Talent Acquisition Specialist - Crewing

Where passion meets opportunity

Discover your journey into the extraordinary.

Your Purpose

The Talent Acquisition Specialist – Explora Journeys is responsible for managing and supporting the end-to-end recruitment and talent acquisition process for the luxury Explora Journeys brand within Shosholoza Ocean Academy.

The role is focused on attracting, sourcing, assessing, and securing high-calibre talent aligned to the ultra-luxury hospitality and guest experience standards of Explora Journeys. The incumbent will partner closely with operational leaders, crewing teams, HR stakeholders, and external recruitment partners to ensure a seamless and professional candidate experience while building strong talent pipelines for current and future business needs.

The role requires a highly professional, service-oriented, and brand-conscious individual who embodies the luxury standards, culture, and people philosophy of Explora Journeys.

Your Impact

Key Accountabilities & Responsibilities:

Recruitment & Talent Acquisition
•    Manages the full recruitment lifecycle for hosts and/or maritime-related positions within Explora Journeys through Shosholoza Ocean Academy. 
•    Partners with hiring managers to understand recruitment requirements and targets, workforce planning needs, and role profiles. 
•    Sources and attracts suitable candidates through various recruitment channels, databases, networking, social media, job boards, and talent pipelines. 
•    Conducts candidate screening, interviews, assessments, reference checks, and recruitment coordination. 
•    Ensures timely and professional communication with candidates throughout the recruitment process. 
•    Coordinates interview scheduling and recruitment administration with internal stakeholders. 
•    Organizes and oversees in-person recruitment events, including venue planning, candidate sourcing, screening and pre-selection in collaboration with Geneva Explora Journeys HR, coordination and attendance management of shortlisted candidates, and on-site event supervision.

Luxury Brand & Candidate Experience
•    Acts as an ambassador for the Explora Journeys luxury brand and employee value proposition. 
•    Ensures a premium, professional, and engaging candidate experience aligned with luxury hospitality standards. 
•    Maintains high levels of confidentiality, professionalism, and attention to detail throughout all recruitment interactions. 

Talent Pipeline & Workforce Planning
•    Builds and maintains proactive talent pipelines for critical and high-volume roles. 
•    Supports strategic recruitment initiatives and workforce planning activities. 
•    Assists with succession planning and talent-mapping initiatives where required. 
•    Develops relationships with hospitality schools, academies, industry networks, and recruitment partners. 

Recruitment Administration & Compliance
•    Maintains accurate recruitment records, reports, candidate databases, and tracking systems. 
•    Ensures compliance with company recruitment procedures, employment legislation, and internal governance standards. 
•    Manages the full offer process for successful candidates, including offer preparation, communication, and follow-up, while ensuring a smooth handover to the Onboard HR Team for onboarding, deployment coordination, and post-placement follow-up.
•    Ensures all recruitment documentation is properly maintained and stored confidentially. 

Stakeholder Management
•    Builds strong relationships with hiring managers and operational stakeholders. 
•    Provides recruitment updates, market insights, and hiring recommendations to management. 
•    Supports the Head of Talent Acquisition & Crewing with recruitment reporting and operational recruitment activities. 

Employer Branding & Recruitment Initiatives
•    Supports employer branding initiatives, recruitment events, career fairs, and networking activities. 
•    Represents Explora Journeys and Shosholoza Ocean Academy professionally at recruitment and industry events. 
•    Assists with recruitment campaigns and talent attraction strategies to strengthen market presence.

Your Journey so far

•    Minimum 3–5 years’ experience in recruitment or talent acquisition. 
•    Experience within luxury hospitality, cruise, tourism, maritime, aviation, or service industries highly advantageous. 
•    Experience recruiting for customer-facing, hospitality, or operational roles preferred. 
•    Proven experience managing end-to-end recruitment processes in a fast-paced environment. 
•    Experience working with applicant tracking systems and recruitment platforms beneficial. 
•    The role may require occasional travel locally or internationally. 
•    Flexibility may be required during peak recruitment campaigns and operational periods. 
•    The incumbent is expected to uphold and represent the luxury standards, image, and culture of Explora Journeys at all times.

Your Essentials

Education / Training / Certifications

•    Diploma or Degree in Human Resources, Industrial Psychology, Business Administration, Hospitality, or related field. 

Technical Competencies
•    Strong recruitment, interviewing, and candidate-assessment capability. 
•    Good understanding of recruitment best practices and employment processes. 
•    Proficiency in Microsoft Office and recruitment systems/platforms. 
•    Strong administrative and organisational capability. 

Behavioural Competencies
•    Professional, polished, and service-oriented approach. 
•    Strong interpersonal and relationship-management skills. 
•    Excellent communication and stakeholder-engagement ability. 
•    High attention to detail and confidentiality. 
•    Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple vacancies simultaneously. 
•    Proactive, solutions-driven, and highly organised. 
•    Passion for people, hospitality, and luxury service excellence.

At Explora Journeys, we are redefining luxury ocean travel — where discovery, well-being, and a deep respect for the seas come together in harmony. 
We seek passionate professionals who share our vision of a more immersive, transformative way to discover the world’s most inspiring destinations by sea.
Are you ready to turn your passion into something extraordinary? Join us at Explora Journeys, where an ocean of opportunities awaits. Your journey to the Ocean State of Mind starts here.