Head of Offshore

Location: Fort Blockhouse, Haslar Road, Gosport, PO12 2AB

Contract: Full-time, permanent

Salary: Competitive

Closing Date: 18 April 2025

The Marine Society & Sea Cadets (MSSC) is a vibrant and growing charity delivering life-changing nautical adventure for young people through the Sea Cadets to give them the best possible head start in life. We also provide personal and professional development opportunities for seafarers with the Marine Society. Working with our staff, cadets, and volunteers, we have built a vision and five-year strategy to take us forward and further improve the astounding contribution already made through our work to the lives of thousands of young people and seafarers, while fully supporting our volunteers who are vital to our success.

Our 2028 Strategy focuses on ensuring that our Sea Cadets maximise opportunities for young people and thrive in uncertain times. Offshore voyages and sail training activities at sea form part of the Sea Cadets Experience and give our young people the opportunity to spend some time at sea.

The Learning Team at MSSC, are currently looking to recruit a Head of Offshore to continue to deliver a safe, challenging, and engaging experience offshore for Sea Cadets.  The successful candidate will have experience in effectively leading a high-performance team to deliver our programme of offshore activity as well as experience of working experience of commanding and working on sea going vessels.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and oversee offshore (including sail training) activity carried out by MSSC, so that it is delivered to clearly defined standards which meet the requirements of both the Sea Cadet Corps (SCC) and external governing bodies, including, but not limited to the MCA and RYA.
• Lead and manage the team (permanent employees, relief crew and volunteers) to perform as one team to maximise the effectiveness of MSSC’s offshore function to ensure its effective safe and inclusive delivery for Sea Cadets. 
• Management of the fleet of vessels to ensure they are effectively able to deliver safe and enjoyable voyage activity.
• Manage the annual maintenance of the offshore Sea Cadets fleet, together with the planning of refit, improvement and replacement as required, working closely with the fundraising team where appropriate to fund this activity.
• Work with the Head of HSE, Head of Safeguarding and the EDI lead, reporting where appropriate to the Senior Management Team and Safety, Safeguarding, Inclusion and Risk Committee to ensure the safety of our cadets, volunteers, and employees in an inclusive environment whilst offshore.  Also to ensure the full assurance and audit of the offshore fleet and its operations together with the appropriate processes, systems and facilities.
• Ensure the offshore team work to enhance our reputation and public perception in line with the Sea Cadets brand.  

• Experience of commanding and working on sea going vessels
• Experience of leading a high performing team, delivering a complex outcome.
• ENG1 or ML5 medical certification
• Proven senior management and leadership experience with ability to direct staff and service users effectively, with clarity and authority
• Safety, safeguarding and inclusion knowledge in the context of working with children, young people and/or vulnerable adults
• Knowledge of health, safety safeguarding and EDI legislation and best practice procedures as they relate to working at sea
• Experience of refit and maintenance programme management
• Experience of managing substantial budgets

For further information, please download the Recruitment Pack.

• Flexible Working hours and a hybrid culture
• Cycle to work scheme and Season Ticket Loan
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Life assurance (4x salary) for those that join the pension
• Private medical insurance
• Pension (employer contribution up to 10%)
• Wellbeing portal and EAP with 121 counselling
• Employee development: We are investing in our employees' development and have an annual calendar of learning and development opportunities, designed to support employees to develop into their roles and stretch them to achieve their full potential.

If you are interested in this Head of Offshore vacancy, please apply now!

Additional Information

MSSC positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates from all backgrounds. Equity, diversity, and inclusion really matters to us, so we can best serve our beneficiaries from every community. We work to ensure a fair and consistent recruitment process and aim to be a charity where diversity of experience, identity and skills are valued and welcomed. MSSC is an equal opportunities employer.

We recognise our responsibilities to safeguard and protect the young people and vulnerable adults with whom we work. We do all we can to promote their health, safety and wellbeing, and we expect our staff to share this commitment and work in line with safeguarding policy, the MSSC’s values and ethos of inclusivity. We adhere to safer recruitment practices and therefore employment is subject to detailed pre-employment checks for successful candidates, including references and criminal disclosure checks and the completion of a disclosure questionnaire. 

All successful applicants are required to attend Safeguarding, EDI training and undergo a criminal record check.