Truro Harbour Master

Cornwall Council; Truro; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Cornwall Council in Truro seeks a Harbour Master to assume statutory responsibility for the safe operation and regulation of the Port of Truro, ensuring compliance with legislation and harbour authority duties.

You will lead a small maritime team, plan harbour operations, drive development initiatives, and balance commercial shipping with leisure boating, reporting to the Maritime Manager and adapting to tidal and operational demands.

Qualifications

• Strong commercial awareness with the ability to support port growth and income generation
• Proven experience in harbour or port operations, ideally within a mixed commercial and leisure environment
• Sound knowledge of commercial shipping operations alongside leisure boating management
• The ability to make independent, high-stakes decisions in a regulated environment
• A clear understanding of marine legislation, safety standards, and harbour authority duties
• Excellent leadership skills, with experience managing teams and fostering high performance

Responsibilities

• Plan, organise, and direct harbour operations, ensuring efficient and effective service delivery
• Take key independent decisions on navigational safety, port operations, and commercial priorities
• Drive port development initiatives, supporting increased utilisation and long-term growth
• Balance the needs of commercial shipping, marine operators, and leisure boating communities
• Oversee harbour administration and licensing, ensuring robust, modern, and customer-focused processes
• Act as the Council’s Principal Boat Licensing Officer, leading on implementation, compliance, and review
• Working closely with the Maritime Manager, you will co-ordinate harbour activities while retaining flexibility to adapt to operational and commercial demands.

Job description

The Service & Team:

This is a unique opportunity to play a pivotal role in growing and evolving a mixed-use port, balancing the needs of commercial shipping, marine businesses, and leisure users, while ensuring the highest standards of safety, compliance, and environmental stewardship.

The Role:

As Harbour Master, you will hold statutory responsibility for the safe operation, regulation, and control of the Port of Truro, ensuring full compliance with relevant legislation and harbour authority obligations.

Beyond this, the role places a strong focus on commercial awareness and port development. You will actively contribute to the economic success and sustainability of the harbour, identifying opportunities to enhance revenue, optimise assets, and support marine growth across commercial and leisure sectors.

You will:

• Plan, organise, and direct harbour operations, ensuring efficient and effective service delivery
• Take key independent decisions on navigational safety, port operations, and commercial priorities
• Drive port development initiatives, supporting increased utilisation and long-term growth
• Balance the needs of commercial shipping, marine operators, and leisure boating communities
• Oversee harbour administration and licensing, ensuring robust, modern, and customer-focused processes
• Act as the Council’s Principal Boat Licensing Officer, leading on implementation, compliance, and review

Working closely with the Maritime Manager, you will co-ordinate harbour activities while retaining flexibility to adapt to operational and commercial demands.

Leadership & Responsibility

This is the most senior Harbour Master position within the Maritime Section. You will:

• Provide direct leadership to a Senior Maritime Assistant
• Oversee the operational delivery of Seasonal Patrol Officers
• Ensure high standards of performance, development, and discipline within the team
• Deputise for the Maritime Manager as required, contributing at a strategic level

Working Pattern:

The post is based on a standard Monday to Friday working pattern. However, the role requires a flexible approach to working hours in order to meet the operational and service requirements of the organisation. This may include occasional evening, weekend, and unsocial hours working, as well as attendance outside normal working hours to support operational activities, including those influenced by tidal conditions and marine operations.

What you’ll need to succeed:

We are looking for a confident and capable maritime professional who brings:

• Strong commercial awareness with the ability to support and influence port growth and income generation
• Proven experience in harbour or port operations, ideally within a mixed commercial and leisure environment
• Sound knowledge of commercial shipping operations alongside leisure boating management
• The ability to make independent, high-stakes decisions in a regulated environment
• A clear understanding of marine legislation, safety standards, and harbour authority duties
• Excellent leadership skills, with experience managing teams and fostering high performance

You will be a forward-thinking leader who can balance compliance with innovation, and operational demands with long-term strategic development.