How to hire a diver's tender

How to hire a diver's tender, step by step

Here's a step-by-step diver's tender hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a diver's tender job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new diver's tender
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a diver's tender, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a diver's tender to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a diver's tender that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of diver's tenders and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Diver's Tender	Description	Hourly rate
   Diver's Tender		$11-51
   Diver	Divers work in various underwater settings such as lakes, deep seas, and other submerged places. They may specialize in a certain type of work such as finding or gathering evidence and performing construction jobs underwater... Show more	$11-48

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Pipeline Construction
   • Dive Equipment
   • Deck Operations
   • Underwater Construction
   • Pile
   • Equipment Maintenance
   • NDT
   • CPR
   • Diesel Engines
   • Water Tanks
   • Chamber Operations
   • Destructive Testing
   • Hydraulic Tools
   • Dive Operations

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage riser and pipeline installation, subsea salvage, maintenance, and abandonment.
   • Fabricate pile templates for pile driving.
   • Weld and fabricate tools or jigs.
   • Pile repair, demo, cutting burning, formwork, and other associate tsks involving pile repair.
   • Perform offshore and inland NDT inspections, pipe search, salvage, underwater welding and burning for various projects.
   • Require knowledge of CPR, basic first aid for diving relate injuries and illnesses, and decompression charts and times.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your diver's tender job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A diver's tender salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, diver's tenders' average salary in wyoming is 46% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level diver's tenders earn 78% less than senior-level diver's tenders.
   • Certifications. A diver's tender with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a diver's tender's salary.

   Average diver's tender salary

   $52,131yearly

   $25.06 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level diver's tender salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

4. Writing a diver's tender job description

   A good diver's tender job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a diver's tender job description:

   Diver's tender job description example

   Job DescriptionSUMMARY DESCRIPTION:

   Diver/Tender is an entry-level diver, required to perform maintenance on diving and diving support equipment as they develop the skills required by all divers. This position is expected to work 8 hours in our facility and 12 + hours when deployed or on remote job sites. Worldwide travel may be required on an emergency call out basis. Diver/Tenders report to the Diving or Shop Supervisor.

   CLASSIFICATION: NON-EXEMPT (HOURLY) DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

   • Accomplish all tasks assigned. Immediately inform the supervisor if they do not feel they are qualified by training or experience to perform the assigned task.
   • Read, understand, and comply with all of Phoenix policies and with applicable government regulations as they relate to their qualifications or performance.
   • Operate, monitor, and maintain all shop equipment as directed by the Diving or Shop Supervisor.
   • Operate, monitor and maintain all deck equipment (generators, compressors, pumps, etc.) as directed by the Diving Supervisor.
   • Report to the Diving Supervisor the status of all deck equipment provided for the diving operation.
   • Immediately report to the Diving Supervisor any defect or malfunction of any equipment provided for the diving operation.
   • Report to the Diving Supervisor any recent medical treatment or illness so that a proper determination can be made concerning fitness to dive.
   • Immediately report all symptoms or suspected symptoms as early and accurately as possible.
   • Follow safe diving practice at all times during the diving operation whether on deck or in the water. Bring to the attention of the Diving Supervisor any questionable items. Be alert for the safety of others.
   • Assist in the training of new personnel and other tenders.
   • Assist the divers to ensure that all diving equipment has been correctly maintained, prepared, and tested before and after each dive.
   • Maintain a diver's logbook, which details all dives, medical examinations, courses taken, and personal equipment maintenance.
   • Ensure medical certificates are up to date and recorded in their logbook.
   • Maintain current certification in First Aid and CPR.
   • Comply with established Phoenix QMS processes and procedures.
   • Complete administrative office duties as assigned

   JOB REQUIREMENTS:

   • Graduate of a professional or military diving school.
   • Possess current certification in First Aid and CPR.
   • Possess a current Passport and ADCI Card and possess or be able to obtain a TWIC Card.
   • Able to understand and comply with regulations or instructions concerning the use, maintenance, repair, and testing of all diving and shop equipment.
   • Able and willing to travel worldwide, on short notice for indefinite periods of time.
   • Significant physical effort required.
   • Significant exposure to physical risk.
   • Ability to obtain authorization to operate company vehicles.
   • Ability to work safely in the facility (8 hour shift, typical) and when deployed (12 hours shift, typical) on a daily basis.
   • Ability to obtain a U.S. Government security clearance.
   • Ability to pass annual diving physical.
   • Ability to pass a pre-employment drug/alcohol screen, physical, and background check, as required.

   Phoenix International Holdings, Inc, is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran status, or disability status.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right diver's tender for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your diver's tender job on Zippia to find and recruit diver's tender candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit diver's tenders, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new diver's tender

   Once you've found the diver's tender candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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