About the roleBut the network only exists if ships join it.
This role owns that mission end to end: enlisting the right vessels across every ship type and every region we operate in. This includes: finding them, winning over their owners, closing the agreements, and stewarding the relationships that keep them contributing to the picture for the long haul.
This role is also, deliberately, a building role. Today the effort is carried by a disaggregated team scattered around the world. Your job is to forge them into a world-class recruiting organization that keeps pace as the network grows from a handful of vessels today toward the thousands we intend to field over the next few years - and to make joining Quartermaster something owners and mariners want to be part of, not just a contract they sign.
- Build the machine that scales vessel recruiting. Everything from finding vessels, to qualifying and signing them as partners, to managing the long-term relationship must be engineered into a resilient, repeatable process - not heroics.
- Proactively hire for upcoming needs: Synchronize recruiting with the growth team's push and with shifting global maritime requirements, so supply is never responsible for holding coverage back.
- 0 to 1 team build out: Determine the team you need by ship type, region, stage of recruitment etc, and iterate upon as we scale.
- Create Subject matter experts in every vessel type across the team so no segment is a blind spot and our talent bar remains high as we add new teammates.
- Act as a player/coach: Hire, onboard, and hold the team to the outcomes below. At scale these are delivered through the people you build, not by you closing every deal yourself.
What you'll actually do- Identify and win the right vessels. Work from a prioritized list of high-value target vessels, reach out to their owners and operators, and sign them as fleet partners.
- Build and personally carry the relationships. Be the individual that owners, operators, and their technical managers trust, across commercial maritime markets worldwide.
- Negotiate and close the agreements.
- Pipeline capacity full: Ensure there are always enough signed, qualified vessels ready to go, so installations never stall waiting for a vessel.
Outcomes you'll own- Coverage growth. The right vessels join the network at the pace our growth plan requires.
- Running cost per vessel. Support, connectivity, and upkeep that make up the network's recurring cost base.
- Recruiting quality. A fleet weighted toward the highest-value vessels, not filler.
- The team. A recruiting organization capable of delivering all of the above at scale.
The archetype we're hiring forWe care less about maritime pedigree than about a specific kind of operator. The person we want is someone who has scaled the supply side of a marketplace from 0 to 1, launched new markets on the ground, and turned chaotic, one-off deal-making into a
repeatable acquisition machine.
- Scaled marketplace supply. You've grown the supply side of a two-sided marketplace - drivers, couriers, hosts, sellers, carriers - owning ambitious acquisition targets and hitting them.
- Zero to one market growth. You've walked into a new city, region, or segment with no template, stood up supply on the ground, and left behind a playbook others could run.
- Built the machine, not just the deals. You've turned relationship-driven, artisanal acquisition into a measured funnel - with clear metrics, tooling, and process behind every stage.
- Zero to one: Building and leading global field teams. You've hired, trained, and managed distributed acquisition or recruiting team and held them to hard targets.
- Data-driven and relentless. You run on numbers: funnel conversion, cost of acquisition, cohort economics, and you operate with urgency and total ownership.
- Maritime experience is a plus, not a prerequisite. We can teach you about the maritime industry and current playbooks; we can't teach the instinct for scaling supply. If you bring shipping-sector depth on top of the profile above, even better.
Qualifications- A track record building 0 to 1 on the supply side of a marketplace or a field-based acquisition operation, including: driver, courier, host, seller, or carrier recruitment, including launching inaugural markets from a standing start.
- Proven team-builder, has recruited, hired, and scaled a field, acquisition, or recruiting team, ideally from zero, and led it to measurable results.
- A gift for turning ambiguous, relationship-driven acquisition into a repeatable, data-driven process.
- Comfortable owning cost and unit economics
- Maritime or shipping experience welcome but not required - we'll teach the sector.
Location & travelNew York City. Expect significant international travel (50-75%) to owners, ship managers, and ports around the world, and to stand up recruiting in new markets as they open.
