UK Ministry of Defence
Offshore Surveyor - AUV/ROV
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HMNB Devonport, Plymouth, Devon PL2 2BG
Job Summary
At Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), we supply and maintain vital equipment and services for the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force. Together, we deliver a vast range of essential defence programmes, and strive for what's next. Because it helps keep our military at the top of their game and our nation safe – for today, and tomorrow.
DE&S has recently been integrated into the National Armaments Director (NAD) Group. The NAD Group brings together key Ministry of Defence (MOD) organisations to unite expertise across science, technology, procurement, infrastructure, and support to provide integrated capabilities faster and more efficiently for our armed forces and our allies. This is an exciting new opportunity to enable better ways of working and empower greater collaboration across Defence. For further information about the NAD Group, please visit: National Armaments Director Group - GOV.UK
We offer 26.5+ days’ holiday, flexible and hybrid working, enhanced parental leave schemes, shopping discounts, and an exceptional employer pension contribution of around 28.97%, to help work work for you.
Nationality, visas and vetting
For security reasons this role is open to sole UK nationals only. A ‘sole UK national’ refers to an individual who holds citizenship solely in the UK, without dual citizenship or nationality from another country. We’re unable to offer visa sponsorship.
This role requires you to have lived in the UK for the last 10 years and obtain Developed Vetting (DV) security clearance. Clearance must be obtained without any caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role you have been recruited for. If it isn’t obtained or is obtained but with caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role, any conditional offer made to you will be withdrawn. Obtaining DV security clearance can be a lengthy process. You’ll join us once Security Check (SC) clearance is obtained, and then the more enhanced DV checks will continue after you’ve started your employment. If SC clearance isn’t obtained within 12 months, we reserve the right to withdraw any conditional offer made.
Job Description
Why join Salvage and Marine Operations (SALMO)?
SALMO is the MOD’s centre of excellence for marine salvage and emergency response. Our multidisciplinary team, ranging from Master Mariners and Naval Architects to Environmental Scientists and Remote Operated Vehicles (ROV) / Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) Operators, delivers critical support to UK Defence operations around the globe. Whether it's locating downed aircraft on the seabed, surveying wrecks, towing warships, or conducting emergency response drills, our work is as varied as it is vital.
What makes this role different?
- Work on unique, non-commercial subsea operations that directly support UK Defence.
- Operate and manage state of the art AUV and ROV systems.
- A balanced role combining operational deployments (approx. 12 weeks per year) with shore based technical leadership.
- Be part of a highly respected, multidisciplinary team renowned for technical excellence.
- Long term career stability, exceptional pension, and structured development
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‘Every day is different and I’ve had the opportunity to be part of some exciting projects: Bell from famous US destroyer sunk off Scillies returned to its owners’
What will your job include?
As an AUV/ROV Surveyor, you will build the expertise to operate advanced ROV and AUV systems independently across a range of challenging underwater tasks, from inspections and data collection to technical interventions and repairs. You will take ownership of system performance, diagnose and resolve issues, and help deliver safe, efficient operations in complex marine environments. Working to strict safety standards, you will protect the marine environment and ensure all activity complies with relevant maritime regulations. Your work will play a vital role in delivering high-quality marine operations that are safe, effective and mission-ready.
The role offers a good work life balance, only deploying at sea for a maximum of 120 days per year with the remaining time taken against leave, training and office-based activity at HMNB Devonport.
We champion flexible ways of working. Whilst onshore, regular in-person on site attendance is required (this is expected to be approximately 60% of your working week) to promote the benefits of face-to-face collaboration alongside flexibility of hours to support work-life balance and business need. Initially, you may be expected to attend more frequently to familiarise yourselves with the site, the team, and your role.
The role is operationally critical and comes with additional allowances under SALMO Terms and Conditions, SALMO Terms and Conditions reflecting the importance and intensity of the work you’ll be doing.
For clarity, the SALMO RG allowances you’ll be eligible for:
- Contactable Allowance £3,191.00 pa
- Sponsored Reserve Annual Bounty is:
- Year 1: £583.00
- Year 2: £1,290.00
- Year 3 & 4: £1,992.00
- Year 5: £2,308.00
- For deployed periods disturbance allowance applies:
- Week day - £94 per day.
- Weekend - £158 Per day
- Sea-going-leave (SGL) is accrued at a rate of 4 Leave Days for each 7 days embarked (additional to your Annual Leave Entitlement)
What You’ll Be Doing
- Deploy with advanced ROV and AUV systems across multiple operational deployments each year, typically totalling 10–12 weeks.
- Play an active role within the operational team, supporting the Operations Manager in planning, organising and delivering pre- and post-deployment activity.
- Lead survey planning and mission preparation to ensure deployments are safe, effective and mission-ready.
- Monitor live systems during operations, ensuring reliable performance, accurate data capture and rapid response to emerging issues.
- Transform acquired survey data into meaningful outputs through post-mission review, processing and analysis.
- Manage data storage, system security and continuous improvement of operating procedures to strengthen capability and maintain high professional standards.
- Support fault diagnosis and resolution across survey equipment, payload systems and topside navigation systems to keep operations moving.
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Why join Salvage and Marine Operations (SALMO)?
SALMO is the MOD’s centre of excellence for marine salvage and emergency response. Our multidisciplinary team, ranging from Master Mariners and Naval Architects to Environmental Scientists and Remote Operated Vehicles (ROV) / Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) Operators, delivers critical support to UK Defence operations around the globe. Whether it's locating downed aircraft on the seabed, surveying wrecks, towing warships, or conducting emergency response drills, our work is as varied as it is vital.
What makes this role different?
- Work on unique, non-commercial subsea operations that directly support UK Defence.
- Operate and manage state of the art AUV and ROV systems.
- A balanced role combining operational deployments (approx. 12 weeks per year) with shore based technical leadership.
- Be part of a highly respected, multidisciplinary team renowned for technical excellence.
- Long term career stability, exceptional pension, and structured development
‘Every day is different and I’ve had the opportunity to be part of some exciting projects: Bell from famous US destroyer sunk off Scillies returned to its owners’
What will your job include?
As an AUV/ROV Surveyor, you will build the expertise to operate advanced ROV and AUV systems independently across a range of challenging underwater tasks, from inspections and data collection to technical interventions and repairs. You will take ownership of system performance, diagnose and resolve issues, and help deliver safe, efficient operations in complex marine environments. Working to strict safety standards, you will protect the marine environment and ensure all activity complies with relevant maritime regulations. Your work will play a vital role in delivering high-quality marine operations that are safe, effective and mission-ready.
The role offers a good work life balance, only deploying at sea for a maximum of 120 days per year with the remaining time taken against leave, training and office-based activity at HMNB Devonport.
We champion flexible ways of working. Whilst onshore, regular in-person on site attendance is required (this is expected to be approximately 60% of your working week) to promote the benefits of face-to-face collaboration alongside flexibility of hours to support work-life balance and business need. Initially, you may be expected to attend more frequently to familiarise yourselves with the site, the team, and your role.
The role is operationally critical and comes with additional allowances under SALMO Terms and Conditions, SALMO Terms and Conditions reflecting the importance and intensity of the work you’ll be doing.
For clarity, the SALMO RG allowances you’ll be eligible for:
- Contactable Allowance £3,191.00 pa
- Sponsored Reserve Annual Bounty is:
- Year 1: £583.00
- Year 2: £1,290.00
- Year 3 & 4: £1,992.00
- Year 5: £2,308.00
- For deployed periods disturbance allowance applies:
- Week day -
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