UK Ministry of Defence
Superintendent – 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.
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or is obtained but with caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role, any conditional offer made to you will be withdrawn.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?
- Defence subsea capability using advanced Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) and Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) systems.
- Combine shore-based technical, safety and people leadership with periodic offshore deployment.
- Shape the future integration of the co-located AUV and ROV teams, facilities and support arrangements at HMNB Devonport.
- Influence capability acquisition, introduction into service, in-service support and long-term strategy.
- Join a highly respected multidisciplinary team and receive structured development to support the role’s formal technical and safety accountabilities.
- 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 a Superintendent within SALMO Seabed Operations (SBO), you will be the principal shoreside leader accountable for the safe deployment and support of an allocated subsea capability. The appointment is initially expected to focus on our AUV capability, while working across the integrated AUV and ROV organisation to improve resilience, common engineering practices, training, infrastructure and operational delivery.
You will lead a multidisciplinary team and ensure that people, equipment, maintenance, spares, software, technical documentation, support contracts and facilities remain safe, effective and ready to deploy. Working closely with Party Chiefs, engineers, surveyors/analysts, project teams, Defence customers and industry partners, you will provide senior technical advice and support planned, directed and emergency-response operations.
Formal Equipment Authority and Safety Responsible accountabilities will be subject to competence assessment and the appropriate letters of delegation. The role includes periodic offshore deployment, UK and overseas travel, and occasional support at short notice.
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
- Lead the Engineering team, support and development of the allocated AUV or ROV capability, ensuring that it remains safe, available, supportable and operationally ready to deploy onto Commercial Vessels.
- Act, subject to competence assessment and formal delegation, as the Authority and Safety Responsible for allocated systems; own the system safety case and evidence the Safe to Operate position.
- Lead engineering assurance across acquisition, acceptance, introduction into service, in-service support, upgrade and disposal, including configuration, maintenance, spares, software, documentation and obsolescence management.
- Lead, line-manage and develop a multidisciplinary team, maintaining competence, wellbeing, training and readiness for planned and emergency operations.
- Manage delegated budgets, forecasts, support-contract outputs, annual training and operational programmes, and long-term capability requirements.
- Provide real-time shoreside support and senior technical advice to deployed teams and stakeholders, including Designated Person Ashore responsibilities where appointed, and deploy offshore when required.
- Lead integration of the AUV and ROV teams at HMNB Devonport, developing shared facilities, support, training and working practices while retaining clear capability-specific accountabilities.
- Contribute as a SALMO Head of Department, supporting delivery of customer requirements, workforce resilience and continuous organisational improvement.
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Person specification
To be successful with your application, you'll need to show that you meet the following essential criteria:
- Lead Criterion – Have experience providing technical advice at a senior level and leading delivery of successful engineering outcomes in multidisciplinary projects.
- Have a wide-ranging depth and breadth of technical experience in subsea activities or marine engineering.
- Experience managing complex / challenging work with evidence of technical problem solving and risk management.
And:
- An Engineering, Science, Technical, Technology or Marine based qualification at RQF Level 4.
AND EITHER:
- IMCA ROV Superintendent certification, IMCA Supervisor Certification, AUV Senior Survey Engineer/AUV leadership qualification or equivalent offshore experience.
And:
- Be a Sole UK National
- Full UK Driving Licence
- Be able to satisfy requirements of:
- 2-Yearly ENG1 Seafarers Medical (2)
- Be enlisted as a Royal Navy Sponsored Reserve (2)
For recruitment purposes, external candidates do not need to hold these but must have no known reasons not to achieve this within 6 months of employment.
Note: Alternatives to RQF listed above (which cover England, Wales, and Northern Ireland only), is the Scottish SCQF or international equivalent qualification backed up by a statement of comparability from UK ENIC.
This role is subject to Retained Grade Terms and Conditions and differ from the DE&S standard Terms and Conditions.
For SALMO Retained Grade seeking promotion, please refer to Part 2, Section 10.2 of the SALMO Retained Grade Handbook.
Due To The Nature Of This Role, You Are:
- Required to be fit to pass and maintain a two-yearly ENG1 seafarers medical (no geographical limitations)
- Required to enlist as a Royal Navy Sponsored Reserve
- Expected to work extended hours as and when required in support of operational commitments
- Required to live within 60 minutes travelling time of the base to which you are appointed
- Required to hold an in-date UK driving licence
Hold Chartered Engineer (CEng) registration, or an equivalent professional registration recognised by a licensed Professional Engineering Institution. Candidates who can demonstrate equivalent professional competence may be appointed, subject to achieving CEng (or an approved equivalent) by 31 December 2027. Overseas registrations are acceptable where they are recognised under the International Professional Engineers Agreement/Accord.
Please see the Professional Engineering Institution Equi
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