Maritime Coxswain & Operator for Advanced Defence Trials

UFORCE; England; On-site; GBP 52,000 - 76,000; Full time

Job summary

UFORCE is seeking an experienced Operator/Coxswain to support safe, credible maritime activity across crewed vessels and USVs in the UK. You will work with programme delivery, engineering, and training teams to translate operational plans into secure outcomes.

You will bring strong maritime credibility, practical Coxswain judgement, and the discipline to operate with limited direction in a sensitive defence environment. The role requires working on site in the UK maritime operations context.

Qualifications

• Credible maritime operational experience, ideally in crewed ships or littoral environments.
• Relevant maritime qualifications such as RYA/MCA Powerboat, STCW, VHF, first aid or sea survival.
• Proven Coxswain judgment and safe boat-handling beyond certificate ownership.
• Experience delivering training, demonstrations, or missions to military/government users.
• Ability to plan, brief, and deliver outcomes with limited direction.
• Strong safety, security awareness, and export-control sensitivity.
• Comfort working on site in a defence technology environment.
• Experience with USVs, UAS, or related autonomy tech is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Plan and execute maritime activity including briefings, launch/recovery, and post-run checks.
• Act as Coxswain during demonstrations, trials, training, and internal testing.
• Support safe USV operations with defined envelopes and handovers.
• Train military, government, partner forces, and customer users.
• Collaborate with engineering and systems teams to prepare activity and capture defects.
• Brief plans, risks, and tactical considerations to leaders and stakeholders.
• Maintain high standards of security and export-control awareness.
• Develop SOPs, checklists, risk controls, and training materials.
• Lead small teams during operations and training.

Skills

Coxswain judgement

Maritime operations experience

Crew training ability

Safety and risk management

Communications and briefings

USV/UAS exposure

Education

RYA/MCA Powerboat qualification

STCW/Sea survival

VHF/First aid

Job description

UFORCE is seeking an experienced Operator/Coxswain to support safe, credible maritime activity across crewed vessels and USVs in the UK. You will work with programme delivery, engineering, and training teams to translate operational plans into secure outcomes.

You will bring strong maritime credibility, practical Coxswain judgement, and the discipline to operate with limited direction in a sensitive defence environment. The role requires working on site in the UK maritime operations context.