Maritime Recruiter

Mercy Ships; United States; On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Mercy Ships seeks a Technical Sector Lead to drive proactive talent sourcing for critical maritime roles. You will align workforce planning with operational needs and champion a professional, mission-centered candidate experience.

The role focuses on global collaboration, data-driven recruitment, and Boolean search mastery for a seamless volunteer journey. You will lead recruiters across time zones, develop sector-specific plans, and maintain dashboards to monitor pipeline health and impact on

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in HR, business administration, or related field.
• Minimum 5 years in recruitment with leadership of global or cross-functional teams.
• Experience in NGO, humanitarian, or maritime recruitment preferred.
• Proficiency with Salesforce and Applicant Tracking Systems (Greenhouse preferred).

Responsibilities

• Directly lead, mentor, and oversee Global Recruiters to meet sourcing, applicant, and engagement targets.
• Shift recruitment toward proactive sourcing via professional networks and niche channels.
• Track recruitment metrics and present regular reports to drive action.
• Serve as liaison between ISC and Sector Recruitment teams to ensure alignment.

Skills

Leadership & mentoring

Strategic sourcing

Stakeholder collaboration

Data analytics

Boolean search & data mining

Candidate experience

Time-management across time zones

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Business Admin

Tools

Salesforce

Greenhouse

Job description

The Technical Sector Lead provides strategic leadership for volunteer recruitment. This leader is responsible for driving a proactive, talent-sourcing approach that ensures Mercy Ships attracts and engages qualified volunteers for critical maritime positions.

Working closely with global stakeholders, the Technical Sector Lead aligns workforce planning and recruitment strategies with operational needs, helping deliver a consistent "One Global Experience" for every volunteer throughout the recruitment journey. In addition to acting as a champion for a professional, mission-centered candidate experience that reflects Mercy Ships' values, culture, and Community of Faith.

How You Will Contribute

Leadership and Team Management

• Directly lead, mentor, and oversee the work of Global Recruiters assigned to the sector to ensure they meet sourcing, applicant, and engagement targets.
• Supervise the sourcing leads, managing the Talent Community, and phone screens
• Foster a "growth and development focus" within the team, utilizing the 15% rule to encourage living at the edge of competence and learning through calculated failures.
• Provide regular performance feedback to Recruiter and ensure they are trained in Boolean search techniques and data mining.

Strategic Sourcing and Pipeline Development

• Create and execute sector-specific strategic recruitment plans that align global efforts with both current and future staffing requirements.
• Shift recruitment efforts toward proactive sourcing, identifying and engaging high-quality talent through professional organizations, niche job boards, and social media platforms.
• Utilize Volunteer Personas to tailor messaging and attraction strategies based on universal human motivators and specific sector needs.
• Develop relationships with global professional networks to create a sustainable pipeline of qualified candidates for critical and hard-to-fill roles.

Data Literacy and Reporting

• Track and analyze recruitment metrics to evaluate strategy effectiveness and make data-driven adjustments.
• Prepare and present regular reports that aid in identifying the Problem, Strategy, and Impact—to drive action.
• Utilize and advocate for the Single HR Solution (Greenhouse/Salesforce) to maintain a "360-degree view" of candidates.
• Manage sector-specific Recruiter Dashboards to monitor pipeline health and workload distribution.

Global Liaison and Stakeholder Collaboration

• Act as the main liaison between the International Support Centre (ISC) and Sector Recruitment teams ensuring alignment and consistency.
• Conduct bi-weekly meetings with national offices to communicate staffing needs, address local challenges, and provide updates on qualification standards.
• Foster a "blame-free environment" where process failures can be raised constructively to build and maintain trust and collaboration.
• Uphold the Mercy ships core values ensuring our approach and engagement aligns with 2,000-year-old model of Jesus..
• Ensure a seamless transition for volunteers from selection to onboarding. And actively engage in problem solving to ensure candidates move through the selection process and are ready for onboarding

Ideal Candidate

• Supportive of Mercy Ships' mission, vision, core values, and cultural philosophy.
• Able to contribute to community life, requiring stable and healthy interpersonal skills.
• Experience in NGO, humanitarian, or international environments preferred
• Demonstrated experience working across time zones and diverse cultures
• A strong customer service orientation, with excellent listening, interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to proactively source and engage passive candidates.
• Intermediate Analytical skills with the ability to interpret recruitment metrics and dashboards.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

Education and/or Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field preferred
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in recruitment, with proven leadership in managing global or cross-functional teams, technical experience preferred.
• Experience in NGO, humanitarian, or maritime recruitment preferred.
• Proficiency in Salesforce and Applicant Tracking Systems, Greenhouse Preferred