Hot jobs August 2021

hot jobs

This month’s top shore-based shipping jobs from Spinnaker are a selection of our UK and USA roles and include several exclusive roles, and one that is a remote working position. Simply click each role to find out more and apply direct.

Fleet Performance Manager, UK
Offshore Wind Engineer, UK
Sales Representative, USA
Product Marketing Manager, UK (Remote)
Financial Analyst, UK (Exclusive role)
Technical Manager, London (Exclusive role)
Head of Legal & Insurance, London (Exclusive role)
Deputy Manager, War Risk, UK

Flexible working – what do people want? Poll results

online training

When it comes to flexible working, we’re entering a new dawn. Whereas bosses might have been cynical about the success of staff working from home, the pandemic has taught us that home working can work well and we can stay just as connected.  

Liam Daly, Senior Consultant in Spinnaker’s technical maritime recruitment team, has definitely noticed an increase in candidates wanting to work from home permanently.  

“This increase has been particularly noted in the past 6 months,” says Daly (funnily enough speaking from Spinnaker’s offices where he has been working in 2021, eschewing the remote working option himself). “Which makes sense as people settled into home working over a longer period than anyone expected.” 

“I decided to do a LinkedIn poll to see if, given the choice, people would want to work fully at home once the restrictions fully lift – something we’re attempting here in the UK. The results definitely backed up what I’ve been hearing from my candidates.” 

Only 11% of people who answered the poll said they wanted a full return to the office with no working from home at all, with a day or two at home being the much more preferred option with 37% saying that’s what they would ideally want.  

A quarter of those asked said they would work from home all the time.  

One LinkedIn contact said of the poll “I think there needs to be a bit of diversity and inclusion thinking here. Not everyone feels or works best in an office environment, not everyone clamours for face-to-face contact. If you find home working more productive, if you feel Zoom/Teams meetings are in fact better for you and more democratic and can demonstrate that you have delivered the same or better results while working from home, then the full WFH option is a valid request. Employers may be missing out on great talent if you feel you need to instil a 9-5 mentality.” 

However another commented “In-person communication and exchange should not cease to exist since all human relationships are based on one and only one quality: trust. Trust is built when interacting in person, only. It can’t be built via Teams or Skype.” 

To find out more about our maritime recruitment business, click here.

‘What’s the market like?’ and latest shipping jobs filled

recruitment

What’s the market like? 

This is the question we’re most frequently asked; truthfully, there are lots of different markets within shipping recruitment. For us, that includes commercial, fleet management, legal, insurance, executive, finance, sales and so on. This month, we asked David Tubb, Director, Recruitment at Spinnaker “what’s the market like?” 

“It’s an interesting situation currently, relative stability with unexpected twists. A number of factors coming together resulting in recruitment projects that may not have been expected. The past eighteen-months or so has resulted in a lot of “life-evaluation”. What people would have been happy to do before – seeing no alternative is, no longer the case. Lifestyle decisions have resulted in unexpected openings occurring.

Difficulties in global mobility and relocation are still creating a need for alternative, local, “closer to home” talent is resulting in a greater focus on transferable skills.Home and remote working continues to be divisive and the deciding factor in offer acceptance. It’s high on the agenda for understanding so needs to be clear from the outset in recruitment processes.Where that isn’t possible, candidates are driving the market and we’re needing to dive deep into our networks, referral systems and recruitment know-how to secure companies that much needed expertise.

Hesitation for clear growth strategies in some areas, not all is apparent, yet that’s not unusual at this time of the year as holiday season sets in. More so than ever we are seeing the “will to disconnect”. The feeling is that waves will be made September/October time.”

Catch up with David’s latest insights at his LinkedIn profile.

Our recent placements

Ship Registry Technical & Compliance Officer, London
Senior Shortsea Dry Cargo Broker, UK (North East)
Freight & Laytime Analyst, Singapore
Offshore Commercial Manager, Dubai
Cargo Claims Handler, UK
COO (Shipowner), Hong Kong
Marine Procurement Officer, London
Head of Chartering, Commodity Trader, Dubai
Marine Electrical Engineer, Houston
Head of Operations, Singapore
Legal Counsel, Shipowner, London
Chartering Manager, Houston
CEO (Shipowner), UK
Senior Tanker Chartering Manager, Middle East
Head of Crewing, Germany
In-house Lawyer, Denmark
various fleet management superintendents globally

For our full list of vacancies, visit https://spinnaker-global.com/jobs/job-search

Virtual recruitment and onboarding

virtual team meeting

The way we recruit and onboard employees has changed rapidly over the last year. From WebEx technical difficulties to home-delivered fruit baskets, here at Spinnaker along with our Maritime HR Association members, we have explored the pros and cons of the ‘new norm’ for recruitment during the pandemic.

Recruitment

• As a global industry, many maritime HR professionals were already experienced at conducting interviews virtually – and while face to face interviews have all but stopped there remains an appetite to reinstate these for second rounds when permitted.
• Recruitment volumes have remained steady in most cases – one member reported an increase in short term contracts (to cover an increase in the number of maternity cases) as well as an increase in turnover for local staff (arising from current travel restrictions).
• While some have encountered technical difficulties with online interviews, one member reported offering a range of video tools to suit the candidate.
• If there are sufficient vacancy volumes and timing allows, new joiners will start together where possible – driving an instant ‘friendship’.
• Remote interviews were identified as an opportunity for more diverse recruitment panels and while the composition of recruitment panels varied by member, many typically reported including a member of HR (who would ensure diversity and likely be female).
• The Maritime UK Interview Pool is available to those who wish to explore more balanced interview panels. See https://www.maritimeuk.org/priorities/people/diversity-maritime/projects/interview-pool/

Onboarding

• Relocations are still happening where COVID restrictions allow, but last-minute changes in government guidance are driving lots of creative work arounds and the cost of relocations has increased significantly in line with container rates.
• It was acknowledged that virtual onboarding can take more time, yet in some jurisdictions probationary periods are limited. Preboarding – the concept of starting employee integration before they start – was identified as a great way to extend the induction and welcome staff before they even commence employment, including checking technology before day one and connecting them with a buddy or mentor.
• Feedback from candidates suggest that being organised and planning ahead makes a huge difference to their onboarding experience.  Managers are encouraged to set a full schedule for those first 2 weeks, with regular check-ins, but allow time between meetings to avoid zoom fatigue and provide time to digest and reflect. Self-study packs were offered in some cases, for new starters to work through in between sessions as well as dedicated single points of contact (HR, IT etc) and supporting desktop instructions for resolving issues.
• An understanding of company culture and values (i.e. feeling the pulse of the organisation) is something that can be hard to get a sense for remotely. Specific sessions on this are particularly welcome by new starters and there may be an opportunity to share as part of ‘re-onboarding’ those employees returning from long term homeworking too.
• Finally, team integration and generally ‘getting to know each other’ is possibly more important than ever. Assigning project work can help drive this in a work capacity and ending the first week with a social event (e.g. virtual lunch or team drinks) could mark the start of regular team events.

If you want to share ideas, challenges and best practice with other maritime HR professionals, get in touch to find out more about our association via [email protected] or +44 (0)1702 481660.

Master Mariner wanted

starting line

Master Mariners! Is this your dream role?

It seems for a lot of Master Mariners, that coming ashore to work for a shipping law firm is their dream career path.

In the last year or two, there have been fewer of these openings for Mariners coming ashore but Spinnaker’s Liam Daly is pleased to be searching for a Master Mariner for one of the world’s leading shipping law firms at the moment.

If you have several years’ command experience particularly on tankers, but certainly on cargo ships and superb written English, please get in touch with Liam at [email protected].

Teresa Peacock joins Dryad Global as first Non-Executive Director

Handshake to celebrate new hire

“I am incredibly excited to be joining the Dryad Global team in this role, bringing my passion and drive for ensuring diversity across the maritime industry’s workforce. Our industry’s people help keep the world turning, and in a truly diverse workplace, productivity and success thrives.“

Teresa Peacock
Teresa Peacock

Teresa Peacock is currently Managing Director at Spinnaker and a member of the Maritime UK’s Diversity Taskforce, a board member of the Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA UK) and a part of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Women and Work. Her experience spans a career in recruitment of over 30 years, most recently working to deliver major global recruitment projects in shipping and the offshore and oil & gas markets in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Middle East, Far East, Africa and Europe.

Teresa joins the team to provide senior counsel and strategic guidance as Dryad Global expands its international team and seeks to recruit a diverse workforce more reflective of the ever-changing seascape workplace.

Phil Diacon, CEO at Dryad Global, said: “On behalf of our team, I am delighted to welcome Teresa to Dryad Global.”

“Teresa brings exceptional experience of sales, customer relations, human resources and equality and diversity knowledge from her career working with global shipping companies and the UK’s Maritime Diversity Taskforce.”

“With a proven track record and two decades at the helm of one of Europe’s largest shipping recruitment companies, Teresa is a force for change, bringing much needed insight to the sector as it strives to modernise and address issues such as gender inequality and pay gaps as well as ethnic and social diversity in the workplace.” 

This appointment is one of a number that Dryad is planning to announce in 2021 as part of a plan to strengthen the Dryad Global brand and deliver exceptional customer service through maritime security and risk intelligence solutions. 

“Dryad Global continues to carve out its own niche in the maritime security sector. We pride ourselves on our agility and innovative approach in playing our part to improve the shipping industry not only for SOLAS but also for the shore-based employees of this industry who play such a vital role in keeping the sea-lines open. I am confident that the skills, experience and diversity Teresa will bring as our first non-executive board member will pave the way for a panel of experts that will support and oversee the delivery of our new strategy.”

“I speak for the whole team, from the UK, Africa, to Australia and the United States as I warmly welcome Teresa and look forward to the onward voyage with her aboard.” 

More about Spinnaker

More about Dryad Global

Hot jobs December 2020

hot jobs

Spinnaker’s recruitment team have a variety of hot jobs for you this month, ranging from insurance and technical to commercial and finance roles.

Our consultants have hand-picked our hottest new vacancies for December 2020.

Simply click on the roles to apply:

General Manager of Newbuilding, Hong Kong
Analyst, Germany
Senior Vessel Operator- Singapore
Senior Claims Adjuster – P&I and FD&D
Offshore Shipbroker, Hamburg
Senior Freight Assessor – London
Tax Manager, Germany

For all our vacancies please visit our jobs home.

Spinnaker partnership with start-up support hub

Team work process. Business people in office. Laptop with graph, analysing

Spinnaker and Startup Wharf have come together in partnership to offer tailored recruitment services to start-ups from the Maritime Startup Ecosystem, including free personality profiling for hired candidates.

Startup Wharf is the independent, responsible, global hub of start-up-driven maritime transformation, whose values are supporting maritime entrepreneurship and start-ups catalysing triple bottom line maritime transformation.

Spinnaker is committed to helping success of maritime start-up and transformation companies by hiring the right people. We do this by assisting with the development of the people in maritime, and help employers identify and develop the right people for the right jobs, and have been doing so since 1997.

On the partnership, Startup Wharf’s Leonardo Zangrando says “We partnered with Spinnaker as a recruiter specialising in maritime because we want to offer the startups in our network the best services to make their life easier. Recruiting is an important component of a startup’s growth and finding the right people in a niche sector as ours can be difficult if you don’t partner with a specialist recruiter. And as with all our partnerships, we managed to negotiate a special “treat” for our startups from Spinnaker: a free personality assessment of the successful candidate hired through them.”

Facet5 is one of the most modern and advanced measures of human personality available. Facet5 is a personality profiling tool, based on the five factor model of personality consisting of Will, Control, Energy, Affection and Emotionality. It’s a tool that can be applied in people development, recruitment, team building and culture change.

The Spotlight Development report provides individuals with a comprehensive summary of their strengths and risks of their personality profile. Spotlight improves the individual learning and development outcomes through heightened self-awareness and action planning, perfect for supporting any personal development plans.

The start-ups taking advantage of this offer will receive a complimentary Spotlight Development report undertaken on the successfully hired candidate.

Spinnaker’s David Tubb says “For all companies recruiting, I think a combination of both skills and attitude is important. A start-up environment is different from normal industry. It is not right for everyone, just as a big corporation may not be right for someone from an SME. The biggest questions decision makers ponder in any hiring process is “Will this work out?” There is fear of loss – time, money, reputation. Fear can often delay, prolong, or even stop a decision from happening. Hard skills are easier to measure than personality. Therefore offering startups an insight into the strengths and risks of the personality of the person they are hiring can help take away some of that fear. Connecting talent and companies together is one thing. Making sure it’s the right fit, and retaining is another.”

Find out more about Startup Wharf and how they are supporting start-ups here: https://www.startupwharf.com/startups/