Job Description

Are you well-organised with an eye for detail and an interest in Maritime? Do you enjoy building relationships and working with colleagues and customers alike?
If so, we are looking for a Certification Officer to join our client, as a great opportunity for someone who is looking to start their career within the Civil Service.

The Certification Officer is a customer service admin role which sits within the Seafarer Operations area which centres around the Certification of seafarers - essentially a licence to allow them to work at sea and on board vessels. Within the role, the Certification Officer will review documents (training records, sea time, medical certificates etc) from the applicant seafarer, assess the documents against a requirement criteria and, if the seafarer is eligible, issue the appropriate Certificate or Endorsement. Where a seafarer is not eligible or further information is required, the Certification Officer will contact the seafarer by email to explain what is required. Seafarer Services ensures the appropriate standards of seafarer training are maintained and that certificates and endorsements issued to seafarers and vessels comply with the relevant requirements while also providing a high standard of customer service.
No prior maritime knowledge is required as full training will be provided

Pay rate:£12.36/hour, Monday to Friday - 37 hours/week
Shift pattern: Monday to Friday - 37 hours/week. 7.4 hours per day with a start time between 8am-9.30am (dependant on business needs)
Location: Spring Place Offices, 105 Commercial Road, Southampton, Hampshire, SO15 1EG
This is a temporary contract until 31/03/2025 with possibility of extension

Key Responsibilities:

• Reviewing physical and digital documents provided by seafarers who are applying for Certification, assessing their eligibility against MCA and regulatory criteria ensuring applications are processed within agreed Service Levels
• Assessing applications to enable seafarers to sit written and oral examinations, contacting them to request further information where required
• Assessing applications for the issuance of Certificates of Competency and Flag State Endorsements to seafarers who are eligible and notifying seafarers who do not meet eligibility, explaining by email why the criteria was not met
• Issue Certificates of Competency/Equivalent Competency to seafarers who meet the qualification criteria
• Answer telephone enquiries and reply to written enquiries relating to the certification of seafarers
• Contribute to and provide support for other administrative tasks such as: branch projects, customer service initiatives and improvement of working practices
• Answer Certification telephone and email enquiries from seafarers, maritime colleges and shipping companies and provide class leading customer service
• Process incoming mail and e-mails, recording details of post received to the appropriate tracking spreadsheet, databases and systems
• Contribute to and provide support for other administrative tasks such as branch projects, customer service initiatives and improvement of working practices.

About you:

• Be a highly motivated, positive and an enthusiastic individual with a flexible attitude and a keen willingness to learn
• Experience in accurately handling data with high level of attention to detail to ensure work is of a high quality standard
• Have excellent IT skills and a demonstrable knowledge in the use of Microsoft packages, in particular Microsoft Outlook and Excel
• Experience in communication with customers or stakeholders via email and telephone
• Have excellent organisational skills and time management skills with the ability to meet deadlines and prioritise a conflicting workload
• Have strong communication skills and can communicate effectively both verbally and in writing
• The ability to deliver information in a clear, confident, professional manner

*The offered candidate will be subject to 3 years activity check and a basic DBS

Brook Street is proud to support the Armed Forces Covenant and as such, we guarantee to interview all candidates who are veterans or spouses/partners of military personnel, and who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy.

As a Disability Confident Leader, and holder of the Gold Award status from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme, Brook Street, as a supplier to the Public Sector Resourcing Framework (PSR), will offer you a guaranteed interview with a PSR Sourcer.

Should you identify as a candidate with a disability and/or as a veteran or spouse/partner of military personnel and meet all the essential criteria for the role, we encourage you to reach out to us via the Brook Street website. Here you will find a link to register your interest and state the role that you are interested in. We are committed to engaging with you.

In cases where we have a high volume of ex-military candidates/military spouses/partners, who meet all of the essential criteria, Brook Street will interview the best candidates from within that group.