Ship Standards Autonomy Advisor

DfT; Southampton; Hybrid; GBP 33,000 - 41,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Civil Service Pension

25 days annual leave

Hybrid working

Job summary

Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) in the UK seeks a Ship Standards Autonomy Advisor to support and lead on UK regulations, standards and guidance for ship safety and marine environment protection. You will work with the Assistant Director Ship Standards and senior colleagues to deliver high standards while fostering innovation and cross-government collaboration.

You will engage with stakeholders, contribute to policy development, and coordinate impact assessments with economists to support UK

Qualifications

• High standard of drafting ability to produce quality submissions and documents.
• Experience using Microsoft Word, Excel and emails.
• Passport valid for international travel.

Responsibilities

• Lead on a specific subject remit: autonomy, with support from Senior Colleagues.
• Engage with Stakeholder Groups and MCA at meetings and external events.
• Draft instructions for Government lawyers and draft codes to meet UK objectives for shipping safety.
• Participate in MCA and externally funded Research Projects as requested.

Skills

Drafting submissions

MS Word

MS Excel

Email

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Email

Job description

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Location Southampton

About the job

Job summary Do you have an interest in maritime autonomy, policy and regulations? Can you draft high standard submissions and other policy documents? Are you confident at building relationships with stakeholders? Would you like to input and help develop standards and frameworks to make a positive change to maritime safety and environmental protection? If so, we love to hear from you! The Future Technical Standards Team sits within the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's (MCA) Directorate of UK Maritime Services (UKMS) and plays a vital role in developing and maintaining the UK's maritime safety and environmental regulations. Working across a diverse portfolio, the team is responsible for standards affecting all types of vessels, from small pleasure craft to large internationally trading ships. This is a technically challenging and rewarding role at the heart of maritime regulation, where you will help shape policy, develop regulatory requirements, and support the delivery of the UK's maritime objectives. You'll work closely with operational colleagues across the MCA, government departments, international maritime administrations, and industry stakeholders to address emerging issues and drive continuous improvement. If you are looking for an opportunity to apply your expertise in a collaborative environment while influencing the future of maritime safety and environmental protection, this role offers a unique platform to make a meaningful impact.

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

• 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), plus 8 bank holidays a privilege day for the Kings birthday.
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Read more in the Benefits section below!

Find out more about what it's like working at MCA:

MCA roles: Maritime and Coastguard Agency - Department for Transport Careers

Job description

As a Ship Standards Autonomy Advisor, it will be your responsibility to support and, in some cases, take a proactive lead in managing and developing UK regulations, standards and guidance for ship safety and marine environment protection subject areas. Working closely with the Assistant Director Ship Standards and senior colleagues, you will support UK Government objectives for a safe, sustainable, and commercially successful maritime sector. Drawing on your own expertise and collaborating with specialist colleagues, your work will contribute to ensuring high standards of maritime safety and environmental protection while enabling innovation across the sector. This is an exciting opportunity for you to help drive policy development and make a real contribution in the shipping industry in ensuring safer lives, safer ships, and cleaner seas. This role provides a dynamic working environment, with regular engagement with stakeholders at all levels.

Your responsibilities will include, but aren't limited to:

• Supported by Senior Colleagues lead on a specific subject matter remit: autonomy.
• Work with others in the team and the Innovation Hub to manage Stakeholder Groups and represent MCA at such meetings as well as other meetings, working groups, project groups and external events as required in support of key responsibilities and the work of Stakeholder Groups.
• Supported by Senior Colleagues, lead on the drafting of instructions for Government lawyers to facilitate the timely implementation of regulations and draft codes and guidance to implement UK objectives for shipping safety. Coordinate the development of associated impact assessments in conjunction with Government economists.
• To partake in MCA and externally funded Research Projects as requested.

For further information on the role, please read the role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.

Person specification

Required experience:

To be successful in this role you will need to have the following experience:

• Candidates must be able to demonstrate a high standard of drafting ability to allow them to draft quality submissions and other documents.
• Demonstrable knowledge of and experience in use of Microsoft Office Word, Excel and emails.
• A passport valid for international travel is required.

Additional Information

Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements

Full time roles consist of 37 hours per week.

Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement for the successful candidate to be able to work at least 23 hours per week.

This role is suitable for hybrid working, which is a non-contractual arrangement where a combination of workplace and home-based working can be accommodated subject to business requirements.

The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time a month will be spent at either your designated workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, in another office/work location/visiting stakeholders. Your designated workplace will be your contractual place of work. There may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation.

This role requires occasional UK and overseas travel which may involve overnight stays and working outside of normal hours, potentially at weekends.

Visa Sponsorship

Please note that we will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a visa. Therefore, this role is not open to applications from those who require sponsorship; candidates must ensure they have the appropriate right to work in the UK before applying. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

Behaviours

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Changing and Improving
• Working Together
• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace

Technical skills

• Analysis and use of evidence Policy Framing (Level 2)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of 37,090, Maritime and Coastguard Agency contributes 10,744 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

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 Kings 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.

Find out more about the benefits of working at DfT and its agencies (opens in a new window).

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Further information on the selection process: The selection process for this role will be: Stage 1: Sift of CV, personal statement and Technical question Stage 2: Interview You must be successful at each stage to progress to the next stage. Stage 1: Sift At sift, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

• Experience you will be asked to provide a CV (unlimited wordcount) and personal statement (750-word count). Please provide evidence of your Experience of the following:
• Candidates must be able to demonstrate a high standard of drafting ability to allow them to draft quality submissions and other documents.
• Demonstrate exceptional written and verbal communication skills as well as stakeholder engagement skills, with the capability to build rapport quickly with both internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrable knowledge of and experience in use of Microsoft Office Word, Excel and emails.
• Technical - you will be asked to provide a 250 -word statement on the following question below, assessing Analysis and use of evidence Policy Framing (Level 2): Understand the policy process. Please show how you have developed expertise within a policy area to operate credibly and effectively.

The sift will take place from 10/11/2026. Stage 2: Interview At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

• Behaviours (Seeing the Big Picture, Changing and Improving, Working Together, Making Effective Decisions and Delivering at Pace)

The interviews will take place week commencing 30/11/2026. This interview will be conducted in person in our Southampton office (Spring Place, 105 Commercial Road, Southampton, SO15 1EG). Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview. You can find out more about our hiring process, how to apply, and application and interview guidance on our careers site (opens in a new window).

Further information on the selection process: We will also hold a 12-month reserve list for this role, which may lead to potential opportunities beyond the role you applied for. You can read more about our reserve lists here.

Reasonable Adjustments As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. Complete the Assistance required section in the Additional requirements page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if youre deaf, a Language Service Professional. If you need a reasonable adjustment so that you can complete your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via [e-mail] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Document Accessibility This job advert contains links to the DfT Careers website. Our website provides useful guidance and information that can support you during the application process. If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert or the information on our website, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Further Information For more information about how we hire, and for useful tips on submitting your application for this role, visit the How We Hire page of our DfT Careers website. You can find detailed information about the recruitment process and what to expect when applying for a role.

Pre-employment Checking If your application is successful but you have been dismissed from the Civil Service, your application could be removed at the pre-employment checking stage depending on the nature of the dismissal. Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicants details held on the IFD will be refused employment. A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

All External applicants and current employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) will be required to undergo a Social Media Check. A Social Media Check is a review of your publicly available online activity, typically across platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and others. The purpose is to identify any public posts or content that could raise concerns for employers such as:

• Hate speech or discriminatory behaviour
• Threats or acts of violence
• Illegal activity or substance misuse
• Sexually explicit material
• Extremist views or affiliations

Importantly, this check does not involve hacking into your accounts or accessing private messages. It only considers content you have chosen to make public. Employers use this kind of screening to help ensure their workplace remains safe, inclusive, and aligned with company values. Its not about judging your personality or lifestyleits about checking for potential red flags that might affect the role or company culture. If you have questions or concerns about the social media check, we would be happy to explain in more detail whats being looked at and how your data is handled securely and fairly.

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

Security Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard 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 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. 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. Diversity and Inclusion The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.