Kings Harbour Master

Job summary

Operating under Cyber & Specialist Operations Command (CSOC), the British Forces South Atlantic Islands (BFSAI) mission is to deter military aggression against the South Atlantic Overseas Territories, to protect the Falkland Islanders’ right to self determination and reassure the local population. BFSAI also has operational responsibility for Ascension Island Base.

This role is responsible for the BFSAI Military Port Facility (MPF) under Falkland Islands Law, and for logistic maritime resupply movements, including responsibility for the South Atlantic Patrol Vessel support functions. The role operates in accordance with the Port Marine Safety Code (PMSC) and Defence Maritime Regulations (DMR), while being directly responsible to Commander British Forces, the Port Duty Holder.

Responsibilities are underpinned by robust assurance and compliance systems and marine safety documentation. The KHM is the lead for Single Point Mooring fuel buoy marine operations, Pollution Control and Marine Environment Protection, MPF Explosive Licencing and Equipment Care. The role includes civilian and military staff management, marine contracts Designated Officer, tug crew support and welfare, pilotage licencing and port infrastructure. Assurance visits to Ascension Island, to provide maritime SQEP, may be required.

The MPF has two ocean-going tugs provided under contract; the MOD-chartered Falkland Islands Resupply Ship calls regularly. An Ocean Tanker for bulk refuelling calls every six months. Additionally, the MPF receives the Ice Patrol Ship and British Antarctic Survey ship throughout the austral summer.

KHM is the liaison between BFSAI and the Falkland Islands Government (FIG) and Falkland Islands Maritime Authority (FIMA) for all port safety policy and port authority development. The MPF must be prepared to receive other vessels as required and is the key hub for resupply and reinforcement in the event of a crisis in the South Atlantic.

While the KHM role and tempo of the MPF is not directly comparable with a UK Naval Base, the requirement to achieve regulatory compliance remains the same, with the MPF subject to compliance audits from Capt Port Operations and Defence Maritime Regulators. Additionally, the Joint nature of BFSAI, the remote location and climate bring challenges to the port and this role. Future aspirations for the Port include exploring options for collaborative projects with interested partners, infrastructure upgrades and more exploitation of commercial opportunities.

This is a high profile and rewarding job offering excellent career development opportunities through working in a key operational location, delivering outcomes in a challenging environment and supporting Defence and wider UK Government objectives.

Job description

To be the Harbour Authority within the limits of the Falkland Islands Naval Port Ordinances 1987. To be the SEO/OF4 responsible for the safe control and operation of the MPF, the safe navigation of all ships and craft, and for the implementation of the PMSC, to achieve the objectives defined in the Guide to Good Practice. KHM has direct Line Manager responsibility for the Deputy King’s Harbour Master (DKHM) and is 2nd Reporting Officer (2RO) for a locally employed civilian Port Services Officer. As OC JMSU, KHM has responsibility for approximately 34 military staff.

To maintain a comprehensive Marine Safety Management System.

To direct the definition and marking of navigable channels within the Naval Ordinances of the port, and shore based navigational lights and marks, by applying the principles of a Competent Harbour Authority.

To manage and direct operations within the limits of the Naval ordinances the port.

To direct the operations of the pilotage service.

To continually develop the MPF to ensure it operates in an efficient, effective and economic manner.

To liaise with the FIG and FIMA for all matters concerning marine safety policy and port authority development.

KHM is accountable through the Port Duty Holder to the Secretary of State for Defence for the implementation of the PMSC and is in charge of the Marine Safety Management System.

KHM exercises full authority over all users of the port to ensure that the provisions of the

Falkland Islands NPO (1987) and other relevant legislation and orders are met.

KHM exercises managerial authority over:

DKHM post, and the EO (LEC) Support Role.

460 Port Troop, to the extent necessary for the safe delivery of marine services in support of waterfront activities.

Forward Support Unit (FSU) to the extent necessary for the safe delivery of marine services in support of waterfront activities.

Contracted navigational pilots.

Contracted tug services.

The Port Safety Steering Group.

Contractors working within the confines of the MPF, to the extent necessary to fulfil the operational and security outputs of the Naval Port.

KHM has direct liaison authority with:

HQ BFSAI SO2 Maritime for the safe implementation of movements and berthing plans.

Other services and civilian authorities, necessary for them to achieve their purposes.

KHM has responsibility to the following committees:

Port Safety Steering Group.

As a member of FIMA: National Oil Spill Committee, Hydrographic Working Group, Maritime Compliance Steering Group.

Other ad hoc boards and committees by invitation when required.

The principal tasks of the KHM are:

Enforcing the provisions of the Falkland Islands NPO (1987), continued implementation of the PMSC and the Guide to Good Practice.

Superintending movements within the Naval Port Ordinances to meet the Port Duty Holder and MOD safety requirements.

Directing the navigational pilot service in conjunction with the Chief Pilot, including assessing and authorising of new and existing pilots and control measures where necessary.

Allocating and controlling reserved areas where appropriate.

Directing the removal of vessels, neglected vessels, wrecks and other obstructions to safe navigation.

Authorising the position of mooring or anchorage areas.

Exercising control over military exercises, aquatic sports and recreational activities within the confines of the Port Ordinances.

Directing the positioning of buoys and navigation aids for MOD purposes.

Directing mooring and salvage operations affecting the safety of navigation within the Port Ordinances.

In conjunction with SO2 Maritime, issuing Local Notices to Mariners and navigation warning messages to meet relevant orders and legislation.

Command and control of oil spill countermeasures on the water.

To act as incident commander for emergencies within the Port Ordinance domain

Liaise with Commanding Officers of all visiting military and commercial vessels.

Liaise with FIMA on all safety related issues and hold joint safety meetings.

Undertake line management, mentoring and countersigning tasks as required by the role. This role has 4 direct reports and 7 countersigning roles.

This Position is 37 hours per week. Weekend working may be required, overtime subject to approval.

If you experience any technical difficulties with the CS Jobs system, please contact the Support Team via the Help link.

Person specification

The remoteness of BFSAI, and intensity and fast paced nature of work activities makes extensive experience of working in the maritime environment highly desirable, together with previous experience of harbour management and harbour regulatory requirements. The successful candidate must have the ability to analyse technical information, make informed decisions and provide competent advice.

The job has significant relationship management responsibilities; consequently, the successful applicant will need to be a confident individual who can communicate effectively verbally and in writing; work autonomously or as part of a team; and establish supportive working relationships with a large, diverse group of stakeholders across the Ministry of Defence, maritime industry and Falkland Islands community.

The post demands high degrees of self-motivation and integrity, the successful applicant will be a resilient individual who can work efficiently, effectively in a remote work location and lead by example.

Experience of responding dynamically to situations, often involving complex competing requirements, whilst keeping a broad stakeholder group engaged. Clear communication style to seniors and subordinates to maintain situational awareness.

The need to react regularly to dynamic circumstances requires the successful candidate to be flexible and adaptable; this includes regular management of conflicting priorities; prioritising work; and extending working hours as circumstances demand.

Licences

A valid UK Manual Driving Licence. (Licence must be held at point of application and be in date. Evidence will be asked for an interview)

Qualifications

You should possess:
either
A Certificate of Competency that meets the requirements of STCW Regulation II/2. These will primarily be Master (Unlimited), Chief Mate (Unlimited), or CQ 1 which is the RN equivalent qualification. However, a lesser CoC that meets the requirements of STCW Regulation II/2 will be accepted when supplemented with evidence of recent experience as Master on vessels appropriate to ports such as Coasters, Harbour Tugs, etc.
or
Have previously served as Harbour Master, or Deputy Harbour Master or associated senior role in a Port and either hold or are working towards their Harbour Master Diploma. (To meet this requirement candidates must be able to evidence 12 months in post.)

The following qualifications are desirable:
Port Marine Safety Code Duty Holder Certificate
MCA Level 5P Commanders Oil Spill Certificate
IMDG Code training / MOD GAER Qualification
Accident Investigation Training
IOSH Managing Safety in Ports

Evidence will be required at interview.

All qualifications, licences or memberships declared must be held at point of application and if applicable be in date.

Behaviours
The following online tests can be used to assess behaviours:
•Civil Service Judgement Test
•Civil Service Management Judgement Test
•Civil Service Styles Assessment

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving

Technical skills

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

• KHM 1 - Port Safety
• KHM 2 - Port Marine Safety Policy
• KHM 3 - Legislation
• KHM 5 - Incident investigation
• KHM 8 - Conservancy
• KHM 9 - Management of other marine activities
• KHM 10 - Port Emergencies
• QHM 11 - Manage the port marine environmental status

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £46,040, Ministry of Defence contributes £13,337 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Maritime skills supplement
• Cost of Living Addition (COLA) - subject to personal status
• Operational Deployment Allowance
• Accommodation according to personal circumstances
• Annual return flights to the UK and Chile
• Possible eligibility for Education/Schooling allowance

Mount Pleasant Complex also offers a wide range of recreation facilities including gym, swimming pool, go-carting, indoor climbing, indoor driving range, shops, and cafes.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Discover My Benefits:

Please follow the link to visit the Discover My Benefits site which showcases the benefits and discounts offered when working as a civilian for the MOD.

This post offers full relocation allowances subject to availability. Cost of Living Overseas Allowances is payable based on personal circumstances and marital status.

Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.

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.

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

Candidates should provide a CV outlining their Job History, Previous Skills and Experience. As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide a Personal Statement, of no more than 1000 words, the purpose of this is for you to showcase your relevant skills and experience and give examples of how you fit the requirements of the role.

The sift will be conducted on your personal statement and technical skills as listed in the Maritime Skills Functional Framework;1,2,3,5,8,9,10,11 at practitioner level.

The interview will be assessed on experience and technical skills as outlined above plus behaviours: Leadership, Communicating and Influencing, Changing and improving. You may also be asked questions during interview at an awareness level against all other technical skills in the Maritime Skills Functional Framework.

The sift will commence the week of the 28th September 2026.

Cyber and Specialist Operations Command (CSOC) is going through a significant transformation programme which aims to design the way in which the new Military Command conducts its business and delivers for Defence and the nation. As a consequence of this, posts within CSOC are/or may become subject to review and potential changes as we continuously improve across the period of the transformation programme. These changes may be minor or could be more substantive and will generate new opportunities. Throughout, the Command’s transformation programme is committed to following the MOD’s framework on managing and supporting people through the change process and places an emphasis on early and open consultation and engagement with the Command’s personnel and Trade Unions.

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points-based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical.

The role currently being advertised has not been assessed as business critical and is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected, and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigation's can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.

MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – we may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security 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.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 : Brigadier Charlie Harmer
• Email : Charlie.Harmer113@mod.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : DBSCivPers-ResourcingTeam1@mod.gov.uk

Further information

Please see Further Information document attached.

Attachments

20260518-Maritime_Specialists_Skills_Framework_V2-O Opens in new window (docx, 152kB)Further Information - External Opens in new window (docx, 30kB)Ministry of Defence – Revised Terms and Conditions of Service (TACOS) (5) Opens in new window (pdf, 298kB)Defence Civil Service Offer (5) Opens in new window (pdf, 1562kB)