About the job

Job summary

Are you someone who thrives in a problem-solving environment and would love a varied, dynamic and rewarding role?

Are you highly resilient with the ability to remain calm and professional in pressurised situations? 

Do you hold a Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) Operator Qualification or have the willingness to work towards achieving this once in post? 

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 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

Based at our Coastguard Operations Centre in Dover, we have a fantastic opportunity for a number of Vessel Traffic Services Operators (VTSO) to join our dynamic team providing a crucial VTS Traffic Information and Navigational Assistance Service in accordance with current national doctrine and the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) recommendations. 

As a VTSO your day will include taking mandatory ship reports from vessels navigating within the service area, gathering key information in relation to cargo, passengers and vessel damage or defects to ensure they are compliant with both national and international maritime regulations and able to safely continue their passage.  

This is a dynamic role in which you’ll be faced with a multitude of interesting and varied situations – from a compliant vessel just passing through to ships that have run aground, a passenger ferry dealing with a fire, loss of pollutant cargo overboard or even managing vessels safely around swimmers in the English Channel. 

Responsibilities include but are not limited to: 

• Delivery of a vessel traffic service as defined by IALA recommendations and guidelines to vessels navigating in the service area to ensure compliance with all local, national and international regulations
• Working as part of a team to manage day-to-day operations to provide a high and effective standard of VTS service delivery
• Planning, prioritising and managing work based on dynamic risk assessments, and ensuring resources are available for both forecast and actual demand
• Balancing work against resource and recommending additional staff or assistance from other teams to provide suitable coverage
• Implementing sound leadership, management and direction within a team, and ensuring safe working practices are maintained

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

Additional Information

If your employment ceases within 24 months of completing your training course, you will be required to reimburse the MCA any associated training fees based on the length of your employment.

The role requires occasional travel to attend ongoing training courses, meetings and working groups which will involve some time away from home and the regular workplace. 

This role is full-time only and you will be required to work a 12-hour shift pattern (both day and nightshifts) 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. 

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

Appointment to this role is subject to meeting Health Standards, please see attached document. 

Person specification

Comprehensive training will be provided for this role and, if not already held, you will be expected to obtain a VTS Operator Qualification C0103-1 once in post. (Eligibility to enrol for this qualification requires English as a first language or an English Language certification to the equivalent of IELTS level 5.0). It is likely the VTS C0103-1 Operator Qualification training will take approximately 6 weeks in total which may be split over a number of months at maritime colleges. 

• We are looking to be joined by a self-motivated and committed individual who either holds a VTS Operator Qualification or is willing to work towards one and has experience of working within standards, regulations and structured procedures
• You will be calm under pressure, flexible and resilient, able to face unexpected situations head on remaining unfazed by changing circumstances and able to multi-task, organise and balance changing priorities
• You are a strong and clear communicator, able to adapt your approach to suit diverse audiences and a range of stakeholders to ensure your message is understood
• Good situational awareness is key, and you will be able to successfully gather and interpret information, anticipating how the situation may develop and change, and confident to alert others when necessary providing timely information to assist with decision making
• To be successful in this role you will be required to have a good level of numeracy skills, and have excellent attention to detail especially with verbal, face to face, written, and audio communications
• You will also be required to be IT literate

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, Strengths, Ability and Experience.

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.  

Within your CV and personal statement please demonstrate your knowledge and experience of:       

• Experience of managing several tasks simultaneously, prioritising where necessary
• Experience of making decisions whilst working within standards, regulations and structured procedures
• Experience of working within a busy, high-pressure environment
• Experience of communicating with a range of stakeholders, both verbally and in writing
• Experience of utilising various Microsoft packages such as Word, Excel and Outlook

Your personal statement will be limited to a maximum of 1,250 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 sift is due to take place from Friday 21st June 2024. 

Interviews/assessments are likely to be held week commencing Monday 1st July 2024.

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.     

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
• An audio type and information gathering and arrangement test
• A maths test  

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.

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.