How to hire a third officer

How to hire a third officer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step third officer hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your third officer job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a third officer for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A third officer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, third officers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of third officers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Third Officer	Description	Hourly rate
   Third Officer	Water 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.	$34-97
   Mate	A Mate is the seafaring captain's assistant in charge of the ship's welfare and crew on board. The Chief Mate is responsible for leading the team... Show more	$10-31
   Ship Worker	Ship workers are employees assigned to crew the ship. They may be transferred to cargo ships, cruise ships, or any other sea vessel... Show more	$9-20

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Safety Equipment
   • Cargo Operations
   • Emergency Equipment
   • USCG
   • Safety Drills
   • Safety Inspections
   • Coast Guard
   • Firefighting
   • In-Charge

   Responsibilities:

   • Work closely with surveyors, clients and ROV supervisors to achieve safe and effective subsea operations.
   • Provide support and leadership to businesses and capabilities for security and safety requirements.
   • Perform voyage planning, chart up keep and ECDIS maintenance.
   • Operate at various levels including supervising and safety maintenance.
   • Administer the company/client relationship particularly in the areas of safety and budget expectations.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, third officers' average salary in hawaii is 45% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level third officers 65% less than senior-level third officers.
   • Certifications. A third officer 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 third officer's salary.

   Average third officer salary

   $121,038yearly

   $58.19 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level third officer salary

   $72,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

4. Writing a third officer job description

   A good third officer 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 third officer job description:

   Third officer job description example

   The Third Party Risk Management Officer is a strategic professional who stays abreast of developments within own field and contributes to directional strategy by considering their application in own job and the business. Recognized technical authority for an area within the business. Requires basic commercial awareness. There are typically multiple people within the business that provide the same level of subject matter expertise. Developed communication and diplomacy skills are required in order to guide, influence and convince others, in particular colleagues in other areas and occasional external customers. Significant impact on the area through complex deliverables. Provides advice and counsel related to the technology or operations of the business. Work impacts an entire area, which eventually affects the overall performance and effectiveness of the sub-function/job family.
   Responsibilities:
   Support TPRM system deployments across all implementation phases from requirements gathering, project management, and user-acceptance testing Assist in identification and development of key business requirements pertaining to TPRM systems Contribute to the strategic decisions by providing in-depth and sophisticated analyses to define problems and develop innovative solutions Interface with both business and technology stakeholders to develop systemic solutions to business problems Assist with E2E process mapping and re-engineering efforts Develop subject matter expertise and act as subject matter expert (SME) to senior stakeholders and /or other team members. Develops procedural implementation and change management process with Operations and Reporting team to ensure proper governance and controls exist. Experience with risk methodology, risk analytics, Data Modeling, defining Inherent and residual risk scoring & process Knowledge of assessing, optimizing third party risk program and associated control requirements Examines procedures for consistency and gaps relative to regulations in addition to impacts on customer experience. Conducts internal testing of dispute processes to ensure control. Monitors exceptions to dispute policy and identifies drivers of exceptions. Leverages data to examine impacts to Customer Experience and Regulatory breaks. Has the ability to operate with a limited level of direct supervision. Acts as SME to senior stakeholders and /or other team members..
   
   Qualifications:
   6-10 years relevant work experience in Business Risk & Controls MS Excel, MS Access, SQL, Visual Basic a plus. 5+ years' experience in financial services. Consistently demonstrates clear and concise written and verbal communication skills Effective organizational influencing skills required. Third party vendor management preferred. Demonstrated ability to lead global team efforts Excellent problem solving skills Ability to see the big pictures with high attention to critical details Demonstrated ability to develop and implement strategy and process improvement initiatives.
   
   Education:
   Bachelor's/University degree or equivalent experience, potentially Masters degree
   
   Job Family Group:
   Risk Management
   
   Job Family:
   Business Risk & Controls
   
   Time Type:
   Full time
   
   Citi is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.
   
   Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.
   
   Citigroup Inc. and its subsidiaries ("Citi") invite all qualified interested applicants to apply for career opportunities. If you are a person with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation to use our search tools and/or apply for a career opportunity review Accessibility at Citi .
   
   View the " EEO is the Law " poster. View the EEO is the Law Supplement .
   
   View the EEO Policy Statement .
   
   View the Pay Transparency Posting
   
   Effective November 1, 2021, Citi requires that all successful applicants for positions located in the United States or Puerto Rico be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment and provide proof of such vaccination prior to commencement of employment.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right third officer 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 third officer job on Zippia to find and recruit third officer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with third officer candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of 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 third officer

   Once you've decided on a perfect third officer candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new third officer. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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