Certification Officer - Customer Service

Maritime & Coastguard Agency; England; Hybrid; GBP 26,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

A government agency in the UK is seeking a Certification Officer specializing in customer service, focusing on ensuring compliance in seafarer training and certification. The successful candidate will provide exceptional service to seafarers and shipping companies while maintaining high standards in document assessment and certification processes. This role is hybrid, offering a balance of flexible working arrangements and on-site duties.

Benefits

Employer pension contribution of 28.97%

25 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Excellent career development opportunities

Flexible working options

Qualifications

• Experience in a customer contact environment, providing excellent service via telephone and email.
• High level of attention to detail to ensure quality standards.
• Proficient in using Microsoft Office applications.

Responsibilities

• Answer certification enquiries from seafarers, maritime colleges, and shipping companies.
• Review documents and assess eligibility for certification.
• Issue certificates and maintain high standards of quality.

Skills

Experience using Microsoft Office applications

Excellent customer service skills

Attention to detail

Job description

Certification Officer - Customer Service

Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Apply before 11 : 55 pm on Sunday 4th January 2026

Location : Southampton (Hybrid)

Salary : £26,607 - A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Contract Type : Permanent – Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time

Available positions : 2

This role is within the Seafarer Operations team which provides gold standard customer service to the seafaring community. The Seafarer Operations Team ensures the appropriate standards of seafarer training are maintained and that certificates and endorsements issued to seafarers and vessels comply with the relevant requirements while also providing a high level of customer satisfaction.

This is a customer facing role which supports seafarers through their certification journey, providing a class leading customer service along the way. The role ensures certificates issued to seafarers and shipping companies comply with the relevant legislative requirements and are issued accurately within our service level agreements.

Top Responsibilities

• Answering telephone and email certification enquiries from seafarers, maritime colleges, and shipping companies, delivering excellent customer service.
• Reviewing physical and digital documents provided by seafarers applying for certification, assessing their eligibility against MCA and regulatory criteria.
• Assessing applications for oral examinations and issuing Notices of Eligibility (NoE) or Assessment (NoA), while providing clear feedback to those who do not meet requirements.
• Assessing and issuing Certificates of Competency (CoC), Flag State Endorsements (FSE), and other required certifications such as GMDSS and VTS.
• Maintaining high standards of certification quality, ensuring applications are processed accurately and in line with quality assurance processes.

Benefits

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.

About you

You will need the following experience

• Experience using Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel).
• Experience working in a customer contact environment, providing excellent customer service via telephone and email.
• Experience in working with a high level of attention to detail to ensure work is of a high-quality standard.

Additional Information

The Seafarer Services phone lines are open to customers at the following times :

Mon - Fri 8.15am - 5.30pm

The role holder will be required to cover these opening hours on a rota basis and start / finish times may be variable subject to business need.

How to Apply

Read the full job description and apply using the link provided.

This vacancy closes at 23 : 55 on Sunday 4th January 2026