Head of Bulk Fleet Crewing & Strategy

Zodiac Maritime Limited; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Zodiac Maritime Limited in London is seeking a General Fleet Manager - Crewing to lead the strategic crewing for our Bulk fleet of around 30 vessels, reporting to the Director of Crewing. You will ensure safe, efficient manning and align with our global crew management organisation.

The role requires strong leadership, fleet expansion planning, succession planning and ensuring compliance with charterer and regulatory requirements, RightShip, DBMS, and MLC obligations.

Qualifications

• Strong academic record; professional maritime qualifications, seafaring experience or equivalent industry experience would be an advantage.
• Proven management experience within shipping, crewing, marine operations or a comparable international operating environment.
• Strong understanding of crew management, vessel manning requirements and operational demands of managing a diverse fleet.
• Experience developing crew pools and future capability to support fleet growth.
• Expert knowledge of charterer requirements, RightShip, DBMS, SMS and regulatory obligations (MLC/Flag Admin).
• Strong knowledge of collective bargaining agreements and compliance requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to drive performance management and crew development across shore and onboard teams.
• Commercially astute with budget control and efficiency improvement experience.
• Data-driven with reporting and performance insights to support strategic workforce planning.
• Proven ability to lead projects and embed new systems and operating models.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and execution of crew strategy for the Bulk fleet, ensuring it supports current operations and future expansion.
• Build scalable crewing plans and operating models with the right capability and cost control as the fleet grows.
• Translate strategic priorities into measurable objectives for the Crew Management teams and Manning Offices.
• Apply strong commercial judgement to support operational resilience and long-term sustainability.
• Develop and maintain a strong, sustainable crew pool to meet current and future vessel growth.
• Ensure vessels are manned with qualified, medically fit and trained personnel meeting requirements.
• Drive high-quality crew planning to meet charterer and regulatory expectations (RightShip, DBMS, SMS, MLC).
• Monitor regulatory developments and ensure compliance with Flag Administration requirements.
• Drive a strong performance culture across shore and onboard teams with regular appraisal and development actions.
• Lead projects to improve crew systems, processes, reporting and fleet expansion readiness.

Skills

Crew management

Strategic planning

Leadership

Change management

Budget management

Education

Maritime qualifications

Job description

Zodiac Maritime Limited in London is seeking a General Fleet Manager - Crewing to lead the strategic crewing for our Bulk fleet of around 30 vessels, reporting to the Director of Crewing. You will ensure safe, efficient manning and align with our global crew management organisation.

The role requires strong leadership, fleet expansion planning, succession planning and ensuring compliance with charterer and regulatory requirements, RightShip, DBMS, and MLC obligations.