Staff Officer - Infrastructure

Are you a problem solver who is enthusiastic in finding creative solutions?

Do you enjoy building relationships and working with a diverse range of stakeholders?

Would you like to use your skills in IT to improve the way operational systems are used to safeguard lives?

If so, we are looking for a Staff Officer - Infrastructure to join us at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and we'd love to hear from you!

His Majesty’s Coastguard (HM Coastguard, HMCG) is the operational arm of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency with responsibility for 6 key missions - Search and Rescue, Pollution Response, Vessel Traffic Management, Maritime Safety, Maritime Security and Emergency and Disaster management.

The successful applicant will join our close knit and supportive team to contribute to improving safety at sea. We will look to you to assist and support in providing technical and professional recommendations, guidance and advice on the most effective use of the Coastguard technical systems to senior management and other stakeholders and support the wider team on the development of user requirements for future coastguard systems. You will assist in monitoring and implementing coherent and consistent national procedures, processes, strategies and policies through expert contribution and ensure HM Coastguard's adherence to and compliance with agreed national and international operational legislation, regulations, procedures, processes, rules and guidelines.

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.

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

1. Assisting in formulating policy, strategy, procedures and processes for Coastguard technical systems and infrastructure as it affects the delivery of services and functions by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre’s and Maritime Sub Rescue Coordination Centre and advise on and support the delivery of Coastguard technical courses.

2. Liaison with a variety of stakeholders necessary for matters relating to Coastguard Technical Systems and Infrastructure, including National Search and Rescue (SAR) providers, Other emergency services, Other national departments, UK emergency services, Operational partners and stakeholders, UK authorities and organisations

3.Acts as a system manager for Coastguard technical systems including:

• Act as first point of contact for questions regarding the service
• Carry out administration functions of the system, including user configuration and acceptance testing.
• Responsible for the user guidance and information contained on CIP.
• Act as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) and provide expertise and support to the Service Owner.
• Continuously review the service to ensure it meets the needs of the end user.

4. Recognising the impact of emerging technologies on the provision of SAR response within the UK, keeping Maritime Operations and MCA Technical Services informed. This includes developments in databases from both internal and external sources.

5. Responsible for relevant Coastguard Information Portal (CIP) content on Coastguard technical systems and infrastructures that have SAR relevance and/or impacts.

6. Responsible for the supplier management of relevant Coastguard Technical Systems including regular service reviews, Key Performance Indicator reviews and escalations.

7. Act and/or support the Information Asset Manager/Information Asset Owner for relevant Coastguard Technical Systems and Data Processes.

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 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 and Experience.

How to apply:

The selection process for this role will be:

Stage 1: Sift of CV and Personal Statement

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 wordcount) and Personal Statement (750 wordcount). Please provide evidence of your experience of the following:

• Demonstrable experience in His Majesty’s Coastguard or within an organisation dealing with emergency response.
• Experience engaging with a range of diverse stakeholders and effectively communicating to build relationships.
• Demonstrable experience of a continuous improvement mindset when working with operational IT systems.

The sift will take place from the the 17th of November 2026.

Stage 2: Interview and Presentation

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

• Behaviours (Making Effective Decisions, Communicating and Influencing, Working Together, Managing a Quality Service, Delivering at Pace and Seeing the Big Picture)
• Experience

You will also be required to create and deliver a presentation to assess Behaviours (Managing a Quality Service and Communicating and Influencing). Guidance will be provided if you are invited to interview.

The interviews will take place the week commencing Monday the 30th of November 2026.

This interview will be conducted via MS 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.

Further information on the selection process

We will also hold a 12-month reserve list for this role, which may lead to potential opportunities beyond the role you applied for.

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

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.

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.

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