Talent Acquisition and Fellowship Manager

SailFuture•St. Petersburg, FL

10h

About The Position

SailFuture is a nationally recognized youth development organization serving system-involved and at-risk youth through long-term residential care, private education, vocational training, and global sailing expeditions. Our model blends housing, workforce development, adventure-based learning, and intensive mentorship to create durable life outcomes for young people who have experienced foster care, homelessness, or justice involvement. We are entering a growth phase—expanding our residential programs, launching new education initiatives, and building a professional leadership pipeline to scale impact statewide and beyond. The Talent Acquisition & Fellowship Program Manager will design and lead SailFuture’s full-cycle talent strategy while building a high-caliber Fellowship Program that recruits recent college graduates into high impact career pathways. This role is both strategic and operational. It will: Build a comprehensive leadership pipeline through a competitive Fellowship Program Strengthen organizational culture and retention Align hiring with SailFuture’s mission-driven, high-accountability model This is a high-impact leadership position for someone who believes that who we hire determines how many lives we change.

Requirements

5+ years in talent acquisition, HR leadership, or recruiting
Experience building structured hiring systems
Demonstrated ability to recruit high-performing professionals
Strong project management and organizational skills
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills

Nice To Haves

Experience in education, nonprofit, or youth services
Fellowship program design experience
Experience scaling teams in high-growth organizations

Responsibilities

Design and implement a comprehensive recruitment strategy across Social Enterprises, Residential care, Education (SailFuture Academy), Maritime operations, and Administration & leadership.
Build structured hiring processes including competency-based interview frameworks, behavioral assessments, and reference & background protocols.
Develop recruiting pipelines with Universities (education, social work, maritime academies), Fellowship networks (Teach For America, AmeriCorps, etc.), and Military veteran transition programs.
Own employer branding and talent marketing materials.
Track KPIs: time-to-hire, quality-of-hire, retention rates, value contribution.
Design and lead SailFuture’s Social Innovation Fellows Program, which places early-career professionals into 1–2 year immersive roles in youth development.
Manage program architecture and curriculum development for the Fellowship Program.
Recruit high-potential candidates nationwide for the Fellowship Program.
Manage the selection process for the Fellowship Program.
Oversee onboarding and structured professional development for Fellows.
Implement performance evaluation systems for Fellows.
Manage mentorship matching and leadership coaching for Fellows.
Develop an alumni engagement strategy for the Fellowship Program.
Develop onboarding systems that reinforce mission, accountability, and professional standards.
Implement structured performance review frameworks.
Support department leaders with coaching and hiring decisions.
Help codify SailFuture’s leadership expectations and values.
Design retention initiatives for high-performing team members.
Ensure compliance with child welfare hiring requirements.
Oversee background checks and licensing requirements.
Maintain personnel documentation standards.
Coordinate with Finance for payroll onboarding and HR systems.