Lead Surveyor - Training and Technical Performance

Job summary

Can you lead technical assurance, training and performance improvement across a specialist maritime workforce?

Do you have strong maritime surveyor experience and the confidence to support consistent technical standards across UK Technical Maritime Services?

Have you evaluated training, assurance or quality processes and used evidence to drive continuous improvement?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is seeking a Lead Surveyor – Training and Technical Performance to support the delivery of technical training, assurance and performance oversight across UK Technical Maritime Services. This role sits within the Training and Technical Performance team, which helps ensure technical staff, including surveyors, are competent, consistent and supported to deliver safe, high-quality maritime regulatory outcomes. You will provide specialist technical expertise, lead assurance and improvement activity, and work closely with colleagues and stakeholders to strengthen training, quality management and operational performance across the surveyor workforce.

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: Maritime and Coastguard Agency - Department for Transport Careers

Job description

As Lead Surveyor – Training and Technical Performance, you will support training assurance, technical performance monitoring and continuous improvement workstreams. You will provide specialist technical advice, analyse performance information and support governance, quality assurance and workforce capability development to help ensure consistent application of maritime standards, regulations and best practice across UKTMS.

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

• Leading technical performance assurance activity, including monitoring, remote verification and oversight visits.
• Analysing assurance, training and performance data to identify risks, trends and improvement opportunities.
• Supporting the development, delivery and evaluation of UKTMS training and capability-building initiatives.
• Providing technical leadership, guidance and coaching to support consistent interpretation of maritime standards.
• Maintaining quality records, assurance evidence and management documentation to support audit readiness and accreditation.
• Preparing high-quality technical papers, briefings and recommendations for panels, forums and senior leaders.
• Building effective relationships across UKTMS, the wider MCA, industry partners and external maritime organisations.
• Support branch planning, governance, stakeholder correspondence and deputise for the Head of Branch when required.

For further information on the role, please read the role profile . Please note that the role profile 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

Required experience:

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

• Experience of leading technical workstreams, assurance activities, audits, evaluations or improvement projects, using evidence and data to identify risks, trends and opportunities for improvement.
• Sound knowledge of assurance processes, with experience of applying these to support operational delivery, compliance and continuous improvement.
• Experience of evaluating training, quality assurance or operational processes and implementing improvements that enhance performance, compliance and organisational effectiveness.
• Ability to provide technical leadership, guidance and coaching to colleagues, supporting consistency, capability development and best practice.
• Strong understanding of governance, audit, quality management and continuous improvement principles.
• Proven ability to build and maintain effective relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders, influencing and collaborating to achieve shared objectives.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience of producing high-quality reports, briefings and recommendations.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality outcomes to agreed timescales.
• The post-holder to be computer literate and familiar in the use Microsoft 365 suite of applications

Additional Information

Medical Checks

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

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 32 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 th e 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. Ther e may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation.

• The post-holder will operate to a flexible (smarter) working pattern consisting of a 7.4 hour working day and over the course of a year the post-holder is contracted to work 1931 net conditioned hours.
• On occasion, there will be a requirement to work outside of normal conditioned hours.
• Work/Travel on official duty within and short-term visits overseas or offshore, which may involve overnight stays away from home.

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

Please note that we will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a visa . Therefore, this role is not open to applications from those who require sponsorship – candidates must ensure they have the appropriate right to work in the UK before applying. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

• Licences
• 1. A valid passport for international travel
• 2. Full Driving licence valid for driving in the UK

Qualifications

Previous experience as an MCA surveyor, having completed minimum of Core Competencies as per Marine Surveyor development Scheme (MSDS) within the preceding five years.

The minimum academic qualification required is one of:

(a) MCA Recognised STCW II/2 Master unlimited Certificate of Competency; or

(b) MCA Recognised STCW III/2 Chief Engineer unlimited Certificate of Competency;

(c) Honours Degree in Naval Architecture, Ship Science, Marine Engineering, Mechanical and Marine Engineering or Marine Technology.

(d) Applicants without the qualifications stated in a, b or c above, may also be eligible if they are Chartered Engineer (CEng) (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 marine industry experience will need to have be demonstrated to the satisfaction of an MCA S&I technical review panel.

Full details are in the Job Description attached.

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:

• Leadership
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

Technical skills

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

• As detailed in the MCA document MSF 4989

Understanding of Survey Process in MCA - Level 2

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £51,299, Maritime and Coastguard Agency contributes

£14,861 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).

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 MCA (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:

• Experience – you will be asked to provide a CV (unlimited wordcount) and personal statement (750-word count).
• In the CV please provide evidence of how you meet the Person Specification
• For the Personal Statement, provide evidence of your Experience of the following: • Sound knowledge of assurance processes, with experience of applying these to support operational delivery and compliance.
• Experience of leading technical wo