Inspector of Marine Accidents (Naval Architect)

Job summary

Can you make sound, evidence-based decisions under pressure?

Have you written technical reports, findings, or recommendations for senior audiences?

Are you resilient and able to remain effective when dealing with challenging or sensitive situations?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

DfT is a high-profile department at the heart of UK government. We work with agencies and partners to support the transport network that helps businesses and gets people and goods travelling around the country. We plan and invest to make journeys better.

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 DfTc

Job description

Join the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), an independent part of the Department for Transport dedicated to improving maritime safety through the investigation of marine accidents and incidents. As an Inspector of Marine Accidents (Naval Architect), you will lead investigations, gather and analyse evidence, interview witnesses, produce reports and recommendations, provide specialist naval architecture expertise, and represent MAIB externally. This varied role involves worldwide deployments, working within a multidisciplinary team to identify causes and prevent future accidents. The Branch is responsible for investigating accidents and incidents involving UK vessels anywhere in the world, and any vessels within UK territorial waters, with the aim of improving the safety of life at sea and the avoidance of accidents in future. The Branch is not responsible for apportioning blame or liability, nor does it enforce laws or carry out prosecutions.

The MAIB comprises 34 specialist and administrative staff. Inspectors are divided into four teams each headed by a Principal Inspector.

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

• deploying to accident sites and leading investigations;
• collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses;
• conducting detailed analysis in order to identify safety issues and draft recommendations;
• writing investigation reports and safety bulletins;
• giving evidence at inquests and fatal accident inquiries;
• provision of inhouse naval architecture expertise;
• representing MAIB at industry working groups.

Special Features of the Role

Your commitment to deploy will be managed through a duty system whereby 4 duty teams rotate through a weekly cycle.

During your duty week you will need to be available to travel to accident sites at 2 hours’ notice. The following week (standby) you will be at 6 hours’ notice to fill in for or assist the duty team if it is deployed.

For weeks 3 and 4 of the cycle you will be expected to be contactable and available to deploy unless otherwise agreed. Duty rosters are published well in advance to enable you to plan ahead, and flexibility is possible to accommodate important family events and other commitments.

Flexible resourcing

Colleagues are expected to work with a degree of flexibility, meaning responsibilities may change to support priority delivery.

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

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.

Qualifications:

You must hold:

• BEng/BSc, or higher, degree in Naval Architecture or Ship Science;
• Chartered status as a naval architect;
• A full driving licence valid in the UK.

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

• working in an environment where delivery of evidence-based output, based on structured analytical techniques, has been a primary requirement;
• have the confidence and technical background to enable you to tackle accident investigations involving vessels of all types;
• working with others to solve a complex and/or multi-disciplinary problem, and then using the output of that work to successfully address a real-world challenge;
• considerable diplomatic skills, be comfortable engaging with people from all walks of life, and be empathetic when dealing with the victims, next-of-kin and others affected by marine accidents.
• have excellent verbal and written communication skills

Additional Information

Due to the nature of MAIB operations, you will be required to undertake physical activities such as working in disrupted environments, confined spaces and boarding vessels by pilot or shoreside ladders.

You will also be exposed to situations, information, and material that may be potentially traumatic. We therefore advise candidates to consider these requirements before applying.

Applicants, who are successful at sift, will be required to participate in a wellbeing and traumatic stress risk review and online personality questionnaire in advance of their interview. The risk review will include a short questionnaire which is followed up by a short telephone call with a psychologist. Potential applicants are welcome to contact the MAIB for further information (contact point below).

Please note also, that we will require successful candidates to undergo an occupational health assessment before starting in post. Candidates will be given more information on this assessment closer to the time.

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 full time for this role.

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 international overnight stays.

If you have a question about hybrid working, 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

Sponsorship is not offered for this role. Successful applicants must ensure they have and maintain the legal right to live and work in the United Kingdom.

Licences

• A full driving licence valid in the UK.

Qualifications

• BEng/BSc, or higher, degree in Naval Architecture or Ship Science
• Chartered status as a naval architect

Behaviours

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

• 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:

• Written Communication – (Accident Investigation Competence)
• Applying Expertise & Technology – (Accident Investigation Competence)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £84,838, Department for Transport contributes

£24,577 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 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, Ability, 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: Online test
• Stage 2: Sift of CV and personal statement
• Stage 3: Interview

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

Stage 1: Online test

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

• Ability

After submission of the first stage of your application (personal details), you will be invited to complete a Civil Service numerical and judgement tests. If you successfully pass the tests, you will be invited to complete the full application (please see ‘stage 2: sift’ for further information).

Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended) to give yourself enough time to complete your full application (please see ‘stage 2: sift’ for further information). Both the online test and the full application must be completed by the closing date on the advert, otherwise your application will be rejected.

Guidance for the tests will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.

You will be directed to the Talogy - True Talent – Scheduled Maintenance Window Webpage for online tests during an outage.

Our online test supplier will be performing scheduled maintenance between 4 p.m. and midnight on 27th September 2026 . You will be unable to access tests during this period.

If you are in the middle of a test when the maintenance begins, your progress will be paused. You will be able to resume your test from where you left off via your application centre once the down