Location

Southampton, South East, SO15 1EG

About the job Job description

Do you have experience in a managerial technical role on board ship or in a managerial technical capacity of responsibility within the maritime industry? 

Would you like opportunity to put your knowledge and expertise to good use to help to meet the Government's maritime strategy for 'Safer Ships and Cleaner Seas' by ensuring high standards of marine safety and marine environmental protection through the development, implementation and monitoring of a consistent policy for survey operations on United Kingdom flag vessels? 

If so, we are looking for a Survey Operations Policy Lead to join us at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), and we’d love to hear from you. 

As our Survey Operations Policy Lead, we will look to you to assist the Head of Survey Operations in the development, promotion, implementation and monitoring of a consistent policy for survey operations. You will provide policy support for Marine Office Surveyors, Clients, MAIB and Classification Societies. 

This exciting opportunity will offer you fantastic opportunities to build on your professional experience within the Civil Service. 

Role responsibilities 

As our Survey Operations Policy Lead, some of your responsibilities will include: 

• Act as a point of contact for internal and external customers by giving advice and decisions on survey policy - dealing with various stakeholders such as marine surveyors, industry, public, classification societies and other flag and port State administrations; 

• Maintain operational liaison with Marine Offices, other HQ Branches and Technical services Team (TST) within Directorate of Maritime Safety and Standards (DMSS) and provide policy support for Marine Office Surveyors as and when required; 

• Assist in the arrangements for surveys of UK ships, including appointments of surveyors in accordance with the Merchant Shipping Act 1995; 

• Represent the UK and provide technical support at internal and external (e.g. MCA, DfT, IMO, EU, MAIB, Industry, Public etc) meetings associated within areas of responsibility, including drafting and presentation of substantive technical papers and contributing to correspondence groups. Arrange and provide briefing as required for both internal and external fora; 

• Liaise with UKSR and newbuild operators, operators of vessels to be flagged in; focal point for Customer Service Managers and lead surveyors as necessary; 

Occasional travel both in the UK and overseas will be required in this role. Please contact the vacancy holder should you wish to discuss this in further detail. 

Please see the attached Role Profile for a comprehensive list of roles and responsibilities. 

About you 

For this role, it is essential that you hold one of the following qualifications: 

• Nautical Surveyor: MCA Recognised STCW II/2 Master unlimited Certificate of Competency; or 
• Engineer Surveyor: MCA Recognised STCW III/2 Chief Engineer unlimited Certificate of Competency; or 
• Naval Architect Surveyor: A degree accredited by RINA/SNAME as meeting the academic qualification requirements for Chartered Engineer. 

If you do not hold one of the above qualifications, your application will still be considered if you are a Chartered Engineer (CEng) (through Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA) or the Institute of Marine Engineers (IMarEST) 

Additionally, your above qualifications must be supported by sufficient experience in a managerial role on board ship or in a technical capacity of responsibility within the maritime industry. 

Experience of application of MCA Marine Office survey policies and guidance is required for this post, which would typically require at least 2 years practice as an SEO Marine Surveyor to gain the breadth of experience and competencies. If not already held, equivalent experience would be required to be gained in an MCA marine office following recruitment but prior starting operational work within the Branch. 

Excellent communication skills are pivotal to this role with the ability to provide guidance and robust recommendations to colleagues and internal stakeholders, where your exceptional engagement and relationship building skills will enable you to communicate and influence at all levels. 

You are someone who is passionate about delivering great service, being helpful and responsive in all circumstances. 

This role will require you to deliver training to audiences of all sizes and so it is essential that you are confident and comfortable presenting to groups. 

We are committed to encouraging and enabling our staff to develop in and above their role and will support you in undertaking further development opportunities. 

About us 

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) implements the government's maritime safety policy in the United Kingdom and works to prevent the loss of life and occurrence of pollution on the coast and at sea. 

Safer lives, Safer ships, Cleaner seas. 

Our vision is to be the best maritime safety organisation in the world. 

Find out what it's like to work at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency 

We are part of the Department for Transport (DfT). DfT is a great place to work, and our ‘one team’ approach really makes a difference. We value our staff and that’s why we’re committed to nurturing an inclusive environment across the Department. 

You’ll be part of an innovative organisation that invests in all our people, ensuring we have the diverse skills to deliver transport that moves Britain ahead now and into the future. 

DfT has been recognised for its leadership on workplace gender equality by being included in The Times Top 50 Employers for Women 2017. 

DfT’s inclusion is recognition of our commitment to make the Department a great place to work through our culture of equality and inclusivity and the great strides we’ve made to raise the number of women in senior positions. 

Licences

Driving licence valid for driving in the UK.

Qualifications

(a) Nautical Surveyor: MCA Recognised STCW II/2 Master unlimited Certificate of Competency; or 
(b) Engineer Surveyor: MCA Recognised STCW III/2 Chief Engineer unlimited Certificate of Competency; or 
(c) Naval Architect Surveyor: A degree accredited by RINA/SNAME as meeting the academic qualification requirements for Chartered Engineer. 

or 

Chartered Engineer (CEng) (through Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA) or the Institute of Marine Engineers (IMarEST). 

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• MCA Surveyor Technical Framework - Level 3

Benefits Pensions

Civil Service pension schemes may be available for successful candidates.

Benefits

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits. We offer generous annual leave, attractive pension options, flexible working, inclusive working environments and much more to support a healthy work/life balance.

Allowances

Additional allowances of up to £2500 are available for this role dependent on certain individual qualifying criteria and activities undertaken.

Things you need to know Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check.

Medical

Successful candidates will be expected to have a medical.

Nationality statement

Candidates will be subject to UK immigration requirements as well as Civil Service nationality rules.

If you're applying for a role requiring security clearance please be aware that foreign or dual nationality is not an automatic bar. However certain posts may have restrictions which could affect those who do not have sole British nationality or who have personal connections with certain countries outside the UK.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

To apply for this role you are required to complete a: 

1. CV, 

2. Personal Statement and 

3. Qualifications questionnaire. 

When considering how your experience relates to the role, please tailor your CV and Personal Statement to evidence: 

• The Qualifications you hold 

• Details of relevant experience in the marine industry demonstrating a good knowledge of Survey/Port State Control and ISM/ISPS/MLC/ISO procedures 

• Your customer service skills – experience of providing excellent service 

• Details of example where you have demonstrated the ability to: 

- Make effective decisions 
- Communicate and influence 
- See the big picture 

Please note that if you are invited for interview/assessment, you may be assessed against any of the criteria noted on the attached Role Profile. 

You must attach a completed Qualification Questionnaire when prompted. A blank copy is attached to this advert for you to download. Do not attach copies of your CV, qualifications or any other documents that can be used to identify you. Failure to follow these instructions may result in your application being rejected. 

The selection process will be designed specifically for the role. As a result, your assessment could include an interview with one or more exercises 

The Department for Transport alongside other Government Departments recruit using Success Profiles. This means for each role we consider what you will need to demonstrate in order to be successful. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity. For further information on Success Profiles please click here 

Your interview may consist of a range of question types. These may include questions about: 

• what energises and motivates you 

• how you would manage situations relevant to the role 

• your previous experience 

• your professional skills and knowledge 

You’re encouraged to become familiar with the role profile, as you may be assessed against any of the criteria recorded within. 

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK, Commonwealth and European Economic Area (EEA) and certain non EEA nationals. Further information on whether you are able to apply is available here.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a guaranteed interview scheme (GIS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Apply and further information Contact point for applicants

For further information on this vacancy please contact - [email protected]

Sift/interview dates and location

The sift is due to take place on or around 16.07.19 

Interviews/assessments are likely to be held on or around 30.07.19 at MCA HQ, Spring Place, Commercial Road, Southampton, SO15 1EG. 

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates. 

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a security check may be carried out.

Further information

We have adopted anonymised recruitment. This means that your name, date of birth and other personal details will not be seen by the sift panel. 

A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made. During this time, if a similar role is identified and you have been placed on the merit list you may be considered for the post. Within the merit list period, your application form and selection information may be shared across the department and its agencies. 

A statutory Code of Practice on the English Language requirement of Public Sector workers came into force on 21st November 2016. As a result, all Customer facing roles in the Department for Transport require the ability to converse with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English (or Welsh where necessary). All customer facing staff are required to be able to express themselves fluently and spontaneously, almost effortlessly, and only a conceptually difficult subject can hinder a natural smooth flow of language. Your spoken and written English ability will be assessed at interview, and only applicants who meet these requirements will be considered for this role. 

Please see attached candidate notes for further information about our recruitment process. 

Reasonable adjustment 

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. 

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: 

• Contact Government Recruitment Service via [email protected] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs 

• Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional 

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. 

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact 

Government Recruitment Services via email: [email protected] 

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: 
Click here to visit Civil Service Commission 

Childcare Vouchers 

Any move to the Department for Transport (DfT) will mean you will no longer be able to carry on claiming childcare vouchers.