HQ Senior Surveyor (Inspection Operations)

Job summary

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

Do you want to work for a company where having a good work life balance is important?

Would you like to take the next step in your MCA career?

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.

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays and a privilege day for the King’s birthday
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Read more in the Benefits section below!

Find out more about what it's like working at MCA.

Job description

Join the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) in promoting maritime safety, preventing pollution, and protecting lives at sea. As part of UK Technical Maritime Services, Inspection Operations ensures vessels meet UK and international safety and environmental standards through ship inspections and regulatory guidance. Working within a specialist team, you’ll help uphold and improve inspection processes, support national and international obligations, and contribute to safer ships and cleaner seas as part of the Government’s maritime strategy.

Your responsibilities will include, but aren’t limited to:

• Act as focal point and point of contact for stakeholders, including other Administrations, Ships and Surveyors.
• Act as part of the UK delegation when required in technical meetings of the Paris MOU and the International Maritime Organisation working/drafting groups.
• Authorise appointments of Departmental Officers, Inspectors, Detaining Officers and Port State Control Officers in accordance with the Merchant Shipping Act 1995.
• Contribute to MCA wide initiatives and parliamentary questions.
• Deliver elements of MSDS foundation and revalidation courses
• Promote and maintain Instructions to Surveyors.
• Provide technical assistance and monitor data input to the THETIS system.

For further information on the role, please read the role profilewhich is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.

Person specification

To be successful in this role you will need to have the following experience:

• You will be an experienced SEO Marine Surveyor 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, and during your time at the MCA, you can coach, mentor, and develop others to reach their full potential.

Additional Information

Successful candidates will be expected to undertake a physical medical health questionnaire for this role. Please see the attached document for further information.

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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkR_okX2T1U

Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements

Full time roles consist of 37 hours per week.

Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement for the successful candidate to be able to work at least 35 hours per week.

This role is suitable for hybrid working, which is a non-contractual arrangement where a combination of workplace and home-based working can be accommodated subject to business requirements.

The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time a month will be spent at either your designated workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, in another office/work location/visiting stakeholders. Your designated workplace will be your contractual place of work. There may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation.

Regular travel to other offices will be required, which may involve overnight stays. There may be occasions where you will be required to travel internationally.

If you have a question about hybrid working, part time/job share hours, flexible working, travelling for work, or require a reasonable adjustment, please contact the Vacancy Holder during the recruitment process to avoid possible disappointment later in the process should your working arrangements not be compatible with the requirements of the role (see below for contact details).

Visa Sponsorship

MCA does not offer Visa Sponsorship for this role.

Licences

You must hold the following to be eligible to apply for this role:
1.A valid passport for international travel
2.A full UK driving license

Qualifications

The minimum academic qualification required is one of:

a. Nautical Surveyor: MCA Recognised STCW II/2 Master unlimited Certificate of Competency; or
b. Engineer Surveyor: MCA Recognised STCW III/2 Chief Engineer unlimited Certificate of Competency;

‘MCA Recognised’ means certificates issued by a country whose seafarer training is recognised by the UK. A list of those countries can be found on our website at www.gov.uk and search MCA CEC (those without UK issued STCW Certificates of Competency will need to complete UKLAP training at an early stage after entry).

or
c. Naval Architect Surveyor: Honours Degree in Naval Architecture, Ship Science, Marine Engineering, Mechanical and Marine Engineering or Marine Technology;

d. Ship Surveyor: Applicants without the qualifications stated in a, b or c above, may also be eligible if they are Chartered Engineer (C. Eng) (through Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA) or the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST)), but in such cases evidence of the equivalent level of learning plus relevant marine industry experience will need to have be demonstrated to the satisfaction of an MCA technical review panel.

In each of the above cases the stated qualifications need to be supported by `sufficient experience' in a managerial role on board ship or in a technical capacity of responsibility within the maritime industry.

Sufficient experience' means experience in working in the marine industry in a capacity that develops and broadens the knowledge gained at qualification over a minimum of 3 years. Whilst this time period is not fixed, it provides a benchmark for the likely time period to gain the breadth of experiences in a variety of situations which underpins the work of a Marine Surveyor. It is expected that the marine industry experience is in a field closely related to the work of MCA Surveyors.

A current Eligibility as an MCA Surveyor or[SC5.1] has held an MCA eligibility within the last 5 years.

You will be required to provide evidence that you hold any essential qualifications/licenses at some point during the recruitment process. If you cannot provide evidence, your application will be withdrawn.

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

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

• (Underpinning competencies (as detailed in MCA Document MSF4989), General competencies (as detailed in MCA Document MSF4989), Specific competencies (as detailed in MCA Document MSF4989).)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £55,793, Maritime and Coastguard Agency contributes £16,163 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave).
• 8 Bank Holidays plus an additional Privilege Day to mark the King’s birthday.
• Access to the staff discount portal.
• Excellent career development opportunities and the potential to undertake professional qualifications relevant to your role paid for by the department, such as CIPD, Prince2, apprenticeships, etc.
• Joining a diverse and inclusive workforce with a range of staff communities to support all our colleagues.
• 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme providing free confidential help and advice for staff.
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Find out more about the benefits of working at DfT and its agencies (opens in a new window).

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.

How to Apply:

Our selection process ensures a comprehensive assessment of each applicant's qualifications, skills, and potential fit within our organisation.

The selection process for this role will be:

Stage 1: Sift of CV and Personal Statement

Stage 2: Interview

You must be successful at each stage to progress to the next stage.

Stage 1: Sift

At sift, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

• Behaviours – you will be asked to provide a 250-word statement on the following Behaviour: Communicating and Influencing
• Experience – you will be asked to provide a CV (unlimited wordcount) and Personal Statement (500 wordcount). Please provide evidence of your experience of the following:
  1. Experience of inspection activity.
  2. Experience with Port State controls.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead Success Profile element, Communicating and Influencing behaviour. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview.

The sift will take place week commencing 29th June 2026.

Stage 2: Interview

At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

• Behaviours – (Communicating and Influencing, Changing and Improving, Making Effective Decisions)
• Technical – (Underpinning competencies (as detailed in MCA Document MSF4989), General competencies (as detailed in MCA Document MSF4989), Specific competencies (as detailed in MCA Document MSF4989).)

You will also be required to create and deliver a written exercise to assess the technical skills. Guidance will be provided if you are invited to interview.

The interviews will take place week commencing 20th July 2026.

This interview will be conducted online via Microsoft Teams. Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.

Please note that we will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change.

Further information on the selection process

For more information about how we hire, useful tips on submitting your application and interview guidance for this role, visit theHow 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.

We will also hold a 12-month reserve list for this role, which may lead to potential opportunities beyond the role you applied for. You can read more about our reserve lists here.

Appointments for this position will be made in order of merit. If you are successful in the selection process but there are no further available posts for the advertised role, you may be contacted to discuss an offer for a lower graded role (with similar experience and responsibility requirements).

If you are unsuccessful in the selection process, your application may be considered for a lower graded position if your demonstrated skills and experience meet the requirements of the alternative position. Candidates will be considered in order of merit.

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

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 are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert or the information on our website, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Pre-employment Checking

If your application is successful but you have been dismissed from the Civil Service, your application could be removed at the pre-employment checking stage depending on the nature of the dismissal.

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.

All external applicants and current employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) will be required to undergo a Social Media Check. A Social Media Check is a review of your publicly available online activity, typically across platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and others. The purpose is to identify any public posts or content that could raise concerns for employers, such as:

• Hate speech or discriminatory behaviour
• Threats or acts of violence
• Illegal activity or substance misuse
• Sexually explicit material
• Extremist views or affiliations

Importantly, this check does not involve hacking into your accounts or accessing private messages. It only considers content you have chosen to make public. Employers use this kind of screening to help ensure their workplace remains safe, inclusive, and aligned with company values. It’s not about judging your personality or lifestyle - it’s about checking for potential red flags that might affect the role or company culture. If you have questions or concerns about the social media check, we would be happy to explain in more detail what’s being looked at and how your data is handled securely and fairly.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

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.

A criminal record is not necessarily a bar to obtaining employment.

Feedback

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

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.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).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 : Suzanne Capper
• Email : suzanne.capper@mcga.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : 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: Visit the Civil Service Commission website Here

Attachments

15438 Role Profile Inspection Ops Opens in new window (pdf, 129kB)15438 MSF4989 R04.22 PDF Opens in new window (pdf, 245kB)15438 Annex E - SI Health Standards Opens in new window (pdf, 512kB)