Yacht Agent
Go-To-Market & Platform Growth Strategy
Yacht Agent revolutionises superyacht crew hiring by empowering every crew member with a mobile-first, compliance-ready CV builder and connecting agents and yachts to top talent through AI-powered matching and workflows. Built for maritime professionals and agencies globally, the platform streamlines sourcing, placements, and hiring—solving market fragmentation, speed, and trust. Targeting all experience levels in deck, interior, engineering, and galley, Yacht Agent brings next-generation efficiency, reach, and transparency to the industry.
Strategic Goals
Business Goals
  • Launch and activate 10,000+ crew CVs and 200 agency users in Year 1
  • Achieve >60% job-post-to-hire fill rate for agents by end of Year 2
  • Gain trust and partnership with at least one global maritime compliance authority within 12 months
  • Reach net agent retention rate of 50%+ by 18 months post-launch
  • Expand platform adoption to five key yachting hubs (Antibes, Palma, Ft. Lauderdale, Sydney, Athens)
User Goals
  • Enable crew to effortlessly create and maintain professional, compliant CVs from any device
  • Make high-value roles directly accessible to global crew, reducing placement friction and bias
  • Empower agents to post, manage, and fill listings with unprecedented speed, accuracy, and simplicity
  • Ensure full transparency for both crew and agents on application status, compliance, and feedback loops
  • Foster career progression and network opportunities for crew through platform activity

Non-Goals
  • Operating as a traditional agency or taking direct commission on placements
  • Supporting commercial shipping or oil & gas hiring verticals
  • Providing in-person crew vetting or face-to-face interviews (digital only)
User Stories
Crew Member (Deck/Engineer/Interior/Chef)
  • As a crew member, I want to create and update a professional CV easily on my phone, so that I can stand out to recruiters and agents anywhere in the world
  • As a crew member, I want to get instant notifications about roles that fit my skills, so that I never miss an opportunity
  • As a crew member, I want to track my current applications and compliance status, so that agencies know I am ready for hire
  • As a crew member, I want to receive feedback from agencies, so that I can improve my CV and approach for future roles
  • As a crew member, I want to build connections with other crew, so that I can discover recommended positions and learn from peers
Agent or Crew Agency
  • As an agent, I want to post job listings quickly, so that I can attract a wide pool of eligible candidates
  • As an agent, I want AI-powered matching to shortlist candidates instantly, so that I can focus on high-quality placements
  • As an agent, I want a dashboard that shows candidate status, compliance, and communications in one place, so that I can work efficiently
  • As an agent, I want to automate candidate follow-ups and reminders, so that I can minimize drop-offs and delays
  • As an agency admin, I want real-time compliance status for each listing, so that I stay ahead of regulatory risk
Yacht Manager/Ownership (Future Expansion)
  • As a yacht manager, I want to see up-to-date crew rosters and CVs, so that I can fill open posts quickly and with confidence
  • As a yacht manager, I want access to agency recommendations, so that I can trust my new hires are vetted and compliant
Functional Requirements
Crew Profile & CV Builder
Priority: Highest
  • Mobile-first, guided CV creation and editing interface (drag-and-drop, text, image, cert uploads)
  • Linked compliance documents upload, management, and expiry alerts
  • Social profile sharing (unique links, download, print, and digital QR)
  • Open-to-work status toggle, skill endorsements, and portfolio features
Agency & Job Listing Dashboard
Priority: High
  • Multi-user agency dashboards with role-based access (admin, recruiter)
  • Rapid job listing creation with template library
  • AI-driven candidate pre-screen, auto-matching, and status workflows
  • Real-time communication (chat/email) with integrated tracking
Compliance & Verification Suite
Priority: High
  • OCR/document parsing for rapidly onboarding crew certificates
  • Automated compliance status tracking (flag non-compliant candidates)
  • Integration with leading maritime compliance databases/APIs
Matching & Workflow Automation
Priority: High
  • AI matching algorithms based on CV info, experience, availability, compliance
  • Workflow automations: candidate nudges, agent reminders, application status updates
Network & Community Features
Priority: Medium
  • Crew network activity feed for recommended jobs/connections
  • Feedback loop: candidate and agent mutual reviews
Analytics & Reporting
Priority: Medium
  • Placement, activity, and engagement analytics for agents/admins
  • Platform-wide data dashboards for growth and matching trends
User Experience
Entry Point & First-Time User Experience
Users discover Yacht Agent via digital campaigns, social media, referrals, QR posters at ports, and word-of-mouth. First-time access prompts account creation (email, Google/Apple, or LinkedIn). Onboarding presents a short tutorial (swipeable or skip) explaining key platform benefits. For crew, a simple "Start My CV" wizard guides each step; for agents/agencies, a "First Listing" guide assists in posting the first job.
Profile Setup
Minimal required fields, clear UI, progress indicators. Instant error validation (e.g., missing contact info or expired cert). On success, user advances to the dashboard.
CV Completion & Compliance Upload
Upload photos, certifications, add experience, set open-to-work status. Validate doc formats; provide in-app photo tool/OCR for fast compliance entry. Success triggers a "CV Created!" confirmation, option to preview/share.
Job Discovery & Application
Personalized roles recommended via AI match (badge scoring, filters). 1-click apply, in-app chat with agents if shortlisted. Applicants see real-time status (in review, shortlisted, hired, feedback).
For Agents: Listing & Candidate Management
Post jobs (job templates, rich media, compliance requirements). See auto-matched candidates, filter, shortlist, communicate in one dashboard. Automated reminders, compliance heatmaps on each roster.
Communication & Feedback
In-app and email/chat comms for interviews and updates. Both sides can leave feedback after close of placement or process. Nudges and re-engagement emails for incomplete profiles or lapsed users.

UI/UX Highlights
  • Accessible design: 4.5+ color contrast, readable fonts, large tap areas
  • Fully responsive, touch-optimized for mobile, tablet, and desktop
  • Modular onboarding and tooltips for ongoing user education
  • Internationalization: Multilingual support, local time/date, units
Platform Narrative
Anna's Story
Anna is a 27-year-old deckhand, docked in Antigua. Every hiring season, she spends stressful hours formatting her CV, frantically scanning certifications with her phone, and emailing dozens of agents—only to hear little back.
With Yacht Agent, Anna creates a professional CV in minutes—just upload a photo, snap her certifications, and let the platform handle the rest, including compliance checks and portfolio links. Job alerts tailored to her experience arrive instantly, and she applies with a single tap, tracking her progress the whole way.
Paul's Story
Meanwhile, Paul runs a boutique crew agency in Monaco. He's swamped with PDFs, WhatsApp messages, and urgent compliance issues when trying to staff a client's 55m motor yacht on short notice.
For Paul, managing listings and placements is transformed: AI presents him top-scoring candidates, their compliance status crystal clear, and he communicates with them efficiently in a single workflow.
"The result? Crew spend less time job hunting, agencies fill roles faster, and everyone has trust in the system. Anna's next role is just a tap away, while Paul becomes a hero to his yacht clients—and Yacht Agent becomes the pulsing network at the heart of the maritime labor world."
Success Metrics
User-Centric Metrics
  • Onboarded crew count
  • Crew CV completion %
  • Application-to-placement conversion rate
  • Crew/agent NPS score
Business Metrics
  • Agent activation/retention rate
  • Average roles filled per agency/month
  • Marketplace fill rate (job-post-to-hire)
  • Paid vs. free user conversion (future state)
Technical Metrics
  • <1s page load times for mobile workflow
  • 99.9% uptime
  • Error rate <1% per user session
Tracking Plan
  • Crew signups
  • CV completions
  • Job listings posted
  • Applications submitted
  • Agent-candidate communications
  • Placement confirmation events
  • Feedback/review submissions
  • Compliance document uploads
Technical Considerations
Technical Needs
  • Modular front-end: Mobile-first, progressive web app and responsive site
  • Robust back-end: API-driven user, job, and compliance data models
  • Real-time notification/communication service
  • OCR and AI-powered matching microservices
  • Analytics, audit, and feedback modules
Integration Points
  • Leading maritime compliance data providers (API)
  • Email/SMS gateways for communication
  • Social logins (Google, LinkedIn, Apple)
  • Third-party CRM integrations for agencies (future)
Data Storage & Privacy
  • Encrypted database for user/CV/compliance data
  • File storage for docs/images with expirable download links
  • GDPR and CCPA compliance baked into consent and data deletion flows
  • Regular privacy audits and access logs
Scalability & Performance
  • Built to support 100,000+ crew and 1,000+ agencies worldwide
  • Elastic hosting/infrastructure to handle peak hiring seasons
  • CDN for global speed and reliability

Potential Challenges
  • Data privacy/regulatory compliance (EU and international)
  • Integrating with disparate maritime compliance/registry systems
  • Maintaining AI-matching quality and transparency
  • Handling high-velocity burst traffic during yacht season peaks
Milestones & Sequencing
4-8
Weeks for MVP
Medium/Large project with rapid iterative releases per phase
2-3
Team Members
Small team for rapid execution and agile development
Team Composition
  • 1 Product/Design (UX/UI, onboarding, flows)
  • 1–2 Engineers (front-end, back-end, AI/automation)
1
Phase 1: CV MVP & Crew Onboarding (2 weeks)
Key Deliverables: Mobile-first CV builder, crew onboarding journey, core compliance uploads
Dependencies: None
2
Phase 2: Agent Dashboard & Listings (1.5 weeks)
Key Deliverables: Agency account setup, listing creation, candidate management tools
Dependencies: Phase 1
3
Phase 3: AI Matching & Workflow Automation (2 weeks)
Key Deliverables: Automated CV-matching, smart nudges, notification system
Dependencies: Core data & job models from Phase 2
4
Phase 4: Compliance & Integrations (1 week)
Key Deliverables: OCR/automated compliance, API links to maritime registries, compliance heatmaps
Dependencies: Phase 3
5
Phase 5: Growth Launch & Analytics (1.5 weeks)
Key Deliverables: Referral tools, community features, NPS surveys, analytics dashboard
Dependencies: Core product stable
6
Phase 6: Iterations & Global Rollout (ongoing)
Key Deliverables: Localization, advanced agency features, global marketing rollouts
Dependencies: Completion of key features above