid parental leave, and company-wide holiday breaks.
• Relocation packages available for those moving to join our team.
• Daily, free catered lunches
• Learning & professional development opportunities

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed