Southampton
Job Summary
Are you a dynamic technological leader keen to make a real difference to innovation in the UK's maritime sector?
Have you got experience leading diverse teams across complex tasks?
If so, we'd love to hear from you
As Assistant Director of the UK Maritime Innovation Hub, you will shape a strategic initiative that positions the UK as a global leader in the adoption of novel maritime solutions. This role combines visionary leadership with hands-on delivery, driving the adoption of cutting-edge technologies in areas such as autonomy, alternative fuels, and digital systems. You will build and lead a high-performing team with outstanding technical expertise and excellent customer service, forge partnerships across government and industry, and ensure innovation aligns with safety, regulatory compliance, and the UK's decarbonisation and growth ambitions.
You will join the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) which 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 (UKCMS) oversees several key functions, including the UK Ship Register, Seafarer Services (covering standards, qualifications, certification, medicals, and welfare), the UK Shipping Concierge, Key Account Management, and the Maritime Innovation Hub.
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: Maritime and Coastguard Agency - Department for Transport Careers
Job Description
This role leads the Maritime Innovation Hub which supports UK Flag customers in adopting new maritime technologies such as autonomy, alternative fuels, and digital systems safely and efficiently.
You will champion and drive innovation aligning MCA strategic objectives and UK Government decarbonisation and economic growth objectives. You'll partner with UK Technical Maritime Services (UKTMS) and other directorates ensuring compliance with technical, regulatory and governance standards.
Collaborating with MCA teams, Department for Transport (DfT), industry and international partners, you'll position the flag as progressive and responsible. You will be responsible for the Maritime Innovation Hub's operating model, performance and stakeholder engagement to deliver measurable impact complementing UKTMS's technical and regulatory leadership.
Your Responsibilities Will Include, But Aren't Limited To:
* Establishing and leading the UK Maritime Innovation Hub as a recognised centre of excellence for customer-focused maritime innovation, aligned with decarbonisation and MCA strategic goals.
* Leading stakeholder engagement and strategic communications to elevate the Hub's profile, including the design and execution of high-impact promotional strategies that clearly demonstrate its contribution to economic growth and reinforce the UK's position as a global frontrunner in maritime innovation.
* Providing a dedicated front-door servicefor innovators seeking regulatory engagement on novel technologies by overseeing the customer journey from early engagement to regulatory navigation and certification support.
* Acting as Service Owner and Innovation Lead being responsible for the design, delivery and continuous improvement of the Hub's operating model, including the "Innovation Concierge" service.
* Facilitating regulatory innovation collaborating with internal teams, classification societies, and international partners.
* Leading cross-functional collaboration to ensure the Hub's activities are integrated with wider policy, operational delivery, and international engagement strategies.
* Managing the Innovation Hub's resources and budget ensuring effective use of funding, alignment with MCA priorities, and compliance with Sponsorship Board expectations.
* Monitoring and evaluating performance using data and stakeholder feedback to drive continuous improvement.
* Representing the MCA at national and international events advocating for regulatory agility and innovation leadership, in partnership with UKTMS and relevant directorates.
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 attached. 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.
This role leads the Maritime Innovation Hub which supports UK Flag customers in adopting new maritime technologies such as autonomy, alternative fuels, and digital systems safely and efficiently.
You will champion and drive innovation aligning MCA strategic objectives and UK Government decarbonisation and economic growth objectives. You'll partner with UK Technical Maritime Services (UKTMS) and other directorates ensuring compliance with technical, regulatory and governance standards.
Collaborating with MCA teams, Department for Transport (DfT), industry and international partners, you'll position the flag as progressive and responsible. You will be responsible for the Maritime Innovation Hub's operating model, performance and stakeholder engagement to deliver measurable impact complementing UKTMS's technical and regulatory leadership.
Your Responsibilities Will Include, But Aren't Limited To:
* Establishing and leading the UK Maritime Innovation Hub as a recognised centre of excellence for customer-focused maritime innovation, aligned with decarbonisation and MCA strategic goals.
* Leading stakeholder engagement and strategic communications to elevate the Hub's profile, including the design and execution of high-impact promotional strategies that clearly demonstrate its contribution to economic growth and reinforce the UK's position as a global frontrunner in maritime innovation.
* Providing a dedicated front-door servicefor innovators seeking regulatory engagement on novel technologies by overseeing the customer journey from early engagement to regulatory navigation and certification support.
* Acting as Service Owner and Innovation Lead being responsible for the design, delivery and continuous improvement of the Hub's operating model, including the "Innovation Concierge" service.
* Facilitating regulatory innovation collaborating with internal teams, classification societies, and international partners.
* Leading cross-functional collaboration to ensure the Hub's activities are integrated with wider policy, operational delivery, and international engagement strategies.
* Managing the Innovation Hub's resources and budget ensuring effective use of funding, alignment with MCA priorities, and compliance with Sponsorship Board expectations.
* Monitoring and evaluating performance using data and stakeholder feedback to drive continuous improvement.
* Representing the MCA at national and international events advocating for regulatory agility and innovation leadership, in partnership with UKTMS and relevant directorates.
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 attached. 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:
* An honours degree in a relevant technical subject with practical experience in the maritime industry and/or in technology/ innovation sector.
* A valid passport for international travel.
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:
* Practical experience in the maritime industry and/or in technology/ innovation sector
* Experience in leading diverse teams across complex tasks.
* Experience in leading large innovation projects to deliver business change.
* Skilled in engaging with stakeholders at various levels, including international, national, and local levels.
*Additional Information
Operational Delivery Profession
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
.*
*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.
Regular travel to other UK offices as well as international travel will be required, which may involve overnight stays.
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.
Security Checks
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Security Clearance (opens in a new window).
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Licences
A valid passport for international travel
Qualifications
An honours degree in a relevant technical subject with practical experience in the maritime industry and/or in technology/ innovation sector.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
* Seeing the Big Picture
* Leadership
* Working Together
* Making Effective Decisions
* Communicating and Influencing
Alongside your salary of £67,313, Maritime and Coastguard Agency contributes £19,500 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 MCA (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
Stage 2: Presentation and Interview
You must be successful at each stage to progress to the next stage.
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
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 wordcount) and personal statement (1,000 word count). Please provide evidence of your experience of the following:
* Degree in a technical subject
* Experience in the maritime industry and/or in technology/ innovation sector.
* Experience in leading diverse teams across complex tasks.
* Experience in leading large innovation projects to deliver business change.
* Experience of stakeholder engagement at various levels, including international, national, and local levels.
The sift will take place week commencing 06/10/2025
Stage 2: Presentation and Interview
At assessment stage, you will be invited to complete a presentation and interview. This will take place in person at our Southampton office.
Your presentation will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:
* Behaviours
* Seeing the Bigger Picture
* Making Effective Decisions
The details of the presentation will be shared with candidates one week prior to interview.
At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:
* Behaviours:
* Seeing the Big Picture
* Leadership
* Working Together
* Making Effective Decisions
* Communicating and Influencing
* Experience:
* maritime industry and/or in technology/ innovation sector.
The interviews will take place week commencing 13/10/2025.
You can find out more about our hiring process, how to apply, and application and interview guidance on our careers site (opens in a new window).
Please note that we will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change.
Further information on the selection process
Feedback on your application can only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
We will also hold a
12
-month reserve list for this role, which may lead to potential opportunities beyond the role you applied for. You can read more about our reserve lists here.
Appointments for this position will be made in order of merit. If you are successful in the selection process but there are no further available posts for the advertised role, you may be contacted to discuss an offer for a lower graded role (with similar experience and responsibility requirements).
If you are unsuccessful in the selection process, your application may be considered for a lower graded position if your demonstrated skills and experience meet the requirements of the alternative position. Candidates will be considered in order of merit.
AI Tools and Platforms
Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
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.
Vetting
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.
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.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
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 : Lars Lippuner
* 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