Coastal Operations Officer in Colchester

Can you support the logistic and administrative activities of the HM Coastguard? Do you have experience in leading operational response in the Coastguard or another emergency service? Have you got the skills to work independently and as part of a team? Please note the locations Bournemouth will be based at Southbourne, and Dorchester at Winfrith. If so, we’d love to hear from you!

We are looking for you to join as a Coastal Operations Officer (COO) within HM Coastguard (HMCG) which is the operational arm of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) with responsibility for 6 Coastguard functions - Search and Rescue, Pollution Response, Vessel Traffic Management, Maritime Safety, Maritime Security and Emergency and Disaster management.

There are three delivery disciplines within HM Coastguard: Maritime Operations, which coordinates activities from an operations room environment; Aviation, who operate the Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre (ARCC); and Coastal Operations, which manages resources and service provision on the coast. The Coastguard Rescue Service (CRS) is a declared facility operated by HM Coastguard. This post is part of Coastal Operations.

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary.
• 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 and a privilege day for the King’s birthday.
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

As a COO you will be part of the Area Management team, responsible for managing and supporting Coastguard Rescue Teams under the supervision of the Coastal Operations Area Commander to ensure that the Operational Area is at a state of constant readiness. You will be responsible for the support of governance, inspection, supervision, management and logistics of vehicles, equipment and estate within the Area.

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

• Support delivery of agreed Area objectives and inform the Coastal Operations Area Commander of developments and opportunities.
• Ensure adequate levels of supervision and governance, maintaining compliance with HMCG requirements and ISO 9001:2015, and supporting all associated checks and inspections.
• Comply with Equipment Management processes and ensure that HMCG properties are kept in good order and that Health and Safety policy requirements are followed.
• Support logistics within the area to ensure teams are equipped and supported.
• Support the implementation of MCA safety culture and HMCG safe systems of work within teams.
• Provide on-scene response to incidents, acting as HMCG Operational Commander (Bronze) or being part of the Operational Command team for multi‑agency responses.
• Support a trainer/instructor with logistics, safety or provide an assistant role during training deliveries and be familiar with associated policy, procedures and operations.
• Maintain regular and effective engagement with Coastguard Rescue Officers within the teams.

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.