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How to hire a harbor master

Harbor master hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring harbor masters in the United States:

  • In the United States, the median cost per hire a harbor master is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
  • On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new harbor master to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire a harbor master, step by step

To hire a harbor master, you should create an ideal candidate profile, determine a budget, and post and promote your job. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a harbor master:

Here's a step-by-step harbor master hiring guide:

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

    First, determine the employments status of the harbor master you need to hire. Certain harbor master roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a harbor master 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 harbor master that fits the bill.

    This list presents harbor master salaries for various positions.

    Type of Harbor MasterDescriptionHourly rate
    Harbor MasterWater transportation workers operate and maintain vessels that take cargo and people over water. The vessels travel to and from foreign ports across the ocean and to domestic ports along the coasts, across the Great Lakes, and along the country’s many inland waterways.$11-56
    CaptainCaptains oversee the entire operations of a sea vessel, usually ships. Their main responsibility is to ensure that the vessel safely travels from point A to point B... Show more$14-40
    Boat CaptainA boat captain is primarily in charge of spearheading and overseeing boat operations and managing staff, ensuring efficient operations for a safe and successful voyage. With their years of experience, they have the authority to develop and implement strategies, delegate responsibilities among staff, conduct safety inspections before and after every journey, direct maintenance strategies, implement solutions if issues arise, and make significant decisions... Show more$13-31
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Reservations
    • Boats
    • Customer Service
    • Emergency Situations
    • Law Enforcement
    • US Coast Guard
    • General Maintenance
    • USCG
    • Safety Inspections
    • Public Safety
    • State Laws
    • VHF
    Responsibilities:
    • Manage records and assist customers with billing and reservations.organize and assist with running of events.
    • Train and advance the skills of firefighting team members.
    • Own two vessels (2000dwt coastal freighter working Caribbean and 190 foot supply tug).
    • Manage outgoing and incoming canoe rentals and provide customers with instructional sessions.
    • Manage outgoing and incoming canoe rentals and provide customers with instructional sessions.
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your harbor master job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A harbor master can vary based on:

    • Location. For example, harbor masters' average salary in wyoming is 44% less than in alaska.
    • Seniority. Entry-level harbor masters 81% less than senior-level harbor masters.
    • Certifications. A harbor master with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
    • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a harbor master's salary.

    Average harbor master salary

    $52,596yearly

    $25.29 hourly rate

    Entry-level harbor master salary
    $23,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 18, 2025
  4. Writing a harbor master job description

    A job description for a harbor master role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a harbor master job description:

    Harbor master job description example

    In 2008, Gwyneth Paltrow launched goop, a lifestyle platform dedicated to keeping its readership informed and inspired with tightly curated content and products. goop's expert tastemakers advise and contribute on everything from fashion, wellness, and travel, to recipes, parenting, and cultural issues.

    About You

    The ideal candidate has 1-3 years of luxury or high-end sales experience with a proven ability to drive and exceed both individual and store results.

    About The Role

    The Keyholder is a key employee in maintaining good customer service. A Keyholder is responsible for serving customers and accurately recording all sales, as well as assisting with merchandising responsibilities, such as stocking, pricing, and keeping the store neat, clean, and organized. The Keyholder supports the operation of a profitable business through successful floor supervision and is capable of opening and closing shop responsibilities. The Keyholder reports to the Store Manager.

    Responsibilities Include:

    Customer Service

    • Ability to clientele and understand the customer needs
    • Maintain an effective clientele list and waitlist
    • Possess the capacity to learn about the finest details of our range and communicate our philosophy to customers
    • Able to suggestively sell
    • Always act in the best interest of the customer

    General

    • Arrive on time and floor ready
    • Maintain a healthy work environment
    • Professional phone presence when calling clients
    • Provide constructive feedback to the shop management
    • Respond well to feedback from management and follows directives
    • Able to identify a problem and properly report it
    • Actively pursue additional product knowledge as needed
    • Prioritize workload to maximize efficiency and minimize the impact on customer experience
    • Ability to think creatively in business and seek sales opportunities
    • Restocking what has been sold *
    • Assist in tagging new merchandise
    • Respond promptly to emails from management
    • Abide by Goop policies and procedures
    • High level of ownership, accountability and initiative
    • Participate in store meetings and management meetings
    • Able to receive and process vendor orders and file paperwork
    • Able to handle transfers and return to vendors
    • Handle in store RTV's, damages, etc. when necessary
    • Able to open and close a store
    • Handle weekly bank deposits when in store alone

    Qualifications & Experience

    • High School diploma or equivalent combination of education and sufficient work experience
    • 2+ years of retail experience
    • Strong verbal and written skills, effective communicator
    • Strong eye for fashion
    • Ability to perform effective selling techniques to achieve sale and repeat business
    • Basic computer skills
    • Physical requirements: lift / carry / move 40lbs. minimum including fixtures and product
    • Ability to work a flexible schedule including holidays, overnights, weekends
    • Willing to travel to other stores within the market/region

    About goop

    In 2008, Gwyneth Paltrow launched goop from her kitchen as a homespun weekly newsletter. It's grown a lot since then; goop is a lifestyle platform encompassing curated products and content about beauty, wellness, fashion, food and home. Pioneering the contextual commerce platform, goop allows readers to shop with meaning. goop is one of the rare places on the web where food, shopping, and mindfulness collide—where the ever-evolving intent is to make every choice count. We're all resource-strapped, so goop hopes to surface the very best experiences, recipes, products, and advice.

    With a highly engaged and loyal customer base already in place, the goop platform is rapidly expanding to include branded events, retail stores, pop-ups, a Netflix series, and an ever-growing lineup of goop private label products in addition to multi-branded shopping. The company boasts diverse and rapidly growing revenue streams across ecommerce, ad sales, retail, and experiences.

    FAQ

    • Compensation: Competitive Hourly Rate + Commission Plan + Equity
    • Perks: Generous goop discounts, special offers with brand partners
    • Type of Hire: This is a Part-Time, Staff, Non-Exempt position. Other candidates, consultants and placement agency candidates will not be considered.
    • Job Disclosures: physical requirements: lift / carry / move 40lbs. minimum including fixtures and product
    • Application Requirements: All applicants will be reviewed through this site's job application submission. Direct submissions to the People Operations Team members or Hiring Managers will not be reviewed separately.
    • Candidate Requirements: Applicants must have US work authorization.

    goop is an Equal Opportunity Employer. goop does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need. All information provided by the applicant is collected, stored and processed in accordance with the terms of our Privacy Policy

  5. Post your job

    There are a few common ways to find harbor masters for your business:

    • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
    • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
    • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
    • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your harbor master job on Zippia to find and recruit harbor master candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    To successfully recruit harbor masters, 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.

    You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 harbor master

    Once you have selected a candidate for the harbor master position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

    You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

    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.)
    Sign up to download full list

How much does it cost to hire a harbor master?

Before you start to hire harbor masters, it pays to consider both the one-off costs like recruitment, job promotion, and onboarding, as well as the ongoing costs of an employee's salary and benefits. While most companies that hire harbor masters pay close attention to the initial cost of hiring, ongoing costs are much more significant in the long run.

The median annual salary for harbor masters is $52,596 in the US. However, the cost of harbor master hiring can vary a lot depending on location. Additionally, hiring a harbor master for contract work or on a per-project basis typically costs between $11 and $56 an hour.

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