Fleet Manager in METLAKATLA, Alaska at CIRCLE SEAFOODS, QALICB INC.

About Circle Seafoods

Circle Seafoods’ mission is to raise the value of wild Alaska salmon.

We started in 2023 with a simple idea. If salmon is chilled on the boat, frozen whole at ultra-low temperatures within hours of being caught, and handled with care all the way to the shelf, pink and chum salmon can earn a place in the market they have never held; currently pink salmon are 48% of the global wild salmon biomass and 20–30% is grade 3 (dog food). Imagine the industry value if this was reduced to 5%. In our third year of operations, Circle salmon and roe is sold under our own brand in over 4,000 stores in the US and by major retailers across Europe and Japan.

None of it works without the fleet. Every fish we buy is caught by independent seiners, most of them Alaskan families who have fished these waters for generations. Our job is to make sure the value they create on deck comes back to them at a sustainable and fair price for their catch.

Position Overview

2026 was our largest season. We bought more fish than ever, the largest fleet in our history fished for us, and it was our first full season on Circle I, our freezing barge. Our fleet has grown every year and now stands at approximately 20 seine vessels. In 2027 we return to Southeast Alaska with the capacity and the customers to keep growing.

For decades pink and chum salmon have been treated as a commodity, and fishermen have been paid accordingly. We have shown that better handling earns a better price and that the price can be shared with the people who catch the fish. We now have the resources and the standing to help change where this fishery is headed: what it is worth, what it pays, and how proud a family can be to fish it.

This role is how that reaches the fleet. At most processors this work is split among several people. At Circle one person will own it for a fleet of about 20 boats, small enough that you will know every captain and most of the crews. You will shape the function, decide which services we develop, and define how Circle and its fishermen work together. As the fleet grows we expect you to build and lead a team.

Key Responsibilities

Fleet Recruitment and Retention

Recruit captains who fit how we work, and keep the ones we have. Be the person a fisherman calls first, in season and out.

Develop Circle’s approach to loyalty and retention: what makes a boat choose to fish for us and come back the next year.

Have the hard conversations directly and fairly. A disputed weight, a long wait to offload, a price that moved, a rumor on the dock.

In-Season Fleet Coordination

Fishermen are independent and fish where they choose. You’ll stay close to where the fleet is fishing and coordinate tenders, offloads and delivery timing so boats spend their time fishing and not waiting.

Help set the price, announce it clearly, and explain how it works so no one is surprised by a fish ticket.

Be the link between the boats and the barge on capacity, ice, tender coverage and turnaround.

Quality and Incentive Programs

Help fishermen adopt the handling practices our product depends on, through education and by showing them the results. Better handling raises the value of their catch and of the fishery.

Run and improve our incentive programs so that fishermen who invest in quality are paid for it.

Close the loop. Bring back to the fleet what we learn from our own handling, our secondary processors, our buyers and the people who eat the fish, so a captain knows how their salmon did on the shelf.

Fishermen Services

Manage the services we provide the fleet (e.g. slush ice, tendering, the skiff program), and work out which ones we should add or change as we grow.

Work with finance so fish tickets and payments are accurate and on time.

Know the ADF&G rules that affect our buying and the fleet’s season, and keep fishermen informed when they change.

Fleet Representation to Senior Management

Represent the fleet to senior management. What you hear on the dock should inform where we operate, what equipment we invest in, which markets we pursue and how we run our operation.

Report on the health of the fleet: who is fishing for us, who might leave and why, and what would bring new boats in.

Fleet, Customer and Brand Engagement

Circle sells under its own brand, and the people who catch the fish are a large part of why customers buy it. Connect captains and crews with our buyers, with the product on the shelf and with the people eating it.

Help host buyers who come to see the fishery, and bring fishermen’s stories to our sales and brand teams.

Fleet Events and Budget

Organize and lead our engagement with fishermen through the year: preseason meetings, in-season gatherings, end of season, and visits to the communities where our fishermen live.

Build and manage the annual budget for fleet services, incentives, events and travel.

Reporting and Working Relationships

You’ll report to the SVP of Operations and work with Circle’s founders and senior team on fleet strategy. In season you’ll work every day with our barge and production crew, quality team and tender operators. Year-round you’ll work with finance on pricing and payments and with our sales and brand teams on the connection between the fleet and our customers. Expect to lead and manage a small team of seasonal fleet support personnel.

Qualifications and Experience

• You have worked in Alaska commercial salmon fishing. If you have seined in Southeast, or fished for Circle, that is a strong advantage. Alaska residents are encouraged to apply.
• Fishermen trust you. People who know you would say you are straight with them, you return calls, and you do what you said you would.
• You stay calm when fish are coming in fast and tempers are short. You have settled disagreements between people who each had a point, and both still talk to you.
• You communicate clearly in person, on the phone, on the radio and in writing, whether with a captain at 2 a.m. or with senior management in a budget review.
• You have lived and worked in remote coastal communities or on the water, and you know what an intense season asks of a person.
• You are comfortable with numbers: prices, incentive programs and a budget you are accountable for.
• A valid driver’s license is required.
• You can build something without a playbook and keep it organized.

Schedule and Work Environment

• In-season (June through September): You’ll be based in Southeast Alaska, on docks, tenders, fishing boats and our barge. Days run 12 to 16 hours, seven days a week at the peak. Housing is provided.

• Off-season (October through May): Summer carries most of the year’s workload, so roles with extended on-site time in Alaska accrue additional paid time off. You’ll be based in Alaska, and where in Alaska is up to you, with some work travel to fishing communities and to our Seattle office.

Physical requirements: Working safely on vessels, docks and a processing barge in cold, wet and loud conditions. Keeping your balance on moving decks, climbing ladders, and regularly lifting up to 50 lbs.

Compensation and Benefits:

Compensation: Salary based on experience, plus bonus eligibility, benefits and in-season housing

• Healthcare: Choice of employer-sponsored healthcare plans (95% employer contribution), access to dental and vision plans.
• 401(k) Administration, HSA, and supplemental mental healthcare.
• Paid time off, starting at 2 weeks and accruing over time.
• 7 Paid Holidays per year.
• EAP Employee Assistance Program.
• Housing Provided on-site in Alaska and for remote site visits.
• The position includes eligibility for the corporate performance-based bonus.

If the role interests you and you aren’t sure you fit every part of it, reach out anyway and we’ll have a conversation.

Circle Seafoods, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, or other protected status.

If you need assistance and/or reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request to hr@circleseafoods.com.