Marine Licensing Advisor

Job summary

Do you have experience working in the maritime sector, marine licensing, shipping, or a related safety and regulatory environment?

Can you apply your knowledge of maritime regulations, navigation safety, and marine operations to support informed decision-making?

Do you understand how marine developments and activities can impact shipping, navigation, and the wider marine environment?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

Join Marine Safety and PNT Services (MSPS), part of UK Technical Maritime Services (UKTMS), and help support the UK's maritime strategy for safer ships and cleaner seas. The team develops and delivers policies that promote marine safety and environmental protection, working across national and international regulations. Within MSPS, the Navigation Team leads on areas including navigation safety, marine licensing, offshore renewable energy developments, vessel traffic management, and the Ports and Marine Facilities Safety Code. Working with stakeholders across government and industry, you'll help ensure the UK's waters remain safe, sustainable and fit for the future.

Safer lives. Safer Ships. Cleaner Seas.

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 MCA:

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

Job description

As a Marine Licensing Advisor within Marine Safety and PNT Services (MSPS), part of UK Technical Maritime Services (UKTMS), you will be working within the Navigation Team, leading on the assessment and coordination of marine licence applications and offshore consenting cases, ensuring navigational safety considerations are fully considered and reflected in decision-making. You will provide expert advice and guidance on marine licensing matters, helping to maintain high standards of marine safety and environmental protection across UK waters.

The role offers the opportunity to work on a diverse portfolio of projects, including marine infrastructure proposals, oil and gas consenting applications, and emerging space launch activities. You will work closely with colleagues across government, regulators and industry stakeholders to assess the impact of developments on navigation and shipping, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation, international conventions and policy requirements. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to innovative and strategically important projects while supporting the transition to a more sustainable maritime sector.

This is a unique and varied role where no two days are the same. You will have the opportunity to work with different stakeholders not only within the MCA, but also with other maritime regulators and organisations throughout the UK. This role will give you vast exposure and allow you to build upon your knowledge and experience of maritime regulations and policies. This is a fast-paced environment where by you can work autonomously to shape the role and make it your own whilst establishing yourself as an expert in marine licensing and consenting.

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

1. Marine Licence Applications (Marine Management Organisation, Natural Resources Wales, Department Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs and Marine Directorate)

• Review, assess and evaluate all Marine Licence and Consent applications from the safety of navigation perspective, to ensure that the risk is As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP) with suitable and appropriate risk mitigation measures, ensuring all necessary information has been included and identify priority. Provide a response to the appropriate body with the required conditions and advice, within the timescales given.

2. Oil and Gas Developments

• Review, assess and evaluate all Oil and Gas Marine Licence and Consent to Locate applications from the safety of navigation perspective, ensuring all necessary information has been included and identify priority. Provide a response to the appropriate body with the required conditions, within the timescale given.

3. Additional Technical Support

• Monitor and manage the [email removed] inbox, answering queries, ensuring stakeholders are kept up to date on consultations and redirecting customer enquiries to the relevant policy leads where necessary.

4. Additional Support

• To coordinate responses to all consultations received and liaise with relevant experts and stakeholders across Marine Protected Areas, Offshore Renewable Energy, Ports and Marine Facilities Safety Code and Vessel Traffic Monitoring.

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:

• You will already have an understanding of the impact of works and activities at sea on shipping and safe navigation.
• Organisational skills with the ability to prioritise a heavy workload and organise your time to both manage conflicting priorities and plan ahead.
• Meeting deadlines and completing your work to a high standard will come naturally to you.
• You will have knowledge of maritime regulations or experience working in a safety-related industry.
• You will be an effective multi-tasker, who is proactive in developing your skills and knowledge, so you can support the wider business in meeting its objectives.
• You are a confident individual with excellent numeracy, analysis and writing skills.

Operational Delivery Profession (ODP) is the largest and most diverse professional community across the Civil Service. Many of us will have an association with several professional communities or specialisms, ODP applies to all public facing roles / or a role that is primarily aligned to supporting the work of those with public facing roles. All critical to the delivery of UK public services.

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 30 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