Housekeeping Staff

Mercy Ships is an international charity that brings hope and healing to the world’s forgotten poor through state-of-the-art hospital ships. Since 1978, our volunteer crew—made up of medical professionals and skilled workers from over 60 nations—has delivered free surgeries and medical care to over 2.8 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa, transforming lives one patient and one port at a time. Join our global team of over 3,000 volunteers and help us change lives daily.

About this role The Housekeeping Staff work as a team to ensure excellence in cleanliness and hygiene of the Hospital and public ship areas, led by the Housekeeping Team Leader.

What you will contribute

• Responsible for the cleanliness, disinfectant, and general tidiness of the ship’s hospital, public areas, offices, and laundry facilities.
• Empty waste baskets and dispose of trash.
• Inform the team lead of any supplies or equipment that need to be replaced or restocked.
• Keep housekeeping closets organized and stocked.
• Report routine maintenance requests as well as any breaks, damages, or safety issues to the team lead.
• Responsible for laundry services; collection, separation, washing, drying, ironing, folding, and delivery. (Note: hospital laundry is subject to regulated handling.)
• Clean, organize, and sanitize public areas of the vessel.
• Attend and participate in departmental devotions and all meetings called for by the community.
• Regular working hours are 8 am to 5 pm (day shift) or 7 pm to 7 am (night shift), Monday – Friday.
• All staff are subject to rotating on-call, evening, overnight, and weekend hours as needed.
• Due to ever-changing staffing levels and field service demands, all staff may be reassigned to temporarily fill other roles within the Stewards department as needed.

For This Role, You Will Need

• Supportive of Mercy Ships mission and vision and committed to its core values.
• Understand and apply servant leadership, work collaboratively with integrity, and demonstrate accountability.
• Able to live in and contribute to community life, requiring stable and healthy interpersonal skills.
• Attention to detail.
• Flexible attitude.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a multicultural environment.
• Physical ability and stamina; continual manual labor inclusive of working on your feet all day, frequent bending, kneeling, and ability to lift up to (+/- ) 45lbs/20kg.
• Prior experience as a housekeeper or similar role is preferred.
• Completion of online departmental training will be required.
• Must adhere to required Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) when handling chemicals, medical waste, and general waste.
• Complies with Hospital Administration and Medical Practices (HAMP) as it applies to housekeeping responsibilities.

The experience of a lifetime is calling.

More than 1,200 volunteers from over 60 nations serve with Mercy Ships each year.

At Mercy Ships, we are proud to be recognized around the world for the life-changing surgeries and training we deliver. We could not achieve this without our dedicated community of talented volunteers.

Imagine finishing your shift and stepping onto deck as the sun sets—knowing that today you’ve helped transform the lives of those who need it most. Apply now to start a journey that will reshape the lives of those you serve — and your own.