Ports & Vessel Traffic Services Policy Manager

Ports & Vessel Traffic Services Policy Manager

Closing date: 11:55pm on Monday 27 March 2023.

Ref: 268614

Salary: £50,238 - £55,997

New entrants to the Civil Service are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band. This role also attracts an allowance of up to £3,000.

Job grade: Grade 7

Location: Aberdeen, Belfast, Cardiff, Hull, Liverpool, Southampton

Job summary

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.

Are you a maritime professional with experience of working within Marine Operations in the ports industry?

Could you influence and guide positive change in the maritime sector?

Would you love an interesting role with the opportunity to engage and build strong working relationships with a variety of stakeholders?

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 the best maritime safety organisation in the world.

Find out more about what it's like working at the Department for Transport.

Job description

We are looking for a passionate maritime professional to join us at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency as the Ports & Vessel Traffic Services Policy Manager. The successful applicant will lead and manage a small team to ensure the MCAs responsibilities, under the Port Marine Safety Code (PMSC) and as National Competent Authority for Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) /Vessel Traffic Monitoring (VTM) related issues, are met; including successfully implementing national policy from international bodies.

The Ports & Vessel Traffic Services Policy Manager will be the subject matter expert and primary contact point for Port Marine Safety Code (PMSC) enquires within the MCA. They will oversee the efficient provision of support and advice to the Department for Transport for ports policy, including technical advice on the composition and application of the code and other ports related queries.

The role holder will engage with a variety of stakeholder with regards the Ports and VTS industry, will manage and conduct audits of VTS centres, training organisations and a scheme of Port Marine Safety Code (PMSC) health checks on ports and marine facilities. They will monitor trends, compliance and encouraging UK ports to adopt/comply with the PMSC, providing expert guidance to enable them to better integrate the PMSC with their port operations.

The Ports & Vessel Traffic Services Policy Manager will provide and co-ordinate expert technical advice to MCA colleagues and other branches of government on Port and VTS/VTM matters and will represent the MCA on various committees, bodies and forums such as the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) and International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

This is a really interesting and varied role which offers the opportunity to be at the centre of feeding technical expertise into UK government policy on ports and VTS matters, influencing and guiding the direction of positive maritime industry change on an international scale in hot topic areas such as decarbonisation and future fuels in UK ports.

The Technical Services Navigation Branch is a multi-disciplinary team of professionals working to further safety in the maritime domain. As such it is the aim of the branch to recruit and retain talent by maintaining a family friendly environment and excellent work life balance.

This role can be based in any of the advertised offices. 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. Details of the arrangement will be discussed further with your line manager. This role offers an excellent opportunity for a maritime professional to improve their work/life balance with a less disruptive work pattern.

There will be a requirement for travel on official duty within the UK and overseas or offshore, which may involve overnight stays away from home. A passport valid for international travel is required as well as a full driving licence valid for driving in the UK.

Please note, due to the nature of the role you will be required to undergo a Counter-Terrorist Check (CTC). Gaining CTC Clearance will normally require you to have been a resident in the UK for a minimum of 3 years, and only candidates who meet this requirement will be considered for the role.

This post is eligible for a Recruitment and Retention Allowance. Successful candidate with exceptional skills and experience may be eligible for the Recruitment and Retention Allowance, up to a maximum of £3,000. This allowance is subject to an annual review in line with the departmental priorities and could be reduced or withdrawn at any time. This can be discussed if you are offered a role.

Licences

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

Qualifications

The successful candidate should hold one qualification from the following list of acceptable minimum qualifications acceptable for this role or be able to demonstrate significant professional experience in the ports industry (see point 5):

1. Harbour Masters Qualification
2. STCW II/2 Masters (Unlimited) Certificate of Competency
3. Degree in a relevant maritime discipline (Level 6 or above of the England, Wales and Northern Ireland register of Regulated Qualifications), combined with management experience in VTS or other Port Operations, or Pilotage experience
4. V103 Qualification with management level VTS and Ports experience
5. Candidates who do not hold one of the above qualifications will be considered if they are able to demonstrate significant experience within the port industry in a role related to the application of the PMSC and provide evidence of qualifications to enable completion of V103 course.

Security

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

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard checks.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.

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.

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction.

Contact point for applicants

Michael Bunton, michael.bunton@mcga.gov.uk

Recruitment team, DFTrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact Government Recruitment Services via email: dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission.