Bangor (County Down), Northern Ireland
Job Summary
Can you provide excellent clerical and administrative support to a wide range of stakeholders?
Do you have an understanding of financial management control?
Have you got excellent communication, organisational and time management skills?
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.
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.
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.
Job Description
The role of Business Support Officer is to collaborate with and work under the direction of the MO Business Support Manager (BSM) to ensure that MO Business Support is aligned with Survey & Inspection priorities. Provide first class clerical and administrative support to MO Surveyors including, creating Survey Cases,
maintaining PPE, and researching and completing travel booking arrangements.
Your Responsibilities Will Include, But Aren't Limited To:
* Providing day to day administrative and clerical support to the MO Surveyors
* Assisting with the day to day booking and allocation of surveys and inspections, taking account of eligibility requirements and availability
* Assisting with exam bookings
* Supporting the National Business Unit by providing records of work undertaken on the Shipping Accounts process
* Providing administration and clerical assistance to MO surveyors involving creation of Survey Cases, Travel Bookings, maintaining paperwork and records.
* Providing general advice to internal and external stakeholders in accordance with MCA policies
* Providing administrative support and Secretariat duties to the MO for internal/external meetings
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.
This post is offered on a Fixed Term Appointment (FTA).
Permanent Civil Servants will be appointed on an inward loan and subject to the terms of the agreed inward loan. You must have your home departments approval to return to them at the end of the loan before you apply. Internal candidates will return to their previous post at the end of the loan period, which will need to be agreed with your line manager in advance. If your home department cannot agree to release you on loan, there is the opportunity for you to move across to the department on a fixed term appointment. In this instance the Department for Transport would become your home department and if there is no role available for you at the end of this appointment, you would be subject to the redeployment and redundancy process.
If you're employed by a non-departmental public body (NDPB) by moving jobs this will involve a change of employer and you may break the statutory rules on continuity of employment.
The role of Business Support Officer is to collaborate with and work under the direction of the MO Business Support Manager (BSM) to ensure that MO Business Support is aligned with Survey & Inspection priorities. Provide first class clerical and administrative support to MO Surveyors including, creating Survey Cases,
maintaining PPE, and researching and completing travel booking arrangements.
Your Responsibilities Will Include, But Aren't Limited To:
* Providing day to day administrative and clerical support to the MO Surveyors
* Assisting with the day to day booking and allocation of surveys and inspections, taking account of eligibility requirements and availability
* Assisting with exam bookings
* Supporting the National Business Unit by providing records of work undertaken on the Shipping Accounts process
* Providing administration and clerical assistance to MO surveyors involving creation of Survey Cases, Travel Bookings, maintaining paperwork and records.
* Providing general advice to internal and external stakeholders in accordance with MCA policies
* Providing administrative support and Secretariat duties to the MO for internal/external meetings
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.
This post is offered on a Fixed Term Appointment (FTA).
Permanent Civil Servants will be appointed on an inward loan and subject to the terms of the agreed inward loan. You must have your home departments approval to return to them at the end of the loan before you apply. Internal candidates will return to their previous post at the end of the loan period, which will need to be agreed with your line manager in advance. If your home department cannot agree to release you on loan, there is the opportunity for you to move across to the department on a fixed term appointment. In this instance the Department for Transport would become your home department and if there is no role available for you at the end of this appointment, you would be subject to the redeployment and redundancy process.
If you're employed by a non-departmental public body (NDPB) by moving jobs this will involve a change of employer and you may break the statutory rules on continuity of employment.
Person specification
*Essential Minimum Criteria*
Job specific knowledge and skills required in the post include:
* Understanding of financial management and control.
* Good interpersonal, oral and written communication skills.
* Good organisational and time management skills.
* Computer literate and familiar in the use of Microsoft Office IT software.
* An understanding of Survey & Inspection activities undertaken by Marine Office Surveyors.
* General understanding of shipping & fishing industry.
* An understanding of how government operates.
*Additional Information
Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements*
Full time roles consist of 37 hours per week.
Due to the nature of this role and the training that is required, you will be expected to attend the office on a full time basis during your 1st month in post.
The expectation after the initial months training is a minimum of
60%
of your working time a month will be spent at either your principal workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, visiting stakeholders and colleagues, or carrying out detached duty in another DfT or agency workplace. The chosen principal workplace will be the designated place of work and any remote or home working arrangement does not constitute a change to the designated place of work or contractual terms and conditions.
There may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation.
For more information on how this works for this role, please contact the Vacancy Holder (see below for contact details).
Please Note:
The post holder will operate to a working pattern consisting of a 7.4 hour working day.
On occasion, there will be a requirement to work outside of normal conditioned hours.
Work/Travel on official duty within the UK which may involve overnight stays away from home.
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.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
* Making Effective Decisions
* Communicating and Influencing
* Managing a Quality Service
Alongside your salary of £25,159, Maritime and Coastguard Agency contributes £7,288 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.
* 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
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.
*How To Apply:*
Our selection process ensures a comprehensive assessment of each applicant's qualifications, skills, and potential fit within our organisation.
Stage 1: Sift of CV and personal statement
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 (750-word Count). Please Provide Evidence Of Your Experience Of The Following:
* Good interpersonal, oral and written communication skills.
* Good organisational and time management skills.
* Computer literate and familiar in the use of Microsoft Office IT software.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
The sift will take place week commencing
Monday 6th October 2025.
Stage 2: Interview
At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:
* Behaviours – Making Effective Decisions, Communicating and Influencing, Managing a Quality Service
* Strengths
The interviews will take place week commencing
Monday 20th October 2025.
This interview will be conducted face to face. Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.
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.
This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.
AI Tools and Platforms
During the application process candidates are allowed to utilise AI (artificial intelligence) tools and platforms to support them in writing their Behaviours, CVs and Personal Statements. However,
you must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application or used during interview is truthful and factually accurate. Applications may be rejected if plagiarism is detected.
Examples of plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or concepts generated by artificial intelligence, as your own. You can read more here.
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, Strengths 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 : Elizabeth Robinson
* 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