About the job

Job summary

Have you successfully completed your initial MSDS training and probation period with the MCA, or a Senior Marine Surveyor experienced in classification and statutory surveys of Newbuilds and Existing Ships on behalf of one of the United Kingdom authorised Recognised Organisations?

Do you have excellent communication skills with ability to build relationships with a variety of stakeholders?

Would you love a varied role that will take you to interesting overseas locations?
  
If so, 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

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.

Maritime Governance Improvement and Assurance Section (MGIA) is responsible for quality assurance of the activities of our key external partners for Survey, Certification and Inspection (the REG, ROs and CAs).

External Monitoring and Assurance (EMA) branch is part of the Maritime Governance Improvement and Assurance Section and is responsible for assessments and monitoring of external organisations such as Recognised Organisations (ROs) and Certifying Authorities (CAs) that carry out surveys, audits and inspections on behalf of the UK administration.

The SEO Senior Surveyor (External Monitoring and Assurance) (HQ) will contribute to meeting the MGIA strategy for quality assurance of delegated statutory survey work carried out by Recognised Organisations (ROs), Certifying Authorities (CAs) and other bodies with which MCA has an agreement in place to delegate survey and certification functions.

In addition, the role holder will collaborate with training & mentoring/coaching of Lead Auditors and External Compliance Officers within the MGIA team for the technical aspects of RO and CA oversight activities.

This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced SEO Marine Surveyor or Senior SEO Marine Surveyor to take up a new and exciting challenge in this dual role which offers a varied workload with lots of engagement with high-profile stakeholders such as Recognised Organisations, Certifying Authorities and the wider Red Ensign Group of administrations.

Your responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Lead on providing technical expertise for monitoring of ROs, CAs and other organisations involved in certification of UK flag ships to assure that all delegated survey work are discharged to consistently high standards in line with international requirements, UK guidance and instructions.
• Undertake Vertical Contract Audits (VCA) of delegated survey work carried out by RO and CA Surveyors and lead/participate in other oversight activities such as regional monitoring, specialist monitoring, British Committee meetings and ship file reviews. Assess performance of ROs and CAs and follow-up where required to assure compliance with UK and international requirements.
• Provide technical expertise at internal and external meetings associated within areas of responsibility (Eg: REG-Technical Forum, REG-RO Monitoring Working Group, RO British Certification Committee (RO BCC), CA British Certification Committee (CA BCC): Arrange and provide briefing as requested for both internal and external for a; Represent MGIA as directed in industry and regulatory forums and work with other MCA or Government Departments in relevant groups/committees, and international/industry fora such as International Association of Classification Societies/ Quality Assessment and Certification Entity etc.
• Act as a point of contact for internal and external stakeholders by providing technical policy and decisions on survey policy - dealing with various stakeholders such as marine surveyors, technical managers, UK Ships Register (UKSR) industry, public, Classification Societies and other flag and port state administrations including survey operational technical advice to innovative technology specialists;

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

Person specification

About You 

You will be an experienced maritime professional who holds the relevant qualifications outlined in the role profile.  Through your experience of working in a managerial role on board ship or in a technical capacity of responsibility within the maritime industry, you can coach, mentor, and develop others to reach their full potential.

You can make quick, effective decisions that are always focused on achieving the best outcomes, and are resilient, flexible and able to manage a varied workload with competing priorities.

Excellent communication skills are paramount to the role with the ability to effectively build relationships with a variety of stakeholders across different cultures and industries.

The post is open only to experienced MCA SEO Marine Surveyors (HQ or Marine Office) who have successfully completed their initial training and probation period with the MCA; or Senior Marine Surveyors experienced in classification and statutory surveys of Newbuilds and Existing Ships on behalf of one of the United Kingdom authorised Recognised Organisations.

As a source of detailed technical advice in all but the most complex situations post-holders must demonstrate the technical competency levels specified for the post. Areas of technical competency are detailed in MCA document MSF 4989 which forms part of the MSDS.

Additional Information

This role will be based in the Southampton HQ. MCA supports flexible working and operates a hybrid working model between home and office for this role, giving you greater flexibility over where and when you work.  

The expectation is that you will spend a minimum 60% of your working time based at your principal workplace or out on official business. Details of the arrangement will be discussed further with your line manager. 

A passport valid for international travel is required as well as a full driving licence valid for driving in the UK.

The post-holder will comply with the MCA Surveyor Health Standards Policy.

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

Allowances

Advertised salary is inclusive of a base salary of £51,464 and up to £5,500 of additional allowances which includes: Out of hours contractability and/or Deployability- £3000, Location and Deployment Flexibility -£1250, Operating in Hazardous Environments - £1250.

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   

CV and Personal Statement:   

Within your CV and personal statement please demonstrate:

• Knowledge and experience of statutory ship survey and inspection work.
• Knowledge of IMO RO Code and IACS and Classification Society Rules and Regulations.
• Demonstrable lead auditor experience.

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.   

This interview will be conducted face to face at our Southampton office. 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 presentation.

In addition, as part of your interview you will be assessed against Marine Surveyor Competencies (Level 3).

Sift and Interview Dates: 

The sift is due to take place on 8th & 9th January 2024.

Interviews/assessments are likely to be held between 17th – 19th January 2024.

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.

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.

Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter

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

Security

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