Field Human Resource Officer 3
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
FreshPosted Jan 15
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Posted: December 18, 2025 (28 days ago)
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Boatswain (Coxswain), Flagship Niagara
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Historical & Museum Commission
Location
Pennsylvania, 17120
Salary
$45,907 - $69,203
per year
Type
Seasonal
More Other jobs →Closes
January 22, 2026
Job Description
Summary
This seasonal job involves leading a team on a historic sailing ship called the U.S.
Brig Niagara, where you'll handle maintenance, rigging, and daily operations while teaching others about traditional sailing.
It's perfect for someone with hands-on experience in boating who enjoys supervising crew and sharing knowledge with visitors and trainees.
The role runs from late March to mid-October in Erie, Pennsylvania, focusing on preserving 19th-century maritime history.
Key Requirements
- Experience in square rig seamanship and rigging
- Supervisory skills to lead deck crew and assign tasks
- Knowledge of ship maintenance and operations
- Ability to train volunteers, trainees, and less experienced crew
- Hands-on involvement in up-rigging, sailing, and down-rigging
- Assisting with historical interpretation for museum guests
- Maintaining clean and organized ship, shop, and berthing areas
Full Job Description
Are you an experienced rigger looking to expand and hone your skills in square rig seamanship while taking on supervisory responsibilities? Do you enjoy sharing your sailing knowledge with others? If so, we have an exciting, seasonal position for you!
The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission is looking for an enthusiastic, energetic, and hard-working Boatswain to join the crew of the U.S. Brig Niagara, Pennsylvania's Flagship.
In this position, you will be engaged in all aspects of ship maintenance and operation, allowing you to build upon the skills you have already acquired in your maritime career.
This seasonal position is expected to begin in late-March 2026 and end in mid-October 2026.
If you want to be part of keeping the tradition of square rig seamanship alive for current and future generations, apply today to serve aboard the U.S. Brig Niagara!
Requirements
Sailing from her homeport at the Erie Maritime Museum in Erie, PA, the U.S. Brig Niagara is a fully functional, traditionally rigged brig engaged in sail training and historical interpretation.
Through the up rig, maintenance, operation, and down rig of the ship, the Niagara program preserves, interprets, and passes on the traditions of what life was like for sailors living, working, and fighting aboard a square-rigged sailing ship in the early 19th century.
As Boatswain, you will serve as deck crew leader and the foreman for all non-engineering maintenance operations.
This role calls for you to apply your knowledge of seamanship, in particular your knowledge of square rig, to carry out all operations and maintenance of Niagara in a supervisory as well as hands-on role.
Your responsibilities will include maintaining a neat and organized ship, ensuring that tools are in good working order, keeping an inventory of necessary supplies, creating and maintaining work lists, and carrying out the work involved in rigging up, sailing, and maintaining Niagara.
You will assign and supervise various tasks in service of the ship while training less experienced crew, volunteers, and trainees in those tasks and in seamanship in general.
Additionally, this role involves assisting in the historical interpretation of the ship, offering museum guests a glimpse into life aboard a 19th century sailing vessel.
You will also be responsible for ensuring that the ship, shop, and berthing area are clean, tidy, and presentable to museum guests and the general public.
The 2026 Niagara sailing season (late-March through mid-October) will include a 2,000 nautical mile journey from Maine to Erie, PA via the North Atlantic Ocean and the St. Lawrence Seaway as well as Sailing School Vessel programs in Lake Erie.
Interested in learning more? Additional details regarding this position can be found in the position description.
Work Schedule and Additional Information:
- This limited-term, seasonal position is expected to start in late-March 2026 and end mid-October 2026.
- Work hours are 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, Wednesday - Sunday, with a 60-minute lunch. This position's schedule will vary per the needs of the ship and programming.
- Telework: You will not have the option to telework in this position.
- Salary: In some cases, the starting salary may be non-negotiable.
- Note: This position includes room and board. A daily charge of $9.00 (totaling $126.00) will be automatically deducted from each bi-weekly paycheck for the duration of employment.
- You will receive further communication regarding this position via email. Check your email, including spam/junk folders, for these notices.
Qualifications
QUALIFICATIONS
Minimum Experience and Training Requirements:
- One year experience working aboard a sailing vessel, including six months experience as a ship's carpenter, and eligibility for a United States Coast Guard Able-Bodied Seaman's Sailing Card.
Additional Requirements:
- This position requires possession of a USCG Able-Bodied Seaman Certification.
- You must possess at least one year of experience sailing in a traditional rig.
- You must possess at least six months of experience as a rigger.
- You must be able to perform essential job functions.
Legal Requirements:
This position is subject to initial, ongoing random, and reasonable cause drug screenings.
Employment in this position is conditioned on successfully passing an initial drug screening upon appointment to the position.
Ongoing employment will require compliance with ongoing random and reasonable cause drug screenings in alignment with US Coast Guard Regulation: CFR Title 46, Chapter 1, Subchapter B, Part 16.
and Commonwealth procedures.
- Under the Law, a conditional offer of employment will require submission and approval of satisfactory criminal history reports including, but not limited to, PA State Police clearance, PA Child Abuse history clearance, and FBI Fingerprint clearance.
How to Apply:
Resumes, cover letters, and similar documents will not be reviewed, and the information contained therein will not be considered for the purposes of determining your eligibility for the position.
Information to support your eligibility for the position must be provided on the application (i.e., relevant, detailed experience/education).
Veterans:
- Pennsylvania law (51 Pa. C.S. §7103) provides employment preference for qualified veterans for appointment to many state and local government jobs. To learn more about employment preferences for veterans, go to www.pa.gov/agencies/employment/how-to-apply.html and click on Veterans.
Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS):
- 711 (hearing and speech disabilities or other individuals).
If you are contacted for an interview and need accommodations due to a disability, please discuss your request for accommodations with the interviewer in advance of your interview date.
The Commonwealth is an equal employment opportunity employer and is committed to a diverse workforce.
The Commonwealth values inclusion as we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most qualified people to serve the citizens of Pennsylvania.
The Commonwealth does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, ancestry, union membership, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, AIDS or HIV status, disability, or any other categories protected by applicable federal or state law.
All diverse candidates are encouraged to apply.
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