All roles/Shoreside/Crew Employment & Payroll Manager
Shoreside
Crew Employment & Payroll Manager
You run employment and pay for crew across a managed fleet, from seafarer employment agreements to monthly multi-currency payroll, so every crew member is paid correctly, on time and under a compliant contract.
- Department
- Shoreside
- Reports to
- Yacht Crew Manager
- Yacht size
- Shore based
- Contract
- Permanent, shore based
- Starting pay
- €50,000 a year
What the job is
You sit in a yacht management or crew employment company and look after the paperwork that keeps crew legally employed and paid. That means drafting and issuing Seafarer Employment Agreements that meet MLC 2006, setting up new joiners, processing leavers and keeping files ready for flag and port state inspections. On a fleet of twenty yachts you might hold three hundred live contracts, each with its own salary, currency, rotation and leave terms.
Payroll is the monthly core of the job. You collect overtime, bonuses, charter tip records and leave changes from captains and pursers, check them against contracts, then run pay in euros, dollars and sterling through offshore employment entities in places like Guernsey, the Isle of Man or Malta. You handle social security questions, ENIM or CCSS contributions where they apply, crew medical insurance enrolment and payslips that crew can actually read.
Captains, owners' accountants and crew all come to you when something goes wrong. A deckhand short paid by €200 will email at midnight from Antigua. A captain wants a pay rise approved before the season starts. An auditor wants proof of rest hour compliance and wage records. The job suits someone precise, calm with money and comfortable explaining employment rules to people who spend their lives at sea.
What makes a good one
- Multi-currency payroll processing
- MLC 2006 employment rules
- Contract drafting and record keeping
- Clear written communication with crew
- Accuracy under month end deadlines
A day in the life
- 08:30Clear overnight emails from yachts in the Caribbean and the Pacific. Two crew queries on tax residency letters and one captain chasing a new contract for a chef joining tomorrow.
- 09:15Draft and send the chef's Seafarer Employment Agreement, check the salary against the budget the owner signed off and log the start date for medical insurance.
- 10:00Reconcile overtime and bonus sheets from six captains against contract terms. Flag a rotation crew member whose leave days do not add up.
- 11:30Call with an offshore employment entity in Guernsey to confirm this month's euro and dollar payroll totals and funding dates.
- 13:00Lunch, then a quick catch up with the crew coordinator on three upcoming joiners and the visas and ENG1 dates they still need.
- 14:00Run the payroll for a 70m motor yacht, check exchange rates and final figures, then send to the owner's accountant for approval.
- 15:30Prepare wage and contract records for a flag state inspection next week, making sure every crew file has a signed agreement and payslips.
- 16:30Handle a termination for a deckhand leaving early, calculate final pay, accrued leave and repatriation costs under the contract.
- 17:45Send payslips for the first yachts processed and note open items for tomorrow before logging off.
Pay by country
Annual gross salary for a permanent shoreside role at a yacht management or crew employment company handling a multi-yacht fleet. Bonuses are usually small and performance based. No charter tips.
- France and Monaco
- €50,000 – 70,000
- Spain
- €38,000 – 55,000
- Italy
- €38,000 – 55,000
- United Kingdom
- £40,000 – 60,000
- USA (Florida)
- US$65,000 – 90,000
- Caribbean
- US$50,000 – 75,000
- UAE
- AED 216,000 – 300,000
- Australia
- A$85,000 – 115,000
- New Zealand
- NZ$75,000 – 100,000
Required
- Proven payroll experience
- Working knowledge of MLC 2006
- Right to work in the country of the office
- Strong Excel and payroll software skills
Recommended
- CIPP Payroll Technician Certificate
- CIPP Diploma in Payroll Management
- CIPD Level 5 Associate Diploma
- AAT accounting qualification
- Second European language
- Previous crew or yacht management experience
Visas
- Right to work where the office is based
- EU citizenship or French work permit for Antibes and Monaco offices
- UK right to work for UK offices
- US work authorisation for Fort Lauderdale offices
- Employer sponsored employment visa for UAE
- Australian or New Zealand work visa for local offices
Where it leads
- Crew Coordinator
- Crew Employment & Payroll Manager
- Yacht Crew Manager
- Yacht Operations Manager
- Yacht Manager
- Fleet Manager
Crew Employment & Payroll Manager jobs open now
Questions crew ask
Do I need to have worked on a yacht?
No, but it helps. Many people come from payroll or HR backgrounds, and former crew who retrain in payroll are valued because they understand rotations, tips and life on board.
Is this more payroll or more HR?
Both. Payroll takes most of the time at month end, while contracts, leavers, insurance and crew queries fill the rest of the month.
What are the hours like?
Mostly office hours, with busier weeks at month end and at the start of the season. Crew are in different time zones, so expect some early or late emails.