About SailFuture

SailFuture is a nationally recognized youth development organization serving system-involved and at-risk youth through long-term residential care, private education, vocational training, and global sailing expeditions. Our model blends housing, workforce development, adventure-based learning, and intensive mentorship to create durable life outcomes for young people who have experienced foster care, homelessness, or justice involvement.

We are entering a growth phase—expanding our residential programs, launching new education initiatives, and building a professional leadership pipeline to scale impact statewide and beyond.

Position Overview

The Talent Acquisition & Fellowship Program Manager will design and lead SailFuture’s full-cycle talent strategy while building a high-caliber Fellowship Program that recruits recent college graduates into high impact career pathways.

This role is both strategic and operational. It will:

Build a comprehensive leadership pipeline through a competitive Fellowship Program
Strengthen organizational culture and retention
Align hiring with SailFuture’s mission-driven, high-accountability model

This is a high-impact leadership position for someone who believes that who we hire determines how many lives we change.

Core Responsibilities

1. Talent Acquisition Strategy & Execution

Design and implement a comprehensive recruitment strategy across:
Social Enterprises
Residential care
Education (SailFuture Academy)
Maritime operations
Administration & leadership
Build structured hiring processes:
Competency-based interview frameworks
Behavioral assessments
Reference & background protocols
Develop recruiting pipelines with:
Universities (education, social work, maritime academies)
Fellowship networks (Teach For America, AmeriCorps, etc.)
Military veteran transition programs
Own employer branding and talent marketing materials
Track KPIs: time-to-hire, quality-of-hire, retention rates, value contribution

2. Fellowship Program Design & Management

Design and lead SailFuture’s Social Innovation Fellows Program, which places early-career professionals into 1–2 year immersive roles in youth development.

Responsibilities include

Program architecture and curriculum development
Recruitment of high-potential candidates nationwide
Selection process management
Onboarding and structured professional development
Performance evaluation systems
Mentorship matching and leadership coaching
Alumni engagement strategy

The Fellowship will serve as a long-term leadership pipeline for:

Residential program directors
School leaders
Maritime program officers
Social enterprise managers

3. Organizational Culture & Retention

Develop onboarding systems that reinforce mission, accountability, and professional standards
Implement structured performance review frameworks
Support department leaders with coaching and hiring decisions
Help codify SailFuture’s leadership expectations and values
Design retention initiatives for high-performing team members

4. Systems & Compliance

Ensure compliance with child welfare hiring requirements
Oversee background checks and licensing requirements
Maintain personnel documentation standards
Coordinate with Finance for payroll onboarding and HR systems

Required Qualifications

5+ years in talent acquisition, HR leadership, or recruiting
Experience building structured hiring systems
Demonstrated ability to recruit high-performing professionals
Strong project management and organizational skills
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills

Preferred

Experience in education, nonprofit, or youth services
Fellowship program design experience
Experience scaling teams in high-growth organizations

Key Performance Indicators (First 24 Months)

Average time to fill: 30-days
85%+ 12-month staff retention rate
Launch Fellowship Program with first cohort of 10 fellows
80% completion rate (2-years)
50%+ of fellows retained in leadership pipeline roles

Compensation & Benefits

Competitive salary commensurate with experience
401k matching
Health insurance reimbursement
Paid time off

Why This Role Matters

SailFuture’s growth depends on building a talent engine—not just filling positions, but cultivating leaders capable of changing the trajectory of vulnerable youth.

This role will directly shape the organization’s future by ensuring the right people are in the right seats, developing the next generation of leaders, and strengthening the systems that allow mission-driven work to scale sustainably.

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