About the job

Job summary

Are you an exceptional leader with experience in command and control in an operational response environment?

Can you build lasting relationships, influencing and directing stakeholders across all levels??

Do you thrive in a busy and varied environment where no two days are the same?

If so, we are looking for a Network Commander to join us at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and we'd love to hear from you!   

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 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.   

We welcome applications from all communities, and we don’t discriminate against any identity. We’re interested to hear from you, regardless of your background.

Job description

HM Coastguard (HMCG) is the operational arm of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency with responsibility for 6 key functions: Search and Rescue, Pollution Response, Vessel Traffic Management, Maritime Safety, Maritime Security and Emergency and Disaster Management.

There are three delivery disciplines within HM Coastguard: Maritime and Aeronautical Operations, which coordinate activities from an operations room environment, and; Coastal Operations, which manages resources and service provision on the coast.

Based in our office in Fareham we have a fantastic opportunity for 2 Network Commanders to join our dynamic team as part of Maritime Operations. You will be providing tactical leadership and operational oversight of the HMCG National Network across the UK.

Reporting to the HMCG National Network Operations Manager, the successful applicants will provide guidance and direction to operational teams and dynamically manage a network of rescue coordination centres, ensuring that the most appropriate staffing resources are assigned to coordinate the best response to incidents across the United Kingdom’s search and rescue region.

The Network Commanders will maintain network oversight of staff activity, resources, resilience and technical capability, and plan and instigate business continuity arrangements as and when required, effectively and confidently leading and directing Coastguard operational teams.

This is a rewarding role in a very unique operational environment where every day brings a new exciting challenge with national responsibility. You will be constantly learning and developing, attending training to enhance your maritime technical knowledge to assist in making dynamic decisions around the safety of lives and seas.

 Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

•  Acting as the senior Coastguard officer (Maritime) on duty within the National Network, responsible for maintaining the link to on-call Strategic Commanders and other senior officers, including the preparation and presentation of relevant briefs as required.
• Continuously monitoring operational workload, performance and staff welfare across the network, anticipating and providing support to teams by dynamic network flexing and the assigning of remote operational specialists (Search Mission Co-ordinator (SMC), search planning, comms operator, etc.)
• Providing sound leadership, tactical direction and guidance to operational teams, including medium-and longer-term tactical planning and the coordination of resources and functions based on dynamic risk analysis, and identifying, reporting and responding to tactical and strategic organisational risks.
• Ensuring oversight of the HMCG National Network infrastructure, identifying and reporting technical hardware and software issues, undertaking impact assessments, instigating impact mitigations, and providing operational expertise to ICT helpdesk/engineers.
• Maintaining knowledge and currency of HMCG operational business continuity (BC) and disaster recovery (DR) plans, and coordinating the Network response during any planned or unplanned network disruption, including the implementation of appropriate BC/DR plan(s).
• Undertaking the role of HMCG Tactical or Silver Commander when required during national SAR and other maritime-related incidents, and when delegated or necessary, undertaking the role of HMCG Strategic or Gold Commander.

For an in-depth insight into the role, please refer to the Role Profile attached to this advert.

Person specification

You will come to us with an excellent knowledge of command and control at a tactical level in an operational response environment. As a critical thinker you can make multiple decisions across a matrix of matters whilst remaining calm under pressure.

You are a motivational leader who leads by example ensuring teams understand their role, responsibilities and business priorities. Your exceptional communication skills mean you’re able to gather intelligence from various sources and interpret it to clearly articulate succinct operational, tactical and strategic briefs.

Using your good judgement skills, you are able to asses complex and dynamic situations and make critical decisions confidently, based on sound rationale. You will thrive managing a varied and challenging workload and your fantastic organisational skills mean you are able to balance and prioritise tasks. This role would suit somebody who enjoys collaborating with others and building up strong working relationships in a career where you can develop your skillset and make a real difference for end users.

Additional Information

Candidates must not have been dismissed by the MCA within the past 24 months for failure to pass the required training for operational posts within HM Coastguard.

There may be a requirement for occasional travel to attend formal training events and this may require spending time away from home and the normal workplace.

Periodic travel to the HMCG Business Continuity Suite in Southampton may be required to exercise or conduct business continuity or disaster response.

Successful candidates will be expected to undertake a medical. This will be in line with that required for a Maritime Operations Controller, detailed within the attached document. 

Please note: This is a uniformed role and uniform will be required to be worn at all times when on duty.  

 Please refer to the special features section on the role profile for further information.  

 About Operational Delivery Profession (ODP) 

   

Operational Delivery Profession (ODP) is the largest and most diverse professional community across the Civil Service. Many of us will have an association with several professional communities or specialisms, ODP applies to all public facing roles / or a role that is primarily aligned to supporting the work of those with public facing roles. All critical to the delivery of UK public services. 

 

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, Experience and Technical skills.

How to Apply

As part of your application, you will be required to complete a CV and a Personal Statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Please provide a CV outlining your career history, and the key responsibilities you had in each of your roles.

Within your CV and personal statement please demonstrate your:

• Experience and knowledge of command, control and management of teams in a response environment.
• Experience of preparing and delivering intelligent and succinct operational, tactical and strategic briefs.
• Experience of communicating with a diverse range of stakeholders at all levels.

Your personal statement will be limited to a maximum of 750 words.

It is essential when submitting your personal statement that you provide as much detail as possible, and utilise the full word count given, against the essential criteria outlined above as this will be used in conjunction with your CV to assess candidate suitability to move to the next round in the recruitment process.

Sift and Interview Dates

The sift is due to take place on 29th & 30th April 2024.

Interviews are due to take place week between 14th - 16th May 2024.

This interview will be conducted face to face at one of our offices. Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.

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.

The selection process will be designed specifically for the role. As a result, your assessment will include:

• An interview.
• A role play.
• A written exercise.

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

In addition, as part of your interview you will be assessed against Coastguard Framework. 

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 visit our Careers website.

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

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.

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.