Graduate Trainee Surveyor

Job summary

Have you recently graduated with a degree in an engineering discipline accredited to achieve Chartered Engineer status with the Engineering Council?

Are you ready to embark on a bespoke development plan tailored towards your career goals?

Does a graduate scheme working for an organisation delivering vital maritime safety work excite you?

If so, we are looking for a Graduate Surveyor to join us at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) implements the government’s maritime safety and environmental protection policies in the United Kingdom, working to prevent the loss of life and occurrence of pollution on the coast and at sea.

Safer lives. Safer Ships. Cleaner Seas.

Our vision is to be a world-leading organisation, accelerating the transition to sustainable shipping with non-negotiable safety standards. We put our people, our customers and our planet at the heart of everything we do.

We are committed to enabling all our colleagues to have purpose, professionalism and pride in what they do.

We work in supportive, diverse and inclusive teams. We want everyone to feel valued and supported to achieve their potential at MCA.

This culture of inclusion is underpinned by our staff networks groups including, Women’s, Men's, HM Reserves, Neurodiversity, Parental, Positive Supports, LGBTQI+, Race, Carers, Mental Wellbeing, Veterans Network and volunteer Respect Ambassadors.

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 King’s 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 Maritime and Coastguard Agency - Department for Transport Careers

Job description

As a Graduate Surveyor, you will complete a structured development training programme to become an MCA Marine Surveyor and gain an understanding of the Government’s Maritime Strategy for ‘Safer Ships, Cleaner Seas’. You will assist MCA Surveyors in maintaining high standards of marine safety, to minimise loss of life amongst seafarers and coastal users and minimise pollution from ships of both the sea and the coastline.

You will embark on a four-year development Graduate Surveyor Scheme. Your first two years will be spent gaining practical experience of a variety of different MCA tasks in a marine office, alongside theoretical learning about the role of a surveyor and the legal framework in which surveyors work.

Following a successful assessment, you will progress to an HEO Surveyor, where your responsibilities will increase and you will undertake some survey and inspection tasks independently, gaining experience as well as confidence. You will continue to develop your knowledge, learning more about larger vessels. At the end of the four years, you will be expected to progress to SEO Surveyor.

Your responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Gaining an understanding of MCA survey, inspection, audit and enforcement activities, including but not limited to Flag State Work, Legal Frameworks, Auditing Techniques and Human Element, and Convention Vessels.
• Assisting Subject Matter Experts (SME’s) and Marine Surveyors in maintaining high standards of marine safety; minimising loss of life amongst seafarers and coastal users, and minimising pollution from ships of both the sea and the coastline.
• Attending Marine Office/HQ Operations Management meetings as required.
• Maintaining accurate and up-to-date personal competence and training records; completing all the required elements of the MCA Graduate Trainee Surveyor training programme to a satisfactory standard; undertaking training and development opportunities so that the skill and capability profiles of the post-holder are maintained as directed by the line management chain.
• Attending relevant formal courses and modules to develop your skills and understanding.
• Treating all customers and stakeholders with respect as well as a positive and helpful manner; valuing diversity and demonstrating positive MCA behaviours.

For further information on the role, please read the attached 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

Essential qualifications/licenses:

1. You must hold a Full UK Driving License at the point of application to be eligible for this role.
2. Applicants should have completed an engineering discipline degree accredited to achieve Chartered Engineering status with the Engineering Council within the last 24 months. Examples include Naval Architecture, Marine Engineering or Mechanical Engineering.

Applications from those in the final months of their degree may be considered, subject to provision of acceptable evidence of predicted grades provided by the relevant University. Degree results must be held before employment commences.

You will be required to provide evidence that you hold any essential qualifications/licenses at some point during the recruitment process. If you cannot provide evidence, your application will be withdrawn.

Required experience:

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

• Relevant work experience or placements with transferable skills to the graduate surveyor role.
• Competence in IT and the ability to use Microsoft Office suite of applications.
• A willingness to learn, develop and follow a structured development programme supported by mentors and technical professionals.
• Excellent communication and team working skills.
• Relevant accredited Degree as stated above.

Additional Information

This role will be based at your relevant MCA Marine Office. MCA supports flexible working and operates a hybrid working model between home and office for this role, giving you greater flexibility over where and when you work. The expectation is that you will spend a minimum 60% of your working time based at your principal workplace or out on official business. Details of the arrangement will be discussed further with your line manager.

At the time of employment, you must reside within a reasonable commuting distance (45 minutes’ drive or 25 miles which either is least) from an agreed location within the supported geographical area. Relocation costs are not supported.

Successful candidates will be expected to undertake a physical medical. Please see the attached document for further information.

There will be a requirement for some travel on official duty within the UK, which may involve overnight stays. Notice will be given prior to travel.

This post is offered on a Fixed Term Appointment (FTA) basis for 24 months.

For permanent Civil Servants, this role is only available on loan, so you must have your home departments approval to return to them at the end of the loan before you apply. There is no opportunity for a permanent Civil Servant to take on this role as a fixed term appointment. OGD (Other government department) applicants will b