About the job

Job summary

You answer a 999 call, someone’s in trouble at sea and they need help – quickly.

You work with a close team of professionals to organise a response – coastguard, ambulance, police, fire.

You make the critical difference in one of the most important ways possible.

You are a Maritime Operations Officer.

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. Our vision is to be a world-leading organisation, accelerating the transition to sustainable shipping with non-negotiable safety standards. We put our people, our customers, and our planet at the heart of everything we do.

Job description

You will be operating through the radios, phones, and other systems in one of our rescue coordination centres, so whilst you won’t be out at sea, that doesn’t make what you’re dealing with any less real.

You alone will be the first point of contact for people who need our help, from someone who has spotted a mysterious something floating in the water, through to a ship in genuine distress; sometimes with life-changing consequences to everything in between.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the first point of call for all public contact.
• Coordinate responses to both emergency and routine issues.
• Work as part of a team to organise the response to emergencies, including working with other external agencies such as ambulance and police.
• Ensure that you work to strict operating procedures.
• Accurately record, update and maintain incident logs, records and databases.

For further information about the role, please see the attached Role Profile or Click here to hear from one of our Maritime Operations Officers.

Person specification

About You

This is an excellent opportunity to access a new career path, we don't ask for you to be an expert in this role and you should rest assured that we will provide you with all the training you need. What we particularly need from you are a number of core skills such as:

• Resilience - this can be a very difficult job, you will be involved in responses to incidents that don't always end well and this can include keeping people in serious distress calm and even incidents that end in fatalities. We don't expect that this will be a job for everyone and we support each other to cope with difficult situations, but it's important you understand what this job entails. 
• Teamwork - you will often have to act alone and you individually will be the first and sometimes only person a member of the public may speak to, but you will work with a team to coordinate responses. It's essential that you're the kind of person who can work effectively with others when it really counts. 
• Communication - you have to be a good communicator, you will be speaking to people who could be going through one of the most difficult experiences of their lives, they may be scared and panicked. You will have to keep them calm to be able to get the right information from them quickly and then effectively pass that on to others.

Additional Information

We are an emergency service and have to be able to respond 24/7/365, so you will have to work in a way that can be antisocial. Maritime Operations Officers are required to work a 12-hour shift pattern (a mix of day and night shifts) to allow HMCG to provide its 24 hour emergency service to the public, 365 days a year. On average the shift pattern equates to 37 duty hours per week over a 12-month period. As such, this position attracts a number of allowances to reflect the shift working and unsociable hours. 

You will be required to start in your role prior to the 1st May 2024 as your training will begin online on the 1st July 2024. You will then be required travel to our Coordination Centres in Fareham and Southampton frequently throughout your training (expenses will be paid).

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. 

Click here to get a copy of the MCA Staff Benefits Brochure   

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

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Ability and Experience.

How to Apply

You will be invited to complete a Numerical test for the first stage of your application. If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the CV/Personal Statement (see below for further details).

Please complete the online test as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended) to give yourself enough time to complete your full application (CV/Personal Statement). Should you complete the test too close to the close date/time, where this does not enable you to submit the next part of your application (CV/Personal Statement) then your application will not be considered. Therefore, it is encouraged to complete the test a considerable amount of time before the advert close date.

The closing date for the test is 23:55 on Friday 2nd February 2024 (which is the same as the advert). If you fail to complete the online test before the deadline your application will be withdrawn. Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.

Across both the CV and personal statement, we will look for evidence of the following:

• Ability to work in a high-pressure environment; whether that pressure comes from the volume, pace or nature of the work.
• Experience of working in a fast-paced, service-led environment.
• That you can communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, so you are properly understood by all.

You should be mindful of providing specific examples of where you can evidence these skills rather than talking theoretically about what you could or would do. Your personal statement will be limited to a maximum of 750 words.

The sift is due to take place on 5th & 6th February 2024.

If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to the below:

• A first stage assessment process to test your abilities which will include 1) a call listening exercise, 2) an IT skills exercise
• If successful at this stage, you will then be invited to a final interview. This interview will be conducted face to face at one of our MCA offices, details of which will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.

1st Stage - Assessment process is likely to be held from w/c 19th February 2024.

2nd Stage - Interviews are likely to be held from w/c 4th March 2024.

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.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity. 

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

Reasonable Adjustments

As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

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

If you need a reasonable adjustment so that you can complete your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Document Accessibility

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

This job advert contains links to the DfT Careers website. Our website provides useful guidance and information that can support you during the application process. If you cannot access the information on our website for any reason, please email DRGComms@dft.gov.uk for assistance.

Further Information

For more information about how we hire, and for useful tips on submitting your application for this role, visit the How We Hire page of our DfT Careers website. You can find detailed information about the recruitment process and what to expect when applying for a role.

Pre-employment Checking

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. 

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

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.