Principal Marine Surveyor – Plan Approval

Job Description

Do you enjoy solving complex technical problems?

Are you passionate about leading and developing specialist teams?

Do you have experience of plan approval?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) plays a vital role in delivering the UK Government’s maritime safety policies, helping to protect lives, ships, and the marine environment.

The Statutory Services Delivery Team (SSDT), part of the UK Technical Maritime Services Directorate (UKTMS), supports the Government’s Maritime Strategy for “Safer Ships, Cleaner Seas.” Through surveys, inspections, approvals and certification activities, the team helps ensure high standards of maritime safety and environmental protection.

Working within the Survey and Inspection Network, you will join a team of experienced surveyors and business support professionals committed to delivering a high-quality service to customers and stakeholders across the maritime industry.

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 Homepage Civil Service Careers

As Principal Marine Surveyor – Plan Approval, you will lead and manage the Plan Approval function within the Statutory Services Delivery Team, ensuring effective delivery of MCA business objectives. You will drive a consistent, centralised approach to plan approval activities, working closely with surveyors and business support teams to provide a streamlined service across the S&I network. As the subject matter expert for plan approval, you will champion continuous improvement, ensuring processes, procedures, and ways of working remain efficient, effective, and fit for purpose.

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

• Develop and coordinate an updated approach to plan approval within S&I to align with the needs of our customers and colleagues
• Undertake plan approval tasks and (where qualified) stability assessment, for the most complex cases, to ensure compliance with UK and international requirements.
• Act as subject matter expert (SME) for plan approval matters across UKTMS, providing authoritative technical advice.
• Line manage designated surveyors, including conducting Performance Management Reviews (PMRs), objective setting, and development planning.
• Mentor, coach and provide training to surveyors to maintain capability, competence, and performance in line with MCA’s Technical Training framework
• Develop, review, and update technical standards, policies, and procedures based on operational experience and industry feedback. Share best practice across SSDT and UKTMS.
• Maintain and assure the effectiveness of tools, guidance, and methodologies used in plan approval.

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.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

Principal Marine Surveyor – Plan Approval

Company: Government Recruitment Service Salary: £63,645 – £63,645 Hours: Full-time Location: Aberdeen Job type: Permanent Posting date: 10 Aug 2026 Closing date: 31 Aug 2026

About Disability Confident Disability Confident is a government scheme. It encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term health conditions.