Maritime Operation Officer

Job summary

Our Maritime Operations Officers come from diverse backgrounds and age groups, united by a shared commitment to maritime safety and security, and a desire to make a difference.

You are the first person mariners and coastal users speak to when they call for help in an emergency. Your role is crucial in providing immediate assistance and coordinating the necessary response efforts to ensure the safety and security of those at sea and along our coasts.

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 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

You will be operating through the phones, radios and various other systems in one of our Rescue Coordination Centres, so whilst you won’t be out at sea, that doesn’t make what you’re dealing with any less real.

You will be the first point of contact for people who need our help. This could range from a call that someone appears in distress in the waters and needs help, through to a ship that requires assistance, sometimes with life-changing consequences to everything in between.

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

• Act as the first point of call for all public contact.
• Coordinate responses to both emergency and routine issues.
• Work as part of a team to organise the response to emergencies.
• Work with other Emergency Services to ensure the most effective and robust outcome is achieved.
• Ensure that you work to strict operating procedures.
• Accurately record, update and maintain incident logs, records and databases.

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.

If you want to hear more from our Maritime Operations Officers Click Here .

Person specification

This is an excellent opportunity to access a new career path, we don't ask for you to be an expert in this role and you should rest assured that we will provide you with all the training you need. What we particularly need from you are a number of core skills such as:

• Communication - you have to be a good communicator, you will be speaking to people who could be going through one of the most difficult experiences of their lives, they may be scared and panicked. You will have to keep them calm to be able to get the right information from them quickly and then effectively pass that on to others.
• Resilience - this role can be challenging, as you will handle incidents that may not always have positive outcomes. This includes calming individuals in severe distress and dealing with situations that may result in fatalities.
• Teamwork - you will be the first and sometimes only person a member of the public may speak to, but you will work with a team to coordinate responses. It's essential that you're the kind of person who can work effectively with others when it really counts.

Additional Information

This is a full-time post. The post holder is required to work a 12-hour shift pattern (both day and night shifts) to allow HM Coastguard to provide its 24-hour emergency service to the public, 365 days a year. On average the shift pattern equates to 37 duty hours per week over a 12-month period. As such, this position attracts several allowances to reflect the shift working and unsociable hours.

Please note that this is a uniformed role and uniform will be required to be worn at all times when on duty. 

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

Please contact if you have any further questions HR.Resourcing@mcga.gov.uk

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 .

This role is not suitable for hybrid working and will require the successful candidate to work solely from their designated workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, from other offices/work locations/visiting stakeholders.

If you have a question about 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.

You will be required to start in your role prior to your training in 2027, dates can be seen in the attachments below. You will be required travel to our Coordination Centres in Fareham and Southampton frequently throughout your training (expenses will be paid alongside accommodation provided).

The training programme will span 18 weeks and comprise 4 modules, each followed by an exam. Candidates are typically permitted one resit per module if they do not pass initially. Any resits may delay the overall completion of training and the release of full allowances.

Behaviours

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

• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £26,607, Maritime and Coastguard Agency contributes

£7,708 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, Strengths, Ability and Experience.

How to apply:

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

The selection process for this role will be:

Stage 1: Online test

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

• Ability - Numerical Test

After submission of the first stage of your application (personal details), you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Numerical test. If you successfully pass the test, 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). The closing date for the tests and application is 23:55, 09/09/2026. If you fail to complete the online test and submit the application before the deadline your application will be withdrawn.

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.

Stage 2: 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). Please provide evidence of your Experience of the following:

• Ability to work in a high-pressure environment, whether that pressure comes from the volume, pace or nature of the work.
• Experience of working in a fast-paced, service-led environment.
• That you can communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, so you are properly understood by all.

The sift will take place on the 10th and 11th of September 2026.

If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to the below:

Stage 3: Assessment

You will be invited to complete 2 assessments to test your abilities which will include 1) a call listening exercise, 2) an IT skills exercise.

The assessment will take place online via Microsoft Teams.

The assessment stage will take place the week commencing 14 September 2026 .

Guidance will be provided if you are invited to the assessment.

Candidates successful at assessment stage will be invited to interview.

Stage 4: Interview

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

• Behaviours – Delivering at Pace, Making Effective Decisions, Communicating and Influencing.
• Strengths

The interviews will take place the week commencing 28 September 2026.

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

You can find out more about our hiring process, how to apply, and application and interview guidance on our careers site (opens in a new window) .

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

We will also hold a 12-month reserve list for this role, which may lead to potential opportunities beyond the role you applied for.

Reasonable Adjustments

As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fai