Vessel Traffic Services Operator

Are you someone who thrives in a problem-solving environment and would love a varied, dynamic and rewarding role?

Are you highly resilient with the ability to remain calm and professional in pressurised situations?

Do you hold a Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) Operator Qualification or have the willingness to work towards achieving this once in post?

If so, we'd love to hear from you!

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

Based at our Coastguard Operations Centre in Falmouth, we have a fantastic opportunity for a number of Vessel Traffic Services Operators (VTSO) to join our dynamic team providing a crucial VTS Traffic Information and Navigational Assistance Service in accordance with current national doctrine and the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) recommendations.

As a VTSO your day will include taking mandatory ship reports from vessels navigating within the service area, gathering key information in relation to cargo, passengers and vessel damage or defects to ensure they are compliant with both national and international maritime regulations and able to safely continue their passage.

This is a dynamic role in which you’ll be faced with a multitude of interesting and varied situations – from a compliant vessel just passing through to ships that have run aground, a passenger ferry dealing with a fire, loss of pollutant cargo overboard or even managing vessels safely around swimmers in the English Channel.

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

• Delivery of a vessel traffic service as defined by IALA recommendations and guidelines to vessels navigating in the service area to ensure compliance with all local, national and international regulations
• Working as part of a team to manage day-to-day operations to provide a high and effective standard of VTS service delivery
• Planning, prioritising and managing work based on dynamic risk assessments, and ensuring resources are available for both forecast and actual demand
• Balancing work against resource and recommending additional staff or assistance from other teams to provide suitable coverage
• Implementing sound leadership, management and direction within a team, and ensuring safe working practices are maintained

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.

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 skills and potential fit within our organisation.

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.

The selection process for this role will be:

Stage 1: Sift of CV and personal statement

Stage 2: Interview and assessment

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 element:

Experience – you will be asked to provide a CV (unlimited wordcount) and personal statement (1250 word count). Please provide evidence of your Experience of the following:

• Experience of managing several tasks simultaneously, prioritising where necessary
• Experience of making decisions whilst working within standards, regulations and structured procedures
• Experience of working within a busy, high-pressure environment
• Experience of communicating with a range of stakeholders, both verbally and in writing
• Experience of utilising various Microsoft packages such as Word, Excel and Outlook

The sift will take place the week commencing the 9th of November 2026.

Stage 2: Interview and assessment

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

• Behaviours – Delivering at Pace, Communicating and Influencing, Making Effective Decisions and Working Together
• Strengths

You will also be required to complete an audio type and information gathering test, to assess Making Effective Decisions.

Guidance will be provided if you are invited to interview.

The interviews will take place from the 19th of November 2026.

This interview will be conducted via teams.

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. You can read more about our reserve lists 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 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.

Working Pattern

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.

Feedback

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