Rodeo
Get started

Marine Management Organisation

Grade 6 Heads of Function - Operations (2 x posts) - ( Ref : 6721 )

Newton Upon Derwent
£67.2k/yr
Posted about 22 hours ago
Sign up to applySee more jobs like this

How your CV stacks up

1Upload CV
2Analyse CV
3Improve CV

Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role

?%

Bristol, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Preston, York

Job Summary

This position can be based at Bristol, Newcastle, Preston or York.

Job Description

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Driven by government’s aim for clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas, MMO’s purpose is to protect and enhance our precious marine environment and support UK economic growth by enabling sustainable marine activities and development.

We are the independent regulator for England’s seas, professionally delivering service-focussed outcomes for our customers.

MMO manages 230,000 square kilometres of hugely diverse seas, almost double that of England’s land mass. Our seas are among the busiest in the world. The extensive benefits we draw from them are not always recognised, whether for leisure, transport, commerce, fisheries, construction, energy and communications. Critically, our seas provide significant environmental benefits.

We deliver professional, expert, valued services and support for our marine environment and for those who use it.

We are a team of around 500 people and combine our Newcastle upon Tyne and London operations with a local presence around the English coastline in Brixham, Beverley, Harwich, Hastings, Lowestoft, North Shields, Hayle, Plymouth, Poole, Portsmouth, Preston, Scarborough, Shoreham, Whitehaven.

More information about our work is on the GOV.UK website and you can read the MMO’s Story here.

Job Description

The two Head of Function posts are based in our Operations Directorate.

Head of Sustainable Fisheries – Grade 6

Responsibilities:

  • Providing overall leadership and accountability for the activities and services delivered by the Sustainable Fisheries function within the MMO.
  • Playing a lead role in helping to shape and deliver the future strategic direction for fisheries management in English waters.
  • Leading and articulating the necessary strategic changes to ensure that MMO activities and services are delivered in a modern, efficient and effective way.
  • Leading and visibly demonstrating the move to increased partnership working and improved engagement with the commercial and recreational fishing industry and other bodies with an interest in fisheries management.

Main Activities:

  • Providing visible and strategic leadership to the development and delivery of all activities delivered by fisheries management functions including existing customer facing services such as licensing and quota management and the development of new management approaches to realise UK Government ambitions of being world class in its approach to sustainable fisheries.
  • Working closely with Defra, its arms-length bodies (ALBs), Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCA) and senior commercial and recreational fishing sector representatives to develop new approaches to the way that we engage and deliver fisheries management.
  • Ensuring effective collaboration with Defra and other UK Fisheries Administrations (UKFAs) to influence policy and implement delivery of the UK’s international fisheries management obligations.
  • Playing a senior leadership role in the delivery of the Government’s priorities for fisheries including acting as the senior responsible owner (SRO) for MMO led delivery and implementation of Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs), and playing an active role in other senior governance bodies such as Defra’s REM Programme Board.
  • Representing the MMO at a senior level, ensuring regular engagement with the Executive Leadership Team and MMO Board, senior leaders in Defra, its ALBs, the UKFAs, the European Union (EU) and well as senior representatives in the fishing industry, recreational fishing sector and environmental non-government organisations (eNGOs).
  • Leading and visibly demonstrating the move to increased partnership working and improved engagement with the commercial and recreational fishing industry and other bodies with an interest in fisheries management.
  • Line management of 4 x Grade 7 colleagues, with oversight and responsibility for approximately 50 staff.
  • Playing a key role as part of the MMO’s Directorate Leadership Team in supporting the Executive Leadership Team in the delivery of corporate plan objectives and performance reporting, owning and cascading corporate messages, and visibly role modelling MMO values and behaviours to set and embed the desired culture within the MMO.

Reasons to use Rodeo

I’m in my final year doing Economics and I don’t know whether to apply for grad schemes now or do a masters first. What do you think?

Honest answer — it depends on where you want to end up. A lot of top grad schemes (Big 4, civil service, banking) don’t need a masters. Let’s look at the ones you’d be competitive for now, and we can decide if a masters actually adds anything.

Also worth knowing: most autumn 2026 applications are open now. Timing matters more than you think.

Start with a chat, not a search bar

Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.

P

Graduate Consultant — 2026 Scheme

PwC·London, UK
£35,000/yr

Why you're a good match

Strong

Your economics background and your summer at a regional bank line up with what PwC looks for on the consulting scheme. Applications close in four weeks.

See breakdown
Save jobNot relevant
View details

It searches the market for you

Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.

Why you're a good match

You’ve got the grades and the economics background, and your bank internship is exactly the experience this scheme looks for. Apply soon — deadlines close within the month.

See breakdown
Strong

Experience fit

Your summer at the bank plus your econometrics coursework map directly to the day-one responsibilities on this scheme — client modelling, market briefings, and deal support.

See breakdown
Strong

Only hits

No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.

Head of Marine Protection and Seafood Traceability – Grade 6

Responsibilities:

  • Providing overall leadership and accountability for the activities and services delivered by the Marine Conservation function within the MMO.
  • Leading the delivery of measures to protect the features of England’s network of marine protected areas.
  • Building a new digitally enabled end to end service to assure the traceability of England’s seafood from ‘net to plate’.
  • Service ownership of the Fish Export Service.
  • Leading and visibly demonstrating the move to increased partnership working and improved engagement with the commercial fishing industry and other bodies with an interest in fisheries management.

Main Activities:

  • Providing visible and strategic leadership to the development and delivery of all activities delivered by the marine conservation function including pollution response, scientific dispensation, wildlife licensing, quality assurance of byelaws.
  • Working closely with Defra, its arms-length bodies (ALBs), Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCA), relevant industry sectors and environmental NGOs to deliver robust protections from fishing activity in England’s offshore marine protected areas (MPAs) and from other activities, including recreational pursuits and anchoring in its inshore MPAs.
  • Service ownership of the UK’s Fish Export Service generating and validating export documents to facilitate the trade of UK seafood with partners.
  • Design and delivery of a digitally enabled end to end service to assure the traceability of fish from catch to landing to sale, protecting the supply chain from Illegal, Unreported or Unregulated Fishing (IUU).
  • Representing the MMO at a senior level, ensuring regular engagement with the Executive Leadership Team and MMO Board, senior leaders in Defra, its ALBs, the UKFAs, the European Union (EU) and well as senior representatives in the fishing industry, recreational fishing sector and environmental non-government organisations (eNGOs).
  • Line management of 3 x Grade 7 colleagues, with oversight and responsibility for approximately 50 staff.
  • Playing a key role as part of the MMO’s Directorate Leadership Team in supporting the Executive Leadership Team in the delivery of corporate plan objectives and performance reporting, owning and cascading corporate messages, and visibly role modelling MMO values and behaviours to set and embed the desired culture within the MMO.

Person Specification

Please Refer To Job Description

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

Get help with your application

Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.

Get help applying for this job
  • Changing and Improving
  • Leadership
  • Communicating and Influencing
  • Managing a Quality Service
  • Delivering at Pace

Salary and Benefits

Alongside your salary of £67,172, Marine Management Organisation contributes £19,459 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

  • Learning and development tailored to your role
  • An environment with flexible working options
  • A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
  • A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection Process Details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

Please Refer To Job Description

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard checks.

Nationality Requirements

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)
  • 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.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact Point for Applicants

Job Contact:

Name: Peter Clark
Email: peter.clark@marinemanagement.org.uk

Recruitment Team

Email: defra-recruitment-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk

Further Information

[https://networkrecruitment.tal.net/

Trusted by 25,000+ job seekers

“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”

Jessica, London

Get help applying for this job

Skills

Strategic Leadership
Fisheries Management
Marine Conservation
Stakeholder Engagement
Line Management
Policy Implementation
Digital Service Design
Regulatory Compliance
Partnership Working
Performance Reporting
Change Management
Public Administration

Location

Newton Upon Derwent, England, United Kingdom

Sign up to applySee more jobs like this