The CEO and team were very nice and informative throughout the interview process. They hosted me on-sight for several hours to get the feel of the shipyard and operations. Following all meetings/interviews, we departed in great standing and I received high praise and excitement from the CEO regarding my qualifications and outlook for joining the team.
Unfortunately, I received an offer that was much lower than any Project Manager position that I've come across in my job search. I attempted multiple times (on phone and formally via email) to negotiate the salary and make something work, but they wouldn't budge at all. (Of note, I have no direct experience dealing with government vessel contracts, but do have a demonstrated background of success with technical specifications/procedures, admin, and dealing with tough personnel.) Pairing with the low salary offer, their benefits package is very weak - lowest amount of PTO/vacation days I've seen, unfavorable 401(k) options, among others things. I'm not sure if it is specific to this company or Palatka in general, but the employee benefits package is very behind-the-times.
I ultimately declined the offer because I felt the total compensation package presented did not line up with the value of the experiences and skills I've gained over the years.
The worst part of the whole situation is that there was never a response to my declining of the offer, demonstrating their lack of value of their prospective employees' time and consideration, lack of desire to maintain good standing with prospective employees, and lack of basic professionalism.
Despite my dissatisfaction with administrative items, the interview process itself was great.