Senior Technical Specialist

Aberdeen, Belfast, Cardiff, Colchester, Dover, Glasgow, Hull, Liverpool, London, Plymouth, Southampton

Job Summary
Can you bring clarity and insight to the complex world of maritime decarbonisation, driving progress through collaboration and deep technical understanding?

Do you feel confident navigating strategic conversations with senior stakeholders to shape the future of maritime innovation and transformation?

If so, we'd love to hear from you
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) implements the government's maritime safety policy in the United Kingdom and works to prevent the loss of life and occurrence of pollution on the coast and at sea. The Directorate of UK Customer Maritime Services is responsible for all Seafarers Services, the UK Concierge Service, and Maritime Futures.

The Maritime Futures team are responsible for horizon scanning domestically and internationally to consider how emerging trends and developments might affect current regulation and to provide insight that helps the MCA to present regulation that is future proofed for new and emerging technologies. The team will support the delivery of government policy as required, acting as a central hub and coordination of technical expertise, working in partnership with industry, academia and across government agencies. Maritime decarbonisation is at a critical point with the United Kingdom committed to Net Zero 2050. Digital transformation and autonomy will also play a significant part in the future of maritime and understanding the impact they will have on policy and regulation is essential.

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 and 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: Maritime and Coastguard Agency - Department for Transport Careers

Job Description
The Senior Technical Specialist will provide strategic leadership, insight and intelligence on Maritime Decarbonisation and associated areas including digital innovation, autonomy, and the ship to shore interface. They will provide in-depth knowledge of the agenda and keep pace with the speed of technology evolution, the market and the policy environment. They engage and provide thought leadership at a senior level with the Department for Transport Maritime Directorate, other government departments/agencies, infrastructure providers, academia, and the shipping industry.

Your Responsibilities Would Include, But Aren't Limited To:

• Providing in-depth and current intelligence and insight, across all aspects of Maritime Decarbonisation and Digitalisation (including policy/regulatory, behavioural, economic, structural and organisational matters) and be able to ground these insights with an understanding of the context of the wider maritime sector both domestically and internationally.
• Proactively developing and maintaining knowledge and understanding in key areas including technology evolution, the market, academic research, and the policy environment. Establish and maintain professional and technical credibility with stakeholders at all levels. Leverage relationships to achieve agency and wider govt ambitions.
• Actively engage with government and industry to provide the team's 'big picture' view on decarbonisation: technologies and fuels are likely to prevail, constraints of infrastructure, economic and technology development. Identifying required actions and supporting a coherent approach between industry, government and academia.
• Carry out technical analysis and critical reviews to generate evidence and new knowledge where required, or manage others in carrying out this work, including technical review and supervision. This includes input into business-critical models in central government where required.
• Responsible for the effective management of relevant staff ensuring that performance, attendance and conduct management are effectively delivered.
• Support, where required, requests for information around other future and emerging technologies and their potential impact on regulation.
• Working with other teams throughout the MCA to share knowledge and ensure a coherent approach to decarbonisation and technology priorities, with a joined-up narrative presented externally.

Great line management is important to us as an organisation, and we will equip and support line managers to develop the skills they need. We aim to empower line managers to create teams where people can flourish and deliver excellent outcomes for the public.

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.

The Senior Technical Specialist will provide strategic leadership, insight and intelligence on Maritime Decarbonisation and associated areas including digital innovation, autonomy, and the ship to shore interface. They will provide in-depth knowledge of the agenda and keep pace with the speed of technology evolution, the market and the policy environment. They engage and provide thought leadership at a senior level with the Department for Transport Maritime Directorate, other government departments/agencies, infrastructure providers, academia, and the shipping industry.

Your Responsibilities Would Include, But Aren't Limited To:

• Providing in-depth and current intelligence and insight, across all aspects of Maritime Decarbonisation and Digitalisation (including policy/regulatory, behavioural, economic, structural and organisational matters) and be able to ground these insights with an understanding of the context of the wider maritime sector both domestically and internationally.
• Proactively developing and maintaining knowledge and understanding in key areas including technology evolution, the market, academic research, and the policy environment. Establish and maintain professional and technical credibility with stakeholders at all levels. Leverage relationships to achieve agency and wider govt ambitions.
• Actively engage with government and industry to provide the team's 'big picture' view on decarbonisation: technologies and fuels are likely to prevail, constraints of infrastructure, economic and technology development. Identifying required actions and supporting a coherent approach between industry, government and academia.
• Carry out technical analysis and critical reviews to generate evidence and new knowledge where required, or manage others in carrying out this work, including technical review and supervision. This includes input into business-critical models in central government where required.
• Responsible for the effective management of relevant staff ensuring that performance, attendance and conduct management are effectively delivered.
• Support, where required, requests for information around other future and emerging technologies and their potential impact on regulation.
• Working with other teams throughout the MCA to share knowledge and ensure a coherent approach to decarbonisation and technology priorities, with a joined-up narrative presented externally.

Great line management is important to us as an organisation, and we will equip and support line managers to develop the skills they need. We aim to empower line managers to create teams where people can flourish and deliver excellent outcomes for the public.

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

*Essential Qualifications/licenses:*

• Engineering degree to Masters level (MEng, MSc) or equivalent experience
• Member of appropriate professional body (e.g. Chartered Engineer with IMechE, IMarEST, RINA)

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:

• Experience in carrying out detailed engineering analysis/modelling/research.
• Experience of communicating with a range of senior stakeholders and decision makers.
• Experience of working with ambiguity and articulating the links between their work and wider strategic goals with internal & external stakeholders.
• Experience and knowledge of engineering systems relevant or transferable to maritime decarbonization/digitalisation.
• Ability to translate complex technical content in an accessible and impactful way.

*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 work. There may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation.

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

If you have a question about hybrid working, part time/job share hours, flexible working, travelling for work, or require a reasonable adjustment, please contact the Vacancy Holder during the recruitment process to avoid possible disappointment later in the process should your working arrangements not be compatible with the requirements of the role (see below for contact details).

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.

Qualifications
Engineering degree to Masters level (MEng, MSc) or equivalent experience.

Memberships

Member of appropriate professional body (e.g. Chartered Engineer with IMechE, IMarEST, RINA).

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Working Together
• Changing and Improving
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Leadership

Alongside your salary of £57,515, Maritime and Coastguard Agency contributes £16,662 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

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 King's 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).

Selection process details

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

*How To Apply:*
Our selection process ensures a comprehensive assessment of each applicant's qualifications, skills, and potential fit within our organisation.

The Selection Process For This Role Will Be:
Stage 1: Sift of CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Stage 2: Interview and presentation.

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 Word Count) And Personal Statement (1000 Words). Please Provide Evidence Of Your Experience Of The Following:

• Engineering degree to Masters level (MEng, MSc) or equivalent experience
• Experience in carrying out detailed engineering analysis/modelling/research
• Experience and knowledge of engineering systems relevant or transferable to maritime decarbonization/digitalisation.
• Ability to translate complex technical content in an accessible and impactful way

The sift will take place week commencing 03 November 2025

Stage 2: Interview and Presentation
At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

• Behaviours – Leadership, Working Together, Changing & Improving & Seeing the Bigger Picture
• Experience

You will also be required to create and deliver a presentation to assess the Behaviour Seeing the Big Picture. Guidance will be provided if you are invited to interview.

The interviews will take place week commencing 17 November.

This interview will be conducted online via Microsoft Teams. Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.

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 you're 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 as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Document Accessibility
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

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 cannot access the information on our website for any reason, please email for assistance.

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
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 applicant's 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.

A criminal record is not necessarily a bar to obtaining employment.

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

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) 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 (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window).

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.

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window).

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 (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job Contact :

• Name : Keith Johnstone
• Email :

Recruitment team

• Email :

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact Government Recruitment Services via email:

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website Here