About the job

Job summary

Are you an efficient communicator who can stay calm and professional in a pressurised environment?

Would you like to join a team that makes a difference with every call?

Can you help us provide a vital service to the public and seafarers when they need it most?

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 are committed to giving all our colleagues purpose, professionalism and pride in what we do. We work in supportive, diverse and inclusive teams.

We want everyone to feel valued and supported to achieve their potential at MCA.

This culture of inclusion is underpinned by our staff networks groups covering, Women’s, LGBTQI+, Race, Carers, Mental Wellbeing and volunteer Respect Ambassadors.

Job description

You will play an integral role in coordinating emergency responses and carrying out activities required to initiate and coordinate an efficient and prompt response to incidents relating to the Coastguard functions on the tidal River Thames, gathering and analysing information to inform operational plans and enable delivery. You will also provide essential maritime safety advice to the mariner, coastal users and our partner organisations.

This is a challenging but rewarding role that requires resilience and working calmly under pressure, sometimes in stressful and emotional situations.

This role requires attendance at an office which is based out of a grade 2 listed building which is located up 100 steps.

Senior Maritime Operations Officers are required to work a 12-hour shift pattern (both day and night shifts) to allow HM Coastguard 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.

Your responsibilities include but are not limited to

• Answering emergency calls over the 999 telephone system or by radio - bringing together information, participating in analysis and planning, managing and directing incident response and resources, providing support to partner organisations, and advising and informing others involved in an incident.
• Receiving, assessing and responding to reports concerning wrecks, debris, fishes Royal and other items in the sea.
• Assisting in the preparedness and response to major emergencies through the maintenance and verification of appropriate records, databases and plan.
• Receiving alerts and related information regarding Maritime Security, assessing the information and passing it to the most appropriate authority while updating databases.
• Providing maritime safety information, safety advice and maritime information, such as tides and weather, navigational risks, safety advice and procedures.

We provide a 24/7 emergency service provision, so you will work within a rotating shift system. When fully trained you will be operating alone as the single operator responsible for the tidal River Thames from Teddington Lock to Holehaven near Canvey Island. It is planned to increase staff numbers to have small teams in London.

For further information about the role and responsibilities, please see the attached role profile.   

Person specification

About You

You are resilient, reliable and able to work calmly in a busy operational environment. You can use your initiative and professional judgement to achieve the best outcomes in difficult situations.

You have excellent communication skills, with a professional telephone manner and the ability to listen and question well. You are well-organised, with good administration skills, and strong attention to detail.

We are looking to recruit people who want to develop and grow with us, and in return we can offer a full training programme and ongoing support to enable you to become the very best in Maritime Operations.

Additional Information  

Successful candidates will be expected to undertake a medical for this role, please see the attached document.

In addition, successful candidates will be required to attend formal training events at the MCA's designated training facilities, located at the Fareham centre. This can be for up to 2 weeks duration for each course which will mean spending time away from home and the normal workplace.

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

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, Ability and Experience.

How to Apply

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

After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Numerical Test. If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application. 

Please complete the online test as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the test is 23:55 on 15th July 2024. 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 test is administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.

Please be aware that maintenance on the test system is planned for Saturday 29th June 2024 and Sunday 30th June 2024. During this period you may not be able to access the testing system. Please ensure you complete the test outside of these dates.  

Please tailor your CV and provide a Personal Statement to demonstrate your experience of the following:

• Working under pressure and recognising changing priorities.
• Working in a fast paced, service environment.
• Where you have had to communicate effectively (orally and in writing) to stakeholders.

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.

The selection process will be designed specifically for the role. As a result, if you are successful at sift your interview/assessment will include:

• A 1st stage assessment process to test your abilities and include a call listening exercise and an IT skills exercise.
• If successful at the 1st stage assessments, you will then be invited to a final interview.

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

Sift and Interview Dates

The sift is due to take place 16th & 17th July 2024.

1st Stage - Assessments are likely to be held from week commencing 5th August 2024.

2nd Stage - Interviews are likely to be held from week commencing 19th August 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.

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

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.

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.

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.