About the job

Job summary

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is the civilian front-line maritime operational support arm of the Royal Navy, providing vital logistical and operational support to military operations.  RFA employees are MOD employed civilian, uniformed professional seafarers. We employ 1700 personnel and operate 13 ships and is the largest employer of UK civilian seafarers and is the heart of the UK Merchant Navy.

Fully integrated into front-line operations with UK and allied warships, the RFA is an essential element of how the Royal Navy operates with freedom around the globe. The RFA supports a wide spectrum of operations from high-tempo war-fighting to counter-piracy, disaster relief, counter-narcotics, law enforcement and evacuation operations.

The successful postholder will shape and direct the future of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Service in line with the RFA 2035 Optimisation Programme alongside Future Naval Strategy and Departmental Strategic Direction ensuring requisite levels of capability and efficiency. They will also handle day to day problem solving, associated with the management of a workforce circa 1700 staff, including cadets and apprentices, serving all over the world.

Job description

The Deputy Director Royal Fleet Auxiliary has three interlinked responsibilities:

Head of Service for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Head of Service for the RFA and Head of Fighting Arm is accountable for the governance and assurances of the RFA, the operational output of the RFA Flotilla and the standards and management of its ships. You will be the ‘named individual’ responsible through the 1st Sea Lord to Secretary of State for Defence for the safe management of RFA ships and people under Merchant Shipping Acts (Ministry of Defence Ships).

Head of Afloat/Fleet Support

Deputy Director Royal Fleet Auxiliary manages the Afloat Support Division, which conducts the in-service management of the fleet, directs RFA ships through the force generation process to meet current and contingent operational requirements, fulfils the role of waterfront support for the RFA, delivers new ships through the Capability Delivery Management Board and is responsible for the associated funding lines.

Head of MOD Maritime Specialist Service (MMSS) Specialisation

Deputy Director Royal Fleet Auxiliary has responsibility for the establishment and maintenance of professional standards in respect of the MOD Maritime Specialist Service which consists of Port Operations, Defence Maritime services and Salvage operations.

Other Responsibilities of the Deputy Director Royal Fleet Auxiliary

• You will be the accountable person for the RFA within the Navy Command Headquarters (NCHQ) Safety Construct. You will manage the RFA Service, integrating people to ensure they are employed, qualified and assigned for the task, readiness and mission as set out in the Royal Navy Command Plan.
• You will operate the RFA Fleet in compliance with the First Sea Lord’s Naval Safety Plan and International Safety Management standards for Merchant Ships. Principally through the dual track Quality Management System and assurance by both the Maritime & Coastguard Agency, through the Document of Compliance process, and the Defence Maritime Regulations Approval to Authorise MOD Shipping process.
• You will act as Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) for projects when delegated by the Fleet Commander or Director General.
• You will work in partnership with RFA HR Business Partner and People & Training to actively conduct employee and Military Training Unit engagement to drive a motivated and appropriately rewarded workforce.
• You will lead and champion engagement with international partners, in particular United States Navy Military Sealift Command, with external professional bodies and many more to ensure the Service remains at the leading edge of the maritime sector.
• You will act as the guardian for RFA reputation, seizing opportunities to positively influence audiences in the broader Defence and Maritime community.

Person specification

The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate their experience and skills against the following essential criteria:

• You will be an experienced and visible leader, with clear evidence of being able to engage and motivate large complex teams, working under pressure and at pace, to deliver key tasks as well as a proven track record of delivering Equality, Diversity & Inclusion.
• You will be a strong communicator. Someone who can draw maximum insights from data and bring complex concepts to life for non-experts.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstratable experience of managing key senior relationships, especially at Board Level, and an ability to establish a range of internal and external networks across a complex environment.
• You will be able to demonstrate a high level of personal resilience, who can respond flexibly to change and is focused on delivering outcomes.
• Must hold the relevant professional qualification – Master Mariner Certificate (unlimited) MCA qualification/certificate of competence.
• Extensive sea experience (between 5-10 years) in Command and proven subject matter expertise in commercial shipping or maritime operations, whilst working with remote and autonomous systems.
• Board level shore management experience of seafaring companies across a broad spectrum of classes and operations, including managing emergency response and safety in high-risk environments

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Things you need to know

Selection process details

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process accessed via the advertisement listed for this role. This should be completed no later than 23:55 Sunday 7th January 2024 and will involve providing the two documents outlined below via the Civil Service Jobs portal:

• A CV (no more than 2 pages) setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
• A Personal Statement (no more than 2 pages) explaining how your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role. 

Both documents are weighted equally in their scoring, so it's important to consider this when uploading your application. Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification. 

For further information about the role and full application process, please refer to the candidate pack attached below. If you wish to receive any material in a different format for accessibility, then please contact People-CivHR-SCSCandidateSupport@mod.gov.uk.

The vacancy holder will also be offering an online Q&A session on the Wednesday 6th December at 13:00 to provide an overview of the role and welcome any questions you may have. Candidates can access the  meeting by clicking here. Please note this is not part of the formal assessment process.

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK nationals only.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.