Army Maritime Inspection and Advisory Team

at  Ministry of Defence

JOB SUMMARY

The Ministry of Defence employs over 50,000 Civil Servants. Within that, the Army Top Level Budget (TLB) employs around 7,000 MOD Civil Servants located at over 300 locations. Ours is a diverse workforce, with roles ranging from trainers, human resources, teachers, and psychologists to storekeepers, financiers, project and programme managers, and policy secretariat staff. There are many different functions and professions delivering key outputs for the Army. As such using data to aid understanding of our workforce is vital.
The Army operates a large fleet of small boats, workboats, landing craft, bridging units, and powered rafts collectively known as the ‘Army Maritime Capability’. Leading all aspects of the capability is the Chief Maritime Officer, with a team of experienced maritime operators who assist in the management of that capability, but also conduct second party assurance activity at our units around the world. This is to ensure that our people are not only operating safely but are operating safe equipment.
A great opportunity has arisen for an experienced maritime professional to join the Army Maritime Inspection and Advisory Team (AMIAT) and contribute their knowledge and experience to a vital safety organisation. The team also provides a value assessment about the operational effectiveness of the maritime units that they assure.
Our team has an exciting and varied programme of activities and influence. Over the course of an assurance year there will be travel around the UK to conduct assurance visits of both boats and water safety equipment. Several times a year there will be overseas travel requirements to places as diverse as Cyprus, Germany, and Brunei, or other areas where the Army may be operating or exercising to conduct safety and effectiveness assessments.
Our team members also have a meaningful role in tracking maritime standard methodology in the commercial world, using that knowledge to develop and modernise best practice in our policy and governance, training, and relevant accreditation for our people.
We also provide assurance, advice, and partner interaction in areas deemed cross boundary between the Services, experimental, adventurous training, autonomy, diving, and ports, harbours, and marine facilities.
Finally, if that wasn’t already enough to attract you to the team, there is a relevant role to play in the defining, design, and development of our future boat procurement programme.
This position is advertised at 37 hour per week.

JOB DESCRIPTION

We are recruiting for a Civil Service Marine Services Officer Class 2 (MSO 2). Marine Services Officers are predominately Maritime professionals drawn from a mixed range of commercial shipping organisations or the Armed Forces. Their function is to provide support to MOD and other government departments that require marine expertise. MSOs are a small, specialist uniformed branch of the Civil Service.
The position will be based at Marchwood, Southampton with occasional days at Army Headquarters, Andover, and of course UK and overseas travel as necessary to conduct assurance activity.

As a valued member of our small team your main duties and responsibilities will include:

• As a Lead Auditor, you will deliver Second Party Assurance in the UK & overseas for Army vessel and craft operating procedures, and MOD issued Water Safety Equipment against relevant legislation and regulation to ensure the organisation is safe to operate and is operating safely.
• With the AMIAT team you will conduct annual Maritime Functional & Efficiency Inspections on Army vessels and craft to provide assurance to the authority that they are ‘operated safely’ and operationally effective.
• You will use your maritime knowledge and experience to assist with the authoring and maintenance of Army Maritime policy & other related publications, forms, and documents, to ensure compliance with legislation & regulation.
• Within your role you will be maintaining a database of Water Safety Equipment inspections, and quantities held.
• You will actively monitor all maritime accidents and near misses within the Army Maritime domain, analysing to identify trends and opportunities for Organisational Learning. Where appropriate you may be called on to assist with & or support Maritime accident or incident investigations.
• You will be actively monitoring industry trends, developments and innovations with commercial craft operating procedures and the wider use of commercially available Water Safety Equipment (WSE), seeking opportunities to improve our own operating practices.
• Army Maritime works closely with other MOD small craft operators, and you will be developing close working networks and relationships to help improve commonality of training and practices.

Above all, this is a unique opportunity to bring your skills and experience to bear in helping to make our soldiers safer on the water, our operating practices more effective, influence the development of new craft in a constantly evolving technological arena and against a backdrop of a complex operating environment.
Could you influence and inspire the next generation of soldiers operating in the maritime environment? Then this role could be you!
You can find out a bit more about some of the units you will be working with here:
17 Port and Maritime Regiment , The British Army (mod.uk)
1 Royal School of Military Engineering Regiment , The British Army (mod.uk)
If you need to contact Defence Business Services (DBS) regarding this vacancy, please indicate that your vacancy is being handled by Resourcing Team 1. If you experience any technical difficulties with the CS Jobs system, please contact the Support Team at candidate@support.oleeo.com

QUALIFICATIONS – ESSENTIAL:

On entry, maritime professional staff joining as an MSO2 Retained Grade, in this post, must have at least one of the following qualifications:

• MCA recognised STCW II/1 Certificate of Competency; or
• MCA Recognised STCW III/1 Chief Engineer Limited Certificate of Competency; or
• RN Ship Command Qualifications or Engineering Equivalent; or
• Foundation degree/HND or higher in Naval Architecture, Marine Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Marine Technology or Port Operations; or
• Royal Marines Landing Craft Officer Qualified and extensive post qualification experience; or
• Royal Marine Landing Craft 1 and extensive post qualification experience; or
• Army Maritime RLC Mariner Class 1 and extensive post qualification experience.
• Applicants will need to meet MCA ENG 1 medical fitness standards.

QUALIFICATIONS – DESIRABLE:

• ISO 9001/ISM Code, Lead Auditor Training.
• Fundamentals of Accident Investigation.
• Certificate in Maritime Safety Management.
• IMO/MCA MARPOL Incident Manager Level 4/5.
• Project management qualified.
• RYA commercially endorsed Advanced Powerboat Operators certificate. Or RYA Powerboat trainer.
• In depth knowledge of commercially available WSE.
  Evidence of qualification and experience will be required at interview (Appropriate certificates and log books).
  All qualifications/licences declared must be held at point of application and if applicable be in date.

QUALIFICATIONS

a) MCA recognised STCW II/1 Certificate of Competency; or
b) MCA Recognised STCW III/1 Chief Engineer Limited Certificate of Competency; or
c) RN Ship Command Qualifications or Engineering Equivalent; or
d) Foundation degree/HND or higher in Naval Architecture, Marine Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Marine Technology or Port Operations; or
e) Royal Marines Landing Craft Officer Qualified and extensive post qualification experience; or
f) Royal Marine Landing Craft 1 and extensive post qualification experience; or
g) Army Maritime RLC Mariner Class 1 and extensive post qualification experience.
Evidence of qualification will be required at interview.
All qualifications/licences declared must be held at point of application and if applicable be in date. Equivalent Qualifications will not be accepted.

TECHNICAL SKILLS

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

• IC2 and IC3 against the Maritime Competency Skills Framework (attached).
• Evidence of qualifications and experience (Log Books, Certificates).

Benefits
Alongside your salary of £48,465, Ministry of Defence contributes £13,085 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
The Army prides itself on being a supportive employer and where possible encourages flexible working, helping you to maintain a great work/life balance.

Other benefits for Army civil servants include:

• 25 days paid annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years’ service
• Highly competitive pension scheme
• Personal and professional development of skills
• Alternative working patterns for many roles
• Access to the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), a free service that assists you with achieving a productive, healthy environment that is conducive to a healthy lifestyle.
• Enhanced parental and adoption leave
• 6 days special leave per year which can be used for volunteering activities
• Learning and Development

We believe that everyone has the potential to make a difference and you will be supported to help you learn and advance in your career. This includes working towards membership of a professional body and/or undertaking a modern apprenticeship as part of your role.
A modern apprenticeship is a combined package of work and training. Through the schemes available you will gain a professional qualification, practical experience, and the broader skills required to develop in your current role and pave the way for your future career.

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)

As a valued member of our small team your main duties and responsibilities will include:

• As a Lead Auditor, you will deliver Second Party Assurance in the UK & overseas for Army vessel and craft operating procedures, and MOD issued Water Safety Equipment against relevant legislation and regulation to ensure the organisation is safe to operate and is operating safely.
• With the AMIAT team you will conduct annual Maritime Functional & Efficiency Inspections on Army vessels and craft to provide assurance to the authority that they are ‘operated safely’ and operationally effective.
• You will use your maritime knowledge and experience to assist with the authoring and maintenance of Army Maritime policy & other related publications, forms, and documents, to ensure compliance with legislation & regulation.
• Within your role you will be maintaining a database of Water Safety Equipment inspections, and quantities held.
• You will actively monitor all maritime accidents and near misses within the Army Maritime domain, analysing to identify trends and opportunities for Organisational Learning. Where appropriate you may be called on to assist with & or support Maritime accident or incident investigations.
• You will be actively monitoring industry trends, developments and innovations with commercial craft operating procedures and the wider use of commercially available Water Safety Equipment (WSE), seeking opportunities to improve our own operating practices.
• Army Maritime works closely with other MOD small craft operators, and you will be developing close working networks and relationships to help improve commonality of training and practices