Location: London-based, with significant time in Nigeria and across global maritime hubs.
Reporting to: Group Managing Director.
SeaLearn is the launch vertical of a new vocational training group backed by Union Maritime Limited. We are building a world-class maritime training business that will educate the next generation of officers at scale — starting in Nigeria, where we are creating the first generation of Nigerian seafarers crewing the world’s ships. The mission is generational: 10,000 officers trained by 2050, in partnership with the Tetra Foundation.
We are looking for a founder-operator: someone who has built or led a high-growth training, shipping, or services business before, and who is ready to turn SeaLearn from a launch venture into a category-defining maritime training platform.
The Position
As CEO / MD of SeaLearn, you will own the maritime training business end to end — strategy, P&L, cadet pipeline, curriculum, commercial partnerships with shipowners, and onboard placement. You will report to the Group MD and operate with the autonomy of a founder and the backing of an established shipping group.
Requirements
Strategic & Commercial Leadership
- Set the strategy, growth roadmap, and operating model for SeaLearn, with full P&L ownership.
- Build commercial relationships with shipowners, operators, and managers — converting them into sponsors, employers, and long-term partners.
- Deliver against ambitious cadet, revenue, and unit-economic targets.
Training Delivery & Operations
- Build a maritime curriculum that meets international STCW standards and sets a new benchmark for quality.
- Lead delivery across classroom, simulator, and sea-time placement.
- Establish and run training centres in Nigeria and future hubs.
People Leadership
- Attract, develop, and retain a world-class team of maritime instructors, operations staff, and commercial leaders.
- Foster a high-performance culture obsessed with cadet outcomes and commercial impact.
Stakeholder & Industry Engagement
- Partner closely with the Tetra Foundation on cadet sponsorship, outreach, and impact.
- Engage with industry bodies, flag states, and regulators across the jurisdictions where SeaLearn operates.
- Represent SeaLearn at industry forums and to shipping principals globally.
Cadet Outcomes & Growth
- Take personal accountability for cadet progression, qualification, and placement onto vessels.
- Build the SeaLearn brand as the destination of choice for ambitious young seafarers.
- Identify and launch new training programmes and geographies as the business scales.
Key Requirements
- Senior leadership experience in maritime training, ship management, or a related operational shipping business.
- Proven commercial track record — ideally with P&L ownership in a high-growth or PE-backed environment.
- Deep knowledge of STCW, IMO, and the international maritime regulatory landscape.
- Credibility with shipping principals — owners, managers, and charterers.
- Comfort operating in emerging markets, particularly West Africa.
- Founder-operator mindset: ready to build from the ground up.
Desirable
- Direct experience launching or scaling a maritime training academy.
- Existing network across tanker, bulker, and container operators.
- Background bridging commercial shipping and education.
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