UK Ministry of Defence
NAVY COMMAND - Diving Standards Officer (COMMERCIAL)
Get notified of more jobs like this · No spam, ever
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Fraser Building, HMS EXCELLENT, Whale Island, Portsmouth, PO2 8ER
Job Summary
At Navy Command, we lead, support, and sustain the Royal Navy across every theatre of operations. We coordinate the people, platforms, and missions that keep the Fleet ready for today’s challenges and tomorrow’s opportunities. Together, we uphold centuries of naval tradition while driving innovation that ensures the Royal Navy’s readiness to protect our nation and secure our future.
You'll be based at HMS Excellent, home to the Naval Headquarters and front-line training units. From here, the Royal Navy directs operations, develops strategy, and delivers training that keeps the Fleet ready for any challenge. It is a hub of leadership, coordination, and expertise at the heart of naval command.
This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.
Job Description
Are you ready to lead the safety and assurance of high-risk diving operations across Defence and make a real impact on protecting lives?
This is a unique opportunity to play a critical role in ensuring that diving activity across Defence is safe, compliant and aligned with national standards. As part of the Defence Diving Standards Team, you will work at the heart of a specialist organisation authorised by the Defence Maritime Regulator to provide independent assurance of diving safety.
You'll focus on commercial diving activity, working with a wide range of stakeholders including Defence organisations, industry bodies and contractors. This is a senior leadership role where your expertise will directly influence policy, improve safety practices and support the delivery of complex operations across the UK and beyond.
What You'll Be Doing:
- Lead the assurance of commercial diving activity across Defence, ensuring systems and processes meet legal and safety requirements
- Carry out audits and provide independent verification of diving safety management systems within organisations
- Act as a trusted advisor on commercial diving safety, offering clear guidance on legislation, policy and best practice
- Represent Defence in discussions with external partners and industry bodies to influence standards and stay aligned with developments
- Lead and support a small team, helping individuals develop and perform to their full potential
- Contribute to wider organisational learning by analysing incidents, sharing insights and promoting continuous improvement
Person specification
To be successful with your application, you'll need to show that you meet the following essential criteria:
- Experience in commercial or military diving, including working with surface supplied diving equipment
- A good understanding of UK diving safety legislation, including the Diving at Work Regulations and relevant codes of practice
- The ability to assess risk, interpret regulations and provide clear, practical advice in complex environments
- Experience of working with a range of stakeholders, with the confidence to influence and challenge where needed
- Strong leadership and people management skills, with the ability to support and develop others
We're Committed To Supporting Your Professional Growth And Ensuring You Have The Skills And Confidence To Succeed In This Role. If You Do Not Already Hold The Below Qualifications, You'll Be Supported To Gain Them Through a Structured Development Package, Including:
- NEBOSH General Certificate
- ISO 45001 Lead Auditor (Occupational Health and Safety)
- Security Awareness in Fragile Environments (SAFE)
- Generic Duty Holder Training
Please note that these qualifications will not be formally assessed as part of the selection process; however, they may be used as a tie-breaker.
Reasons to use Rodeo
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.
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.
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.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Leadership
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
Salary and Benefits
Alongside your salary of £46,040, Ministry of Defence contributes £13,337 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).
- 25 days paid annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years’ service
- Market-leading employer pension contribution of 28.97%
- Personal & professional development
- Alternative working patterns for many roles
- Access to a confidential, professional support service
- Discount schemes
- Bicycle / season-ticket loans
- Enhanced maternity, paternity, and adoption leave
- Special paid leave to volunteer (up to 6 days a year)
Our headquarters in Portsmouth offers an impressive range of on-site facilities including a gymnasium, tennis courts, and other sporting facilities, a children’s nursery, a bistro restaurant, a shop and plenty of car parking spaces.
In Navy Command we believe that everyone has the potential to make a difference and you’ll be supported through your learning journey and your career. This can include working towards membership of a professional body and/or undertaking an apprenticeship as part of your role.
You’ll have access to a variety of qualifications pathways ranging from GCSE/A-Level equivalent all the way up to master’s degree, depending on your role, your previous skills and your experience. Some qualifications even include “on-the-job” training which means minimal disruption to your working day but maximum impact.
The post does not offer relocation expenses.
External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.
Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed.
Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.
Any move to MOD from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.
The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.
MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – We may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Policy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
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 (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
As part of Defence Reform, Navy Command continues to review and evolve its Target Operating Model to support more agile ways of working. In this context, the role and responsibilities of this role may develop over time to reflect changing business priorities and opportunities.
At Sift, you Will Be Assessed Against The Following:
- Candidates will be required to provide CV details to include job history, qualification details and previous skills and experience.
- Candidates will be required to provide a personal statement. This should be a maximum of 500 words that sets out your motivation for applying and shows how your skills and experience meet the essential requirements for the role.
At Interview, you will be assessed against the following behaviours:
- Leadership
- Communicating and influencing
- Working with others
Further Information:
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.
As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points-based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system.
Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.
The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.
The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply
“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
Skills