Workforce Planning Specialist

Instrumental liaison that supports the daily, weekly and monthly planning/scheduling of the shipboard workforce to achieve optimal results for the company, cruise line partners and employees.  Administrative duties involve coordinating ship and itinerary workforce planning, executing embarkation, in transit and debarkation procedures, coordination of company event or cruise line specific programs. Other work involves working with staffing agencies, district managers and human resource business partners.  Works under general supervision with considerable latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment.  Most of the time is spent performing multiple repetitive tasks which acquire a high level of attention to detail and precise and supportive communication to other workforce planning personnel and cruise line retail management.  On occasion, circumstances can cause disruption of the normal operation, which requires a great ability to make and execute transactions under intense deadline pressure.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

Coordination, Collaboration and Communication:

• Responsible for performing the assignment of shipboard staff to ships/vessels while adhering to Maritime Labor Commission, company and cruise line policies.       
• Accountable for execution accuracy of scheduling administrative activities while improving efficiently and minimize costs.  Exercises decision making authority that complies with company, MLC and cruise line expectations.
• Maintains regular cadence of meetings to facilitate timely partnership with District Managers and HRBP(s) to maintain consistent ship assignment coverage, ensuring necessary skills (certification training, foreign language) and employee preference when applicable are deployed to vessel profiles and specificities, to maximize financial results.     
• Interacts with Shipboard managers and team members via email to communicate scheduling agreements, details and compliance requirements.  Regularly follows up to reduce preventable embarkation delays.  Monitors employee check-ins to assure coverage and notifies CLR leaders of attendance issues.  Reviews absences and promptly schedules replacement employee at next possible port of call.     
• Coordinates, modifies and confirms timely employee travel with travel agency.     
• Respond with sense of urgency to missed travel (flights, weather, and itinerary change) or other unforeseen issues (emergency personal or business disembarkation to enable maximum productivity on board.
• Responsible for working the after-hours phone duty on a rotation schedule.
• All other duties as they pertain to scheduling as assigned by Management.

Compliance:

• Maintain and update employee files.   
• Working under the guidance and direction of the HRBP coordinate leave of absence (bereavement, medical, personal) and vacation administrative processing.  This role serves as the support and secondary contact for leave of absence approval(s) and primary for administrative coordination.
• Using subject matter expertise in global travel rules and regulations, determine proper international legal requirements necessary, and select and place talent based on relevant qualifications and needs. Ensure travel documentation is compliant with local authorities and make recommendations to staff as it pertains to legal requirements.      

Reporting:

• Analyze staff travel and provide guidance to assistants, ensuring most cost-effective travel decisions are made, with the goal of optimization of expenses.      
• Analyze assigned cruise line trends regarding scheduling and allocation of staff to ensure optimal cost effectiveness and operational efficiency. Develop proactive analysis of global staffing requirements and future vacancies (90 days).
• Maintain accurate reporting for each ship, entering information into appropriate databases and spreadsheets. 

QUALIFICATIONS:

Education and Experience:

• 4-6 Years of Experience
• Associates Degree required

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Demonstrated customer service skills working with multiple internal customers

• Ability to be on call and accessible 24/7 one week per month on a rotating basis.

• Knowledge of international rules and regulations related to movement of crew globally – subject matter expert on Immigration Visa’s.

• Thorough understanding of cruise line business and on board environment.

• Ability to effectively partner with internal stakeholders to raise awareness and provide solutions or options to resolve potential issues.

• Effective written and verbal communication skills.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and experience with Microsoft Navision a plus.

• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with co-workers in demanding, results oriented environment.

• Agile thinker, able to organize and prioritize tasks in a fast-paced manner.

• Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times

Travel Requirement:

• Less than 10% of time

Decision Making: 

• Makes recommendations and decisions independently.  Some managerial guidance provided.  Relatively high level of individual problem solving ability required.  May participate in some strategy development.

Other:
Position Type/Expected Hours of Work
Some flexibility in hours is permitted, employee must be available during the “core” work hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday – Friday and must work 30 hours each week to maintain full-time status. Occasional evening and weekend work may be required as job duties demand.

Physical Demands:
Office environment with frequent sitting, walking and standing, occasional climbing, stooping, kneeling, crouching and balancing. Frequent use of eye, hand and finger coordination enabling use of office machinery. This position requires the ability to occasionally lift office products and supplies, up to 20 pounds. Oral and auditory enabling interpersonal communication as well as communication automated devise such as the telephone.

At Starboard Cruise Services and Onboard Media curating a vibrant world can only be accomplished by vibrant and diverse teams. We are committed to nurturing a workplace where you can feel safe to show up authentically and thrive while being uniquely you. Our North Star guides us to deliver equal employment opportunities for all individuals and to providing employees with an equitable work environment free of discrimination and harassment. We also aim to extend this commitment to the partners we work with and the guests we serve. We are constantly listening, learning, and evolving to deliver on these promises.

We believe our differences make us stronger and are curious to see you leverage your lived experiences to strengthen our team, our culture and your career. At Starboard Cruise Services and Onboard Media we take action so that no one is discriminated against because of their differences, such as age, disability (physical, mental or sensory), ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, religion, sexual orientation, military/veteran status, genetic information, family care status or any other basis protected by federal, state or local laws. All employment decisions will be made based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications.

So come onboard with us and celebrate a culture that attracts top talent with shared values and forms the foundation for a great place to work.