Harbourfront Centre is a leading cultural institution in Toronto, celebrated for its vibrant arts, culture, community and recreational programs. As a not-for-profit organization, we are committed to enriching the lives of diverse communities through creativity, innovation, connection and excellence. A multi-faceted campus, Harbourfront Centre includes programming across arts, culture, recreation and learning, as well as commercial businesses that generate essential revenue to support operations.
We are currently seeking several self-motivated and reliable Dock Attendants to support our Marine Operations for summer 2026. If you have familiarity with sailing, power boating, marina operations or commercial marine activities, believe in the importance of providing great customer service and enjoy working outdoors by a lakeside setting, we would love to hear from you!
Position Title: Dock Attendant
Department: Marine Operations
Reporting To: Marine Operations Manager and Marina Coordinators / Dock Master
Number of Vacancies: 3-4
Employment Type: Seasonal/Contract, with an anticipated duration from June -September/October 2026
Hours: Our Marine Operations runs 7 days a week. Hours of work will be based on organizational need and may range up to a maximum of 35 hours per week at peak times, with rotating shifts starting as early as 9:00 a.m. to as late as midnight, inclusive of weekends and statutory holidays
Rate Of Pay: Compensation: $17.60 – $18.50 per hour
Location: On-site at our downtown marinas on Toronto’s waterfront
Duties
- Dock and undock large harbour charter and tour boats, large visiting yachts and perhaps some ships. Line handling training provided.
- Maintain cruise schedules and records for line handling coordination, safety and berth management purposes.
- Help customers dock and undock their pleasure craft within two public marinas and on boardwalk portions of the site including John Quay as needed.
- Check-in and out all marina and John Quay visitors. Assist with hotel like slip reservation bookings via Harbour Assist software and concierge services including the processing of agreements and associated payment for docking on campus.
- Collect and process slip deposits and fees for season long customers. Ensure accurate completion of marina agreement paperwork by all pleasure craft owners.
- Learn to use permitted elements of our Harbour Assist Marina Management software including customer communication and payment tracking.
- Provide marina customers and site tourists with a variety of visitor information.
- Work with local marine safety (Marine Police and Marine Fire) re emergency support. Work with the Canada Border Service Agency as required. Develop knowledge of marine emergency and spill response procedures. Obtain training from our Emergency Planning staff. Work with our Safety and Security Team daily.
- Conduct daily early morning dock walks to establish the exact positions, status, security and safety of all boats in marinas and on site.
- Assist with basic cleaning and organizing of offices, washrooms, laundry and shower areas at marinas as needed.
- Hose off the docks, collect garbage and recyclables, report maintenance concerns and maintain company equipment. Assist with the collection of floating debris such as weeds, plastic bags, bottles, cups etc. Keep the marina office area tidy and clean both indoors and outside.
- Provide weather data and other important notices and information to boaters. Monitor and keep bulletin boards tidy and neat.
- Monitor and respond to calls on the VHF marine radiotelephone. This includes responding to docking assistance requests by pleasure craft owners. Acquire required Industry Canada Marine VHF Radiotelephone licence by May 31st. Course training and materials will be provided.
- Rent Toronto Music Garden Park self-guided audio tour devices (at Marina Quay West only).
- Assist customers with luggage, groceries and provide a range of customer support using provided dock carts.
- Sell retail products including ice where applicable. Track sales within Retail Sales software.
- Promote and support a variety of activities including our Harbourfront Sailing and Power Boating operation, canoe/ kayak schools and clubs, Disabled Sailing, Blind Sailing Canada and all passenger vessel operations etc. Develop knowledge of all commercial operation and web site content.
- Complete tasks on the daily Dock Attendant checklist. Write and update DA Log for staff communication and record keeping purposes.
- Abide by all Harbourfront Centre Health & Safety Policies and Procedures,Workplace Discrimination, Harassment and Violence Prevention Policy, as well as all requirements of the Occupational Health & Safety Act and applicable regulations, participating in related training as required and directed.
- Identify and report all health and safety concerns immediately to your supervisor.
Requirements
- Familiarity with either sailing, power boating, marina operations or commercial marine activities. Preference will be given to candidates with extensive customer service employment in a public marina, yacht club or a marine environment with similar services.
- Organized and neat with a professional work ethic and appearance.
- Energetic, dynamic, outgoing, personable and polite. Enjoys dealing with the public. Friendly positive personality.
- Highly customer service oriented, must exhibit exceptional pro-active customer service skills.
- Must be able to work independently with minimal supervision.
- Comfortable working around the water. Must be able to swim well. Please submit any valid swimming certificates.
- POS machine, credit and debit card processing experience is desirable.
- Must enjoy working outdoors in all weather conditions.
- Must be able to work a flexible schedule with rotating shifts starting as early as 9:00 a.m. to as late as midnight, inclusive of weekends and statutory holidays.
- Police Background check letter is required and can be obtained on-line via Toronto Police Services web site.
- Health & Safety knowledge, First Aid/CPR knowledge and watery safety knowledge are highly desirable.
- Boat handling / driving experiences is considered an asset.
- Must be legally eligible to work in Canada for the duration of the contract.
Our Values
At Harbourfront Centre, our values—Open, Brave, Rigorous, and Kind—reflect our commitment to inclusivity, imaginative risk-taking, excellence, and respect, ensuring enriching experiences for all.
How To Apply
Harbourfront is committed to diversity and inclusiveness. We encourage qualified candidates from all backgrounds to apply by contacting [email protected] by no later than June 12, 2026. Please quote Dock Attendant in the subject line of your application. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, as such early submission is encouraged.
We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those being considered for an interview will be contacted. Interviews will be conducted either in person or virtually via MS Teams. Suitable accomodations will be available upon request during the hiring process.
Please know that our recruitment process does not involve the use of Artificial Intelligence tools; the review of received applications and hiring decisions are made by a team of people.
Job Type: Seasonal
Contract length: 3-5 months
Pay: $17.60-$18.50 per hour
Application question(s):
- Do you have experience and/or familiarity with either sailing, power boating, marina operations or commercial marine activities, or exposure to a marina community? being on boats or in a public marina?
- Are you comfortable working around water and are you able to swim well?
- Do you have boat handling / driving familiarity?
- Do you enjoy interfacing with the public to provide good service experiences?
Work Location: In person
