Shipping and Maritime Activities Support Officer for the Defence Maritime Regulator

The Defence Safety Authority (DSA) is responsible for the Defence regulation of Health and Safety & Environmental Protection (HS&EP). The DSA provides evidence-based assurance to the Secretary of State for Defence that their policy on HS&EP in Defence is being promoted and implemented in the conduct of Defence activities.

This is achieved through proportional and appropriate evidence-based assessment of the activity that supports the Defence’s operational imperatives. Within the DSA, DMR is tasked to provide regulation, assurance and enforcement across the Defence Maritime Domain. This comprises all activity conducted by MOD Shipping (includes but is not limited to warships, submarines, landing craft and boats across Defence), in the Defence Ports and at Defence Harbour Facilities and in Defence Diving, both Military and Commercially contracted diving, in support of Defence activities. As new technologies and vessel types, such as autonomous vessels or the involvement of AI emerge, DMR is constantly looking at the maritime scope to ensure that HS&EP are assured going forward.

DMR consists of four sections: Regulation and Compliance, Executive and Enabling, Shipping Inspectorate and Maritime Assurance.

This post falls within the Regulation and Compliance (R&C) Section, as a key part of the Registry team. This team defines which organisations are within the domain, manages the Maritime Activities Register (including the Defence Shipping Register), liaises with new organisations and monitors the Regulated Community’s compliance with the DMR regulations.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week. 

This is a C2/HEO post based in Bristol within the R&C Team of DMR. This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Are you interested in how the warships, submarines, support vessels, small boats, diving activities, ports and harbours and the many other facets of the MOD’s maritime activity are assured as being safe and environmentally sound? This is an opportunity for you to gain invaluable experience of this multifaceted area of Defence.

Working in the Registry team, this post provides support to the Deputy Shipping Registrar. Through involvement in the definition of the maritime domain scope as regulated by the DMR, ensuring that scope is accurately reflected in a key tool of the DMR: Maritime Activities Register (MAR) which incorporates the Defence Shipping Register; and tracking the performance of the Maritime Domain in meeting the requirements of the Regulations, you will hold a pivotal position in supporting R&C and therefore DMR’s outputs.

You will be collaborating closely with the Community across Defence and providing advice and guidance to MOD organisations and teams at various levels. Therefore, you will be required to provide effective written communications as well as discussing and presenting face-to-face and virtually.

You will have the ability to work effectively in a team but also to take ownership of their own tasks and drive them to completion, whilst maintaining relationships across the DMR, DSA and the Regulated Community.

DMR is committed to supporting the development of its personnel and we will put together a package of training to enable you to gain the skills needed to deliver this role.

The DSA is strongly dedicated to promoting equal employment opportunity irrespective of your race, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, civil status, sex, or gender identity. Applications are strongly encouraged from candidates of all backgrounds, and we are actively working to establish a diverse workforce across the entire organisation. We are delighted to announce that we are an Equal Opportunities Employer and that we recruit purely based upon the merit of each and every individual applicant. We pride ourselves on our commitment to ensure recruitment of the very best individuals and acquire a diverse and inclusive viewpoint to our decision making. We can assure you that we search for all types of talent and are striving to make sure that all social groups are successfully represented. We work diligently to eradicate any bias and safeguard every protected status and characteristic as lawfully required under the 2010 Equality Act. Our dedication to promoting diversity is clearly reflected across our organisation and within our vision to foster an inclusive workforce. Defence harnesses the power of difference to deliver capability that safeguards our nation’s security and stability.

Your primary responsibilities will include:

• Supporting the DMR Deputy Shipping Registrar through handling the registration and documentation process for ships, vessels and Maritime Activities.
• Supporting DMR’s early engagement with maritime acquisition projects to ensure legislative and regulatory compliance is planned into the project, including the development of Compliance and Certification Strategies.
• Supporting the Maritime Activities Register (MAR) with responsibility to ensure it is populated and accurate.
• Taking responsibility for the day-to-day management and tracking of maritime domain compliance with DMR Regulations, and for developing and promoting the MAR as a tool for handling compliance.
• Taking responsibility for the DMR Operating Procedures relevant to your responsibilities: to include the production, review, amendment and validation of them.
• The provision of advice and guidance within DMR and to the Regulated Community within the scope of your Terms of Reference

It is essential that you have familiarity with the commonly-used MS Office 365 apps, specifically Word, Excel and Outlook. Familiarity with MS Teams, OneDrive, OneNote and SharePoint would be very useful.

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

• Managing a Quality Service
• Seeing the Big Picture

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

• HS&EP Competence Framework: HS&EP 1.1 Fundamentals

• Flexi-time scheme
• 25 days annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years’ service
• Ability to roll over up to 10 days leave per year
• In addition to 8 public holidays per year you will also receive leave for HM The King’s birthday
• Enhanced parental and adoption leave
• Employee Assistance Programme to support your wellbeing
• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

The post does not offer relocation expenses. 

External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period. 

 Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed. 

Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.  

Any move to MOD from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/. 

The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.  

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Job contact :

• Name : Ms Penny Sykes
• Email : penny.sykes629@mod.gov.uk
• Telephone : 07714 689484

Recruitment team

• Email : DBSCivPers-ResourcingTeam3@mod.gov.uk