Appointment details

Maritime and Coastguard Agency - Non-Executive Director

Summary

• Organisation: Maritime & Costguard Agency
• Sponsor department: Department for Transport
• Location: Various
• Sectors: Transport
• Skills: Human Resources, Major Projects, Transformation
• Number of vacancies: 3
• Time commitment: 24 day(s) per annum
• Remuneration: £11,000 per annum
• Length of term: 3
• Application deadline: 5pm on 17 August 2025

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Timeline for this appointment

1. Opening date

   25 July 2025

2. Application deadline

   5pm on 17 August 2025

3. Sifting date

   28 August 2025

4. Interviews expected to end on

   10 October 2025

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

About the appointment

Introduction

The Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) is an Executive Agency of the Department for Transport (DfT). The MCA is responsible for shaping and implementing the UK’s regime for maritime safety and environmental protection, in close collaboration with the DfT and a wide range of customers and other stakeholders. On behalf of the Secretary of State discharges many of the UK’s statutory duties as a Flag, Coastal and Port State under international and domestic law.

The MCA’s vision is to provide the best possible coastguard and maritime regulator services, to support growth of the UK maritime sector through its services and the UK Flag, and to help lead shipping decarbonisation and the adoption of innovative technologies.

This is given practical effect through education, prevention, regulation, inspection and - when required - by initiating and coordinating maritime Search and Rescue through HM Coastguard and other emergency responders.

The Agency runs the economically important UK Ship Register and certifies seafarers. It provides survey and inspection capabilities to check the safety of ships operating in British waters and UK-registered ships abroad and administer the law in relation to wreck and salvage.

It has a dedicated team of some 1,100 professional staff and up to 3,500 Coastguard volunteers, and an annual budget of around £449m. The MCA’s people rightly take great pride in their work and are guided by the values of Safety, Professionalism, Trust and Respect.

Many of the activities of the MCA support the UK’s wider maritime sector which makes a direct contribution of at least £11bn to the economy while directly supporting more than 113,000 jobs and 6,600 businesses.

Introduction from the Minister

Dear Applicant,

Thank you for your interest in the Non-Executive Director role on the Board of Maritime & Coastguard Agency.

This is an important time for the Department for Transport. We are investing heavily in infrastructure and public transport to improve journeys, boost connections, support economic growth. Central to our mission is delivering transport that works for everyone in our society.

We are recruiting for three Non-Executive Directors to join our team on the Board of the Maritime & Coastguard Agency. The Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) is an Executive Agency of the Department for Transport (DfT). The MCA is responsible for shaping and implementing the UK’s strategy for maritime safety and environmental protection, in close collaboration with the DfT and a wide range of customers and other stakeholders. On behalf of the Secretary of State it discharges many of the UK’s statutory duties as a Flag, Coastal and Port State under international and domestic law.

The position requires an ability to provide challenge and support to a wide variety of management and operational issues and contribute to the effective strategic and operational leadership of the MCA.

We strongly welcome applications from all backgrounds. As part of the Department’s commitment to diversity, we believe our public appointments should reflect our customers - the travelling public – who come from all walks of life and have different experiences. We very much welcome fresh talent, expertise, and perspectives, to help us better understand the needs of the communities we serve and support better decision making for all. This includes people who may have never applied for a public appointment – but could bring new ideas, insights and energy.

If you are interested in the role and work of MCA, I would like to encourage you to apply.

RT HON HEIDI ALEXANDER MP

SECRETARY OF STATE FOR TRANSPORT

Introduction from the Chair

As an island nation, the maritime sector plays a vital - though sometimes underappreciated - role in our prosperity, security and environmental future. Within that broader seascape, the MCA has a distinctive role in ensuring safety at sea for seafarers, passengers, fishing and shipping, as well as maritime environmental protection.

But the MCA also sits at the nexus of a changing and challenging economic, technological and regulatory maritime international ecosystem. It therefore has an important contribution to help the UK capitalise on significant opportunities - not only in our established maritime ‘clusters’ but as an international leader in next-gen innovation such as maritime autonomy, greener fuels and propulsion, and applied AI for meteorology and navigational optimisation.

To succeed over the next decade the MCA will therefore need to assess and support new technologies, frame smart regulation, and develop and credential future-facing maritime skills, while ensuring operational excellence in its core functions.

The Agency’s non-executive directors serve as ‘critical friends’ and ‘force multipliers’ as it squares up to these challenges. If this sounds like the sort of opportunity where you could bring meaningful experience, sound judgement and personal energy then we greatly look forward to hearing from you.

Lord Simon Stevens

Chair of MCA

Appointment description

The MCA is seeking Non-Executive Directors to join its Board. The successful candidates, through their membership of the Board, will provide challenge and support to a wide variety of management and operational issues and contribute to the effective strategic and operational leadership of the MCA.

As a Non-Executive Director your key responsibilities will be to:

• Contribute effectively to discussions on the leadership and performance of the business at the MCA Board and Executive/Non-Executive meetings as required (6 MCA Board meetings per year/ 5 ARAC meetings per year/4 DfT MCA Sponsorship Board meetings per year).
• Support the MCA to examine, challenge and support the operational delivery and commercial implications of policy proposals, major projects and programmes, strategic and organisational issues.
• Work with the MCA and senior managers to scrutinise the MCA’s management information to ensure performance and delivery of the MCA’s Business Plan and other key objectives are ambitious and achievable.
• Bring an independent perspective to the work of the MCA Board, as well as providing independent scrutiny.
• Contribute as members or chair of Board sub-committees within the MCA corporate governance framework.

Person specification

Essential criteria

1. Strategic mindset with the ability to provide thought leadership on complex strategy, helping to develop a clear view of options for the future and to contribute to delivering against this vision.

2. Strong interpersonal and influencing skills, able to communicate key messages to both internal and external audiences, and the ability to listen to, and act upon, feedback.

3. Proven ability to bring customer focus and a value for money focused delivery challenge to the Board, together with an understanding of how to balance this against control and delivery risks.

4. Evidence of a personal motivation and commitment to UK public services and an interest in MCA business and objectives.

5. A demonstrably collaborative way of working, for example with fellow Board members, other senior members of the Agency and wider agency stakeholders to enable the delivery of complex agency priorities both within and outside their own areas of responsibility.

Candidates’ suitability for the role will be assessed against criteria 1-5 above and fit to one of the three experience categories below;

• Maritime Business: Experience at a senior level in the maritime industry, which might include shipping, ports, maritime insurance, legal or financial services or offshore energy services; or
• Innovation in marine science/technology/R&D: Experience and expertise in innovation and R&D relevant to the maritime sector, which might include greener marine fuels, maritime autonomy, AI, SME/university collaboration, and an understanding of the UK’s wider research and innovation ecosystem; or
• HR, People and Skills: Strategic HR planning, talent management, and skills development, ideally in the maritime sector (noting the MCA’s remit for developing seafarer training that is fit for the future).

Application and selection process

How to apply

In order to apply you will need to provide:

1. A Curriculum Vitae which provides your contact details, details of your education and qualifications, employment history, directorships, membership of professional bodies and details of any relevant publications or awards;
2. A supporting statement setting out how you meet the criteria for appointment, as set out in the person specification for the role;
3. Information relating to any outside interests or reputational issues;
4. Diversity monitoring information. This allows us to see if there are any unfair barriers to becoming a public appointee and whether there are any changes that we could make to encourage a more diverse field to apply. You can select “prefer not to say” to any question you do not wish to answer. The information you provide will not be used as part of the selection process and will not be seen by the interview panel;
5. Disability Confident – please state if you want to be considered for the disability confident scheme;
6. Reasonable adjustments - requests for reasonable adjustments that you would like to the application process (if applicable);

Please provide the information at points 3-6 above on the relevant form, or as part of your supporting statement.

Completed applications should be submitted to Odgers website. If you are unable to apply online, please email: callie.foster@odgers.com. 

The Advisory Assessment Panel reserves the right to only consider applications that contain all of the elements listed above, and that arrive before the published deadline for applications.

Overview of the application process

Public appointments are made on merit following a fair and open competition process which is conducted in accordance with the Governance Code for Public Appointments. We will deal with your application as quickly as possible and will keep you informed at key stages. We aim to conclude the appointment process within three months of the deadline for applications – this is in accordance with the Governance Code.

The assessment process

1. Ministers are responsible and accountable to Parliament for the public appointments made within their department. As a result, they must be consulted at every stage of the appointments process.

2. An Advisory Assessment Panel (“Panel”) is appointed by Ministers to assist them in their decision making. The role of the Panel is to decide, objectively, which candidates meet the eligibility criteria for the role.

3. At the shortlisting meeting the Panel will assess applications against the eligibility criteria and decide which candidates have best met the criteria, who should be recommended for interview. Ministers will then be consulted on the Panel’s recommended shortlist. If you have applied under the Disability Confident Scheme and you meet all the essential criteria, then you will also be invited for an interview.

4. Once the shortlist has been agreed by Ministers, you will be advised (by e-mail) whether you have been shortlisted. Those shortlisted will be invited to an interview.

5. The Panel will meet again to interview candidates and determine who is appointable to the role. The Panel may invite you to make a brief presentation at the start of the interview and will go on to question you about your skills and experience, including asking specific questions to assess whether you meet the criteria set out for the post. The Panel will also explore with you any potential conflicts of interest or any other issues arising from your personal and professional history which may impact on an appointment decision.

6. Details of the panel’s assessment of interviewed candidates are provided to Ministers, including whether they have judged a candidate to be appointable to the role. It is then for Ministers to determine merit and decide who should be appointed. In some circumstances, Ministers may choose not to appoint any candidates and re-run the competition.

7. Ministers may choose to meet with candidates before deciding the outcome. Candidates should therefore be prepared for a short time gap between interview and a final appointment decision being made. Candidates who have been interviewed will be kept informed of progress.

8. Once the decision on the appointment has been made, interviewed candidates will be advised of the outcome of their application, including whom they may approach for feedback. Successful candidates will be issued with their Terms & Conditions and a letter of appointment should they agree to take up the position.

Further information about appointments, including tips on applying, can be found on our guidance pages on gov.uk.

Advisory Assessment Panel (AAP)

Lord Simon Stevens (MCA Non-Executive Chair), a representative from DfT Maritime, an Independent Panel Member.

Advisory Assessment Panels (AAP) are chosen by ministers to assist them in their decision-making. These include a departmental official and an independent member. For competitions recruiting non-executive members of a board (apart from the Chair), the panel will usually include a representative from the public body concerned.

AAP’s perform a number of functions, including agreeing an assessment strategy with ministers, undertaking sifting, carrying out interviews in line with the advertised criteria and deciding objectively who meets the published selection criteria for the role before recommending to ministers which candidates they find appointable. It is then for the minister to decide who to appoint to the role.

Eligibility criteria

In general, you should have the right to work in the UK to be eligible to apply for a public appointment.

There are a small number of specialist roles that are not open to non-British citizens. Any nationality requirements will be specified in the vacancy details.

The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. 

You cannot be considered for a public appointment if:

• you are disqualified from acting as a company director  (under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986);

• have an unspent conviction on your criminal record;

• your estate has been sequestrated in Scotland or you enter into a debt arrangement programme under Part 1 of the Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Act 2002 (asp 17) as the debtor or have, under Scots law, granted a trust deed for creditors.

When you apply, you should declare if:

• you are, or have been, bankrupt or you have made an arrangement with a creditor at any point, including the dates of this. 

• you are subject to a current police investigation.

You must inform the sponsor department if, during the application process, your circumstances change in respect of any of the above points. 

When you apply you should also declare any relevant interests, highlighting any that you think may call into question your ability to properly discharge the responsibilities of the role you are applying for. You should also declare any other matters which may mean you may not be able to meet the requirements of the Code of Conduct of Board Members (see Outside interests and reputational issues section below)

If you need further advice, please contact  [ADD CONTACT DETAILS]

Security clearance

The successful candidate will be required to undertake Baseline Personnel Security Standard checks in line with the Civil Service guidelines. Additional Security Clearance may also be required for certain roles. However, where this applies, candidates will be notified during the appointment process. Further information on National Security Vetting can be found on the Gov.uk website here.

Additional information for candidates

Equality and diversity

We encourage applications from talented individuals from all backgrounds and across the whole of the United Kingdom. Boards of public bodies are most effective when they reflect the diversity of views of the society they serve.

We collect data about applicants’ characteristics and backgrounds, including information about people’s educational and professional backgrounds, so that we can make sure we are attracting a broad range of people to these roles and that our selection processes are fair for everyone. Without this information, it makes it difficult to see if our outreach is working, if the application process is having an unfair impact on certain groups and whether changes are making a positive difference.

When you submit your application, your responses are collected by the Cabinet Office and the government department(s) managing your application. The data is used to produce management information about the diversity of applicants. You can select “prefer not to say” to any question you do not wish to answer. The information you provide will not be seen by the Advisory Assessment Panel who review applications against the advertised criteria and conduct interviews.

Disability confident

We are a member of the Government’s Disability Confident scheme. We use the Disability Confident scheme symbol, along with other like-minded employers, to show our commitment to good practice in employing people with a disability. The scheme helps recruit and retain disabled people. As part of implementing the scheme, we guarantee an interview for anyone with a disability whose application meets the essential criteria for the role, set out in the advert, and who has asked that their application is considered under the scheme. Indicating that you wish your application to be considered under the scheme will in no way prejudice your application. By ‘essential criteria', we mean that you must provide evidence which demonstrates that you meet the level of competence required under each of the essential criteria, as set out in the job-advert. When you apply you will have the opportunity to select if you would like your application considered under this scheme.

Reasonable adjustments

We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to make sure applicants with disabilities, physical or mental health conditions, or other needs are not substantially disadvantaged when applying for public appointments. This can include changing the recruitment process to enable people who wish to apply to do so.

Some examples of common changes are:

• ensuring that application forms are available in different or accessible formats;
• making adaptations to interview locations;
• allowing candidates to present their skills and experience in a different way;
• giving additional detailed information on the selection / interview process in advance to allow candidates time to prepare themselves;
• allowing support workers, for example sign language interpreters;
• making provision for support animals to attend.

When you apply you will have the opportunity to request reasonable adjustments to the application process.

Principles of public life

The Seven Principles of Public Life (also known as the Nolan Principles) apply to anyone who works as a public office-holder.

1. Selflessness

Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.

2. Integrity

Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.

3. Objectivity

Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.

4. Accountability

Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.

5. Openness

Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.

6. Honesty

Holders of public office should be truthful.

7. Leadership

Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour and treat others with respect. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.

Code of conduct for board members

The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. In support of this, all non-executive board members of UK public bodies must abide by the principles set out in the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies. The Code sets out the standards expected from those who serve on the boards of UK public bodies and will form part of your terms and conditions of appointment.

Management of outside interests and consideration of reputational issues

Holders of public office are expected to adhere and uphold the Seven Principles of Public Life and the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies. Before you apply you should consider carefully: 

• any outside interests that you may have, such as shares you may hold in a company providing services to government; 
• any possible reputational issues arising from your past actions or public statements that you have made; 
• and/or - any political roles you hold or political campaigns you have supported; 

which may call into question your ability to do the role you are applying for.

You will need to answer relevant questions in relation to these points when making an application. Many conflicts of interest can be satisfactorily resolved and declaring a potential conflict does not prevent you from being interviewed. If you are shortlisted for an interview, the panel will discuss any potential conflicts with you during that interview, including any proposals you may have to mitigate them and record that in their advice to ministers. Alongside your own declaration, we will conduct appropriate checks, as part of which we will consider anything in the public domain related to your conduct or professional capacity. This may include searches of previous public statements and social media, blogs or any other publicly available information. The successful candidate(s) may be required to give up any conflicting interests and their other business and financial interests may be published in line with organisational policies. 

Details of declared political activity will be published when the appointment is announced, as required by the Governance Code (political activity is not a bar to appointment, but must be declared).

Status of appointment

As this is an office holder appointment, you will not become a member of the Civil Service. You will not be subject to the provisions of employment law.

Appointment and tenure of office

Appointments are for the term set out in this advert, with the possibility of re-appointment for a further term, at the discretion of Ministers. Any re-appointment is subject to satisfactory annual appraisals of performance during the first term in the post. There is no automatic presumption of reappointment; each case should be considered on its own merits, taking into account a number of factors including, but not restricted to, the diversity of the current board and its balance of skills and experience. In most cases, the total time served in post will not exceed more than two terms or ten years in any one post. 

Remuneration, allowances and abatement

Remuneration for this role is treated as employment income and will be subject to tax and National Insurance contributions, both of which will be deducted at source under PAYE before you are paid.

You can claim reimbursement for reasonable travel and subsistence costs which are properly and necessarily incurred on official business, in line with the travel and subsistence policy and rates for the organisation to which you are applying. However these payments are taxable as earnings and will be subject to tax and national insurance, both of which will be deducted at source under PAYE before you are paid. 

Pension and redundancy

This is an office holder appointment and does not attract any benefits under any Civil Service Pension Scheme. You will not be eligible for redundancy pay as you are not an employee. No other arrangements have been made for compensation upon the end of your term of appointment because an office holder who is appointed for a limited duration would have no expectation of serving beyond that period.

Application feedback

We will notify you of the status of your application. We regret that we are only able to offer detailed feedback to candidates who have been unsuccessful at the interview stage.

How to complain

We aim to process all applications as quickly as possible and to treat all applicants with courtesy.

Please contact the DfT public appointments team in the first instance if you would like to make a complaint regarding your application at dftpublicappointments@dft.gov.uk. They will acknowledge your complaint upon receipt and respond within 15 working days.

Data protection

The Cabinet Office will use your data in line with our privacy policy.

The Department for Transport (DfT) is the joint controller, with the Cabinet Office, for any personal data which you provide to us as part of your application.

Information provided as part of this application will be kept securely within DfT and destroyed within 5 years of the conclusion of the recruitment campaign.

DfT uses this form to gather evidence on DfT’s public appointments.

The lawful basis that applies to this processing is that it is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest to inform DfT’s recruitment policies in accordance with the Department’s public sector equality duties. For processing special category personal data (disability, religion, sexual orientation and ethnicity), we rely on Article 9(2)(g), reasons of substantial public interest (equality of opportunity and treatment).

Contact details

If you wish to speak to someone about the role please contact dftpublicappointments@dft.gov.uk. 

Attachments

• Candidate Pack