Director of UK Customer Maritime Services Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Details

Reference number

322576

Salary

£75,000 – £117,800

Existing Civil Servants: Candidates moving on level transfer within the Civil Service will retain their existing salary. Civil Service candidates on promotion will have their salary increased by 10% or receive the starting salary for SCS PB1 whichever is higher.

Job grade

SCS Pay Band 1

Contract type

Permanent

Type of role

Other

Working pattern

Flexible working, Full-time, Job share

Number of jobs available

1

Contents

Location
About the job
Benefits
Things you need to know
Apply and further information

Location

Southampton

About the job

Job summary

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) implements the government’s maritime safety policy in the United Kingdom and works to prevent the loss of life and occurrence of pollution on the coast and at sea. The Directorate of UK Customer Maritime Services is responsible for Seafarers Services, UK Concierge Service and Regulatory Innovation.
The Director of UK Customer Maritime Services provides strategic leadership across the directorate and ensures that governance matters are managed and delivered efficiently in accordance with Government requirements, the MCA business plan and our and values.

Job description

Principle responsibilities:

As a member of the Executive Team, actively participate in leading the organisation and fulfilling corporate responsibilities, demonstrating the highest standard of leadership.
Offer effective and inspiring leadership to your areas of responsibility within MCA. Cultivate a high-performance environment centered on excellence and continuous improvement through proficient communication, engagement, performance management, and development..
Lead the enablement functions within the directorate conducting business with effectiveness, efficiency, and with probity.
Collaborate with senior leaders across the MCA to make sound decisions, applying governance, advocating and ensuring adherence to legal, corporate and governmental standards and controls.
In MCA board meetings, execute any duties assigned as an Executive leader.
Provide high-quality Seafarer Services to MCA’s customers and stakeholders reflecting best practice in customer service.
Ensure the highest standards of training and competence among Seafarers holding UK certificates.
Lead the UK Shipping Concierge function, which includes overseeing account management, data analysis, market insights, and commercial operations.
Supervise the anticipation of regulatory innovation and the modernisation of MCA’s regulatory policy function.
Motivate innovative data and digital solutions to enhance customer service and supplier relationships.
Foster strong relationships with the Shipping Minister, Department for Transport colleagues, the international shipping industry, the Maritime Accident Investigation Branch, and the shipping Trade Unions.

Person specification

We seek an exceptional senior leader with substantial expertise in leveraging the maximum potential of a complex organisation in a dynamic and multifaceted environment. Candidates need not possess a maritime background and may have experience in the private sector, public sector, or both.
You will be able to evidence the following essential criteria:

Demonstrable leadership capability emphasising empowerment over control. The capacity to swiftly earn the respect of and get the best from a competent and highly motivated team.
Proficient strategic thinking, comfortable navigating uncertainty and capable of forming cohesion despite ambiguity. Able to identify opportunities for the UK arising from the MCA portfolio and anticipated future challenges.
A sharp intellect able to process the wide range of MCA responsibilities and opportunities, contextualising them within the goals and requirements of the broader Civil Service.
The credibility and confidence to influence within the boardrooms of major customers and large shipping companies.
Proven capability in managing budgets and risk in complex organisations.
A deep understanding of collaboration within Executive Teams and Boards to deliver the best organisation results, manage risk, and make optimum use of expertise.
Strong communication skills and personal presence, including the capability and credibility to establish and maintain trusting relationships at the most senior levels, demonstrating excellent judgement and political astuteness.
An excellent relationship builder whose instinct is to achieve benefits through collaboration. We seek to optimise relationships with customers primarily as well as within the Department for Transport, other Government Departments and both domestically and internationally.
Demonstrated personal resilience in situations where a strong moral compass is crucial alongside a determination to deliver results.

Benefits

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service values and supports all its employees. We have strong and pro-active staff networks, special leave policies for hospital appointments, reasonable adjustments put in place for those who need them, and diversity talent programmes to help everyone irrespective of background, to achieve their potential
Pension
Your pension is a valuable part of your total reward package. A competitive contributory pension scheme that you can enter as soon as you join where we will make a significant contribution to the cost of your pension; where your contributions come out of your salary before any tax is taken; and where your pension will continue to provide valuable benefits for you and your family if you are too ill to continue to work or die before you retire. Visit Civil Service Pension Scheme for more details.
Generous Annual Leave and Bank Holiday Allowance
25 days annual leave on entry, increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after 5 years’ service. This is in addition to 8 public holidays. This will be complemented by one further day paid privilege entitlement to mark the Kings’s Birthday.
Flexible working
This role is available for full-time or flexible working arrangements (including job share partnerships). If you wish to discuss your needs in more detail please get in touch with the named point of contact in this pack.
Generous paid maternity and paternity leave
This is notably more than the statutory minimum offered by many other employers.
Childcare benefits
Policy for new employees as of 5 April 2018: The government has introduced the TaxFree Childcare (TFC) scheme. Working parents can open an online childcare account and for every £8 they pay in, the government adds £2, up to a maximum of £2000 a year for each child or £4000 for a disabled child. Parents then use the funds to pay for registered childcare. Existing employees may be able to continue to claim childcare vouchers, so please check how the policy would work for you here.
Season Ticket and Bicycle Loan
Interest-free loans allowing you to spread the cost of an annual travel season ticket or a new bicycle.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

Application
To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process by no later than 23:55 Wednesday 8th November. The application will include:

A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
A Statement of Suitability (no longer than 1000 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the criteria in the person specification.

Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.
As part of the online application process, you will be asked a number of diversity-related questions. If you do not wish to provide a declaration on any of the particular characteristics, you will have the option to select ‘prefer not to say’.
All monitoring data will be treated in the strictest confidence and will not be provided to the selection panel.
Should you encounter any issues with your online application please get in touch with us via scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Selection Panel
The panel will also consist of:

Virginia McVea, CEO, Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
Chris Rodriguez, Non-executive Chairman, Maritime and Coastguard Agency
Katy Ware, Director, UK Technical Maritime Services, Maritime and Coastguard Agency
DFT HR Representative

Shortlist
Your application will be acknowledged when it is received.
The panel will select a shortlist of candidates whose applications best demonstrate suitability for the role, by considering the evidence provided against the essential criteria set out in the Person Specification. Candidates applying under the Disability Confident Scheme who meet the minimum selection criteria in the job specification are guaranteed an interview.
Interview
You will be asked to attend a panel assessment which will include an interview and presentation to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification. Interviews are expected to take place in person at our Southampton office and full details of the interview format will be provided to shortlisted candidates prior to interview.
Outcome and Feedback
Due to the anticipated number of applicants, we are unable to offer feedback to those not selected at longlist stage. Shortlisted candidates who attend an interview will be offered verbal feedback from a member of the interview panel
The timeline contained in this pack indicates the dates by which decisions are expected to be made. All candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter, and we will advise on any delays.
Key dates
We will offer as much flexibility as we can, but it may not be possible to offer alternative dates for assessments or interviews. You are therefore asked to note the below timetable and exercising flexibility throughout the recruitment and selection process in order to meet the dates given.
Please note that these dates may be subject to change.
The anticipated timetable is as follows:
Advert Close: 23:55 8th November 2023
Maritime and Coastguard Agency Sift: 20th November 2023
Interviews: w/c 11th December 2023
Should candidates like to discuss the role in more detail before submitting an application, please contact Rebecca.Humby@mcga.gov.uk

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

This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a 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.

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 :

SCS Recruitment Team

Email :

scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

Email :

scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint you should contact Eleanor.Reed@dft.gov.uk in the first instance.
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website Here