Graduate Trainee Surveyor

Have you recently graduated with a Degree in a marine engineering discipline accredited to achieve Chartered Engineering status?

Are you ready to embark on a bespoke development plan tailored towards your career goals?

Does a graduate scheme working for an organisation delivering vital maritime safety work excite you?

If so, we are looking for a Graduate Surveyor to join us at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) implements the government’s maritime safety and environmental protection policies in the United Kingdom, working 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.

We are committed to enabling all our colleagues to have purpose, professionalism and pride in what they do.

We work in supportive, diverse and inclusive teams. We want everyone to feel valued and supported to achieve their potential at MCA.

This culture of inclusion is underpinned by our staff networks groups including, Women’s, Men's, HM Reserves, Neurodiversity, Parental, Positive Supports, LGBTQI+, Race, Carers, Mental Wellbeing, Veterans Network and volunteer Respect Ambassadors.

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 Maritime and Coastguard Agency - Department for Transport Careers

As a Graduate Trainee Surveyor, you will complete a structured development training programme to become an MCA Marine Surveyor and gain an understanding of the Government’s Maritime Strategy for ‘Safer Ships, Cleaner Seas’. You will assist MCA Surveyors in maintaining high standards of marine safety, to minimise loss of life amongst seafarers and coastal users and minimise pollution from ships of both the sea and the coastline.

You will embark on a four-year development Graduate Trainee Surveyor Scheme. Your first two years will be spent gaining practical experience of a variety of different MCA tasks in a marine office, alongside theoretical learning about the role of a surveyor and the legal framework in which surveyors work.

Following a successful assessment, you will progress to an HEO Surveyor, where your responsibilities will increase and you will undertake some survey and inspection tasks independently, gaining experience as well as confidence. You will continue to develop your knowledge, learning more about larger vessels. At the end of the four years, you will be expected to progress to SEO Surveyor.

Your responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Gaining an understanding of MCA survey, inspection, audit and enforcement activities, including but not limited to Flag State Work, Legal Frameworks, Auditing Techniques and Human Element, and Convention Vessels.
• Assisting Subject Matter Experts (SME’s) and Marine Surveyors in maintaining high standards of marine safety; minimising loss of life amongst seafarers and coastal users, and minimising pollution from ships of both the sea and the coastline.
• Attending Marine Office/HQ Operations Management meetings as required.
• Maintaining accurate and up-to-date personal competence and training records; completing all the required elements of the MCA Graduate Trainee Surveyor training programme to a satisfactory standard; undertaking training and development opportunities so that the skill and capability profiles of the post-holder are maintained as directed by the line management chain.
• Attending relevant formal courses and modules to develop your skills and understanding.
• Treating all customers and stakeholders with respect as well as a positive and helpful manner; valuing diversity and demonstrating positive MCA behaviours.

For further information on the role, please read the attached 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.

Applicants should have completed a Degree in Naval Architecture, Marine Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering within the last 24 months. The degrees should be accredited by professional institutions such as RINA or IMarEST, which support progression toward Chartered Engineer (C.Eng) status.

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.

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)

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.

The selection process for this role will be:

Stage 1: Sift of CV and personal statement

Stage 2: Interview

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 wordcount) and personal statement (500-word count). Please provide evidence of your Experience of the following:
• Work experience or placements with transferable skills to the graduate surveyor role.
• Competence in IT and the ability to use Microsoft Office.
• A willingness to learn, develop and follow a structured development programme supported by mentors and technical professionals.
• Excellent communication and team working skills.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

The sift will take place week commencing 7/09/2026.

Stage 2: Interview and Written Assessment

At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

• Behaviours – Making Effective Decisions, Communicating and Influencing, Working Together.
• Strengths

You will also be required to complete an written assessment which will be assessed with behaviour Communicating and Influencing. Guidance will be provided if you are invited to interview.

The interviews will take place week commencing 21/09/2026.

This interview will be conducted online via Microsoft Teams. 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.

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 dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Document Accessibility

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 are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert or the information on our website, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

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.

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.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter.

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

Pre-employment Checking

If your application is successful but you have been dismissed from the Civil Service, your application could be removed at the pre-employment checking stage depending on the nature of the dismissal.

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.

All External applicants and current employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) will be required to undergo a Social Media Check. A Social Media Check is a review of your publicly available online activity, typically across platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and others. The purpose is to identify any public posts or content that could raise concerns for employers, such as:

Hate speech or discriminatory behaviour

Threats or acts of violence

Illegal activity or substance misuse

Sexually explicit material

Extremist views or affiliations

Importantly, this check does not involve hacking into your accounts or accessing private messages. It only considers content you have chosen to make public. Employers use this kind of screening to help ensure their workplace remains safe, inclusive, and aligned with company values. It’s not about judging your personality or lifestyle—it’s about checking for potential red flags that might affect the role or company culture. If you have questions or concerns about the social media check, we would be happy to explain in more detail what’s being looked at and how your data is handled securely and fairly.

Feedback

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