| Location | St. Petersburg, Florida |
| Website | http://www.sailfuture.org |
SailFuture is a nonprofit that uses sailing, education, and workforce programs to change the lives of young people. Our fleet carries students on expeditions, trains crew, and runs the organization’s operations. We need one person who keeps it all ready for sea.
This isn’t a role where you spot a problem and pass it to a contractor. You open the machinery space, test the system, find what failed, source the parts, and fix it or direct the right specialist. Then you plan the refits and shipyard periods that keep the fleet running for years.
Salary
$65,000 base + annual Impact Compensation
Reports to
Fleet Manager & CEO
Location
St. Petersburg, FL, with travel to vessels and shipyards
Start date
February 1, 2027
Travel
Regular domestic and international travel
Benefits
15 days PTO, 11 paid holidays, 401(k) with 6% match, $250 health insurance contribution
105' Feadship: repairs needed for operational readiness
100' KetchWhatever It Takes: operational
65' MacGregor SloopDefy the Odds: full refit needed
54' Hatteras Flybridge: repairs needed for operational readiness
24' SafeBoat: full refit needed
Keep the fleet reliable
Build and run a preventative maintenance program for every vessel
Diagnose and repair engines, generators, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, hydraulics, and refrigeration
Do the work yourself or decide when a specialist is needed
Keep logs, service histories, manuals, and spare parts inventories current
Make sure critical spares are aboard before any offshore voyage
Set daily through annual maintenance routines with captains and crew
Run refits and shipyard periods
Assess vessel condition and build prioritized scopes of work
Prepare budgets, schedules, equipment specs, and bid packages
Evaluate shipyard and contractor proposals, then keep projects on time and on budget
Inspect the work, run commissioning and sea trials, and update the documentation
Manage vendors and parts
Build a bench of trusted shipyards, contractors, and suppliers
Negotiate pricing, define scopes, and check invoices against completed work
Source parts domestically and internationally, including obsolete equipment
Make the repair vs. replace call
Keep vessels safe and compliant
Help captains close out findings from inspections, surveys, and audits
Support flag-state, classification, insurance, and safety requirements
Plan for machinery failures and emergency response
Systems you’ll own
Diesel propulsion and generators, running gear, 12/24V DC and 120/230V AC, battery banks, inverters, shore power, solar, watermakers, sanitation, refrigeration, chilled-water AC, hydraulics, thrusters, and steering. On the sailboats: rigging, winches, windlasses, and sail-handling gear, working alongside riggers and sailmakers.
Substantial professional experience maintaining, repairing, or operating complex recreational, commercial, or large-yacht vessels
Hands-on experience with several of these: marine diesel, generators, DC and AC electrical, inverters and battery systems, plumbing, HVAC and refrigeration, hydraulics, watermakers, marine electronics, fiberglass, and carpentry
You read wiring diagrams, schematics, and mechanical drawings, and can research unfamiliar equipment on your own
You can run a project and hold shipyards and contractors accountable
Organized records and documentation
Willing to work in engine rooms, travel internationally, and work aboard when needed
Valid driver’s license and passport
USCG credential or STCW
Yacht refit management
International vessel operations
Experience on vessels 50 to 120 feet, including sailing vessels
Experience with older vessels carrying several generations of equipment
You’ll know it’s working when preventative maintenance replaces emergency repairs, captains trust their boats, and every vessel leaves the dock with the spares it needs. Reliable vessels are how our students get to sea. You keep them ready.