HM Specialist Inspector - Offshore Emergency Response, Marine Operations, Aviation (Band 3/SEO)

Job summary

A key operational arm of HSE, Energy Division (ED) regulates Great Britain’s Offshore Oil and Gas Industry, pipelines, mines, diving and renewable sector. We employ around 140 professional engineers and scientists to do this.

Respected internationally for our independent status and integrity, we have a long-standing reputation for technical expertise which can be applied logically to deliver effective, proportionate solutions enabling hazardous activities to be managed safely.

As a specialist inspector of Emergency Response, Marine operations, and Aviation (ERMA), you will be an essential part of what Energy Division do. You will use your technical knowledge and expertise to regulate offshore oil and gas operations, and activities related to those operations, by addressing the suitability of emergency response arrangements for all potential major accident hazards, and the hazards in relation to marine and helideck operations. In this frontline role, you can influence not only individual organisations but the sector as a whole.

Due to the nature of the work involved this role is only suitable for full time working.

Job description

The role of Specialist Inspector of Emergency Response, Marine Operations and Aviation requires you to:

• Undertake offshore ERMA inspections on oil and gas installations, applying your experience and knowledge to identify risk and underlying
  issues on site, enabling you to make effective decisions on the adequacy of existing control measures. You will have the opportunity to persuade, influence and enforce at all levels to achieve compliance with the law.
• Assess safety cases and combined operations notifications for offshore installations, including new installations, material changes and decommissioning, drawing conclusions on the adequacy of the demonstration, raising issues, or considering future inspection work.
• Play an integral part of investigation teams working across industry to seek out accident and incident root causes, serve appropriate levels of enforcement, and identify recommendations to ensure that lessons are learned.
• Preparation of technical reports / expert evidence for various levels of legal proceedings, and act as an expert witness, giving your specialist opinion on ERMA aspects of accidents and incidents.
• Provide expert advice on health and safety matters associated with emergency response, marine operations and aviation within Energy Division, HSE, industry and other relevant stakeholders.
• Contribute to the production and revision of ERMA guidance and standards for HSE and other industry bodies, and participate in industry working groups and wider sector engagement.
• Prioritise continuing professional development, both technically, and in non-technical skills and be able to partake in cross division training and coaching.

Specialist Training Programme

You will be supported by your manager and colleagues to understand your role in HSE, develop your skills, and support you in your continuing professional development. For the legal requirements of the role, you will be enrolled on the Specialist Training Programme (STP) and will be required to study for and successfully complete a formal assessment. We also have a strong focus on ongoing technical CPD and training in our core subject areas.

Offshore Medical & Qualifications

You must be able to satisfy the OEUK & GWO approved offshore medical & OPITO & GWO approved survival training requirements e.g. BOSIET/FOET

Person specification

Essential Skills & Criteria;

• Thorough understanding of offshore oil and gas legislation, including the concept of goal-setting legislation and ability to apply knowledge, experience and sound engineering judgement to determine levels of legal compliance . Experience of applying relevant legislation, codes of practice, standards, and industry guidance for offshore emergency response and marine operations.
• Articulate with well-developed written communication and interpersonal skills to establish professional credibility and authority including an ability to present technical information to non-technical audiences.
• Knowledge of equipment, systems and processes commonly adopted by industry to mitigate the effects of and respond to an emergency event, particularly evacuation, escape, and rescue & recovery. Understanding performance standards and verification of compliance.
• Knowledge of Emergency Response (ER) training and competence standards, preferably experience developing and implementing ER training.
• Knowledge of risks associated with offshore marine operations. Thorough understanding of industry codes, standards and guidelines including Guidelines for Offshore Marine Operations (GOMO), Marine Safety Forum (MSF), Emergency Response and Rescue Vessel Association (EERVA), Offshore Energy UK (OEUK), and Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) amongst others.
• Experience of leading or supporting an investigation into an incident or high potential event in industry where your technical and behavioural skills are required to address the failings.

Travel

In role, you will spend on average 2-3 night stays offshore (subject to weather) approximately 6-8 times a year for proactive inspection or reactive investigation work and some travel to renewable energy sites across the country, potentially at short notice, all within a small multi-discipline team. This role will also involve visits to other HSE sites including Aberdeen, with some potential overnight stays (including at short notice).

At HSE, we are proud to be able to offer our people the opportunity to work in a hybrid way which combines working from home and the office. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement, and your allocated office will be your contractual place of work.

There will be a requirement to travel to the office for various activities, e.g., collaborative working, supporting and training colleagues. If hybrid working is suitable for you and your role, you will be expected to attend the office, or other business-related site, for 60% of your working week. The arrangements will be determined primarily by business need, but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account.

Therefore, we would encourage candidates to consider if the commute from home to the office is a feasible distance to travel before making an application. Please note that if you are successful, hybrid working will be discussed prior to taking up the post.

Licences

A full driving licence that enables you to drive in the UK is essential. However, HSE is willing to consider any proposals put forward by applicants that would allow them to do the job by another means in line with the Equality Act 2010.

Qualifications

A degree or equivalent qualifications in a relevant science or engineering discipline, or

Master Mariner STCW II/2 (preferably unrestricted but will consider restricted.), having professional membership of an appropriate institution.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Knowledge and experience of emergency response arrangements on offshore installations, including knowledge of related legislation.
• Knowledge of marine operations at offshore installations and industry good practice.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £73,335, Health and Safety Executive contributes £21,245 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity

We invest in our people with;

• Competitive rates of pay
• Access to the highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme to which HSE contribute 28.97%, far more than in the private sector
• Family friendly policies and working hours to help balance your home life and career
• Carer friendly policies to help create a supportive working culture
• 25 days annual holiday increasing to 30 days after 5 years' service, plus bank holidays and 1-day Civil Service privilege leave
• Parental leave benefits
• As a member of HSE you will gain access to a wide range of fantastic benefits that you can take advantage of such as the Cycle to Work Scheme, E-Gift Cards and vouchers via our partner EdenRed.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Application Information

As part of your application, you will be invited to complete an anonymised CV which should include your career history, experience, and qualifications. You will also be asked to complete a Personal Statement of no more than 1000 words which demonstrates how you meet the Essential Skills and Criteria listed within the person specification section of the job advert.

ApplicationGuidance

Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply and how to complete a Personal Statement https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/how-to-apply/

Sift Information

The sift will take place on the from the 9th April 2026 when you will be assessed on your CV and Personal Statement.

Please note in the event of a high number of applicants we will sift on the personal statement only and you will not receive a score for your CV.

Interview Information

Interviews will take place from the 5th May 2026 when you will be assessed against the Behaviours and Technical Skills listed above as well as your experience.

As part of the interview you will be required to deliver a 10 minute presentation, details of which will be sent out with your interview invite if you progress to the interview stage.

Please note: Interviews will take place in person at our HSE Aberdeen Office - Building 2 Aberdeen International Business Park, AB21 0BR

Sponsorship

This role is not open to application from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system. Should you apply for this role and require sponsorship your application will be rejected, and any provisional offers of employment will be withdrawn.

Further Information

Please note that a Reserve List will be held for the period of up to 12 months. There is no guarantee you will be offered a role from our reserve lists, so if you see a vacancy on Civil Service Jobs that you are interested in, we recommend you apply.

HSE reserve the right to conduct additional checks, including Google and social media checks, when recruiting candidates into a role within HSE. These checks will be carried out in line with the Civil Service Commission Principles and, if used all candidates will be subject to these additional checks.

From 23rd June 2025, if you are successful at interview, as part of your pre-employment checks, HSE’s Recruitment Team are required to check your details against the Internal Fraud Hub (IFH), using your personal details – name, NINO, and date of birth. If you are included on the database, you will be refused employment. If you believe that there has been an error in the inclusion of your data and wish to make an appeal, please contact the CO email box internal.fraud@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.

Details of the types of internal fraud/dishonesty covered by this process are defined by the Cabinet Office and can be found here Internal Fraud Register privacy notice - GOV.UK

It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful in their application. For a summary of HSE terms and conditions as part of Civil Service Reform, please see the attached HSE Terms and Conditions document.

Progression through pay ranges is subject to annual pay awards as permitted within annual Civil Service pay remit guidance and negotiations with Trade Unions.

HSE is proud to be a part of the Disability Confidence Scheme (DCS). As a Disability Confident employer, we positively welcome applications from disabled people. We are committed to making workplace adjustments to ensure anyone can participate in the recruitment and selection process.

If, during the application or interview process, you require any assistance due to a disability or a medical condition, please contact us at the email address below to discuss how we can support you. For example, if you have a disability, and you need an application form in an alternative format or you would like to know more about our recruitment process, please contact: HR.Resourcing-Team@hse.gov.uk.

If successful in securing your role, HSE can provide suitable workplace adjustments to support you throughout your career with HSE.

Any move to HSE from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility here.

Please note, if you are a current civil servant and you are currently undergoing any of the following formal actions your application will not be progressed any further; Formal discipline action, any formal action regarding attendance, poor performance or any restriction of duties as a result of disciplinary action.

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.

Medical

Successful candidates will be expected to have a medical.

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.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Paul Young
• Email : paul.young@hse.gov.uk
• Telephone : 07879661418

Recruitment team

• Email : hr.resourcing-team@hse.gov.uk

Further information

If you believe that Civil Service Commission principles of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of Fair and Open competition have not been met, you can raise a complaint by emailing: HR.Resourcing-Team@hse.gov.uk or by writing to HSE at the following address: HR Resourcing Team, 2.3 Redgrave Court, Merton Road, Bootle, Merseyside, L20 7HS. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact Civil Service commissioners: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/code/civilservicecode…

Attachments

HSE Terms and Conditions - CSJ Advert Annex Opens in new window (pdf, 116kB)