Job title: Survey Manager

Department: Hydrographic – Marine Operations Directorate

Reporting to: Hydrographic Operations Manager

Grade: 3

Salary: £73,337 (plus car allowance)

Base: Gravesend, Kent

Closing date: 6 December 2024

Interview date: w/c 16^th December 2024

Who we are:

The Port of London Authority is the statutory harbour authority for the tidal Thames and responsible for 95 miles of the River Thames from the Estuary to Teddington in West London. We work to keep river users safe, protect and enhance the environment and promote the use of the river for trade and travel. The Hydrographic service is one of the busiest port hydrographic departments in the UK and one of the strongest in the world, with 21 employees 3 survey craft fitted with advanced surveying systems as well as aerial drones and the UK’s first port operated fully electric USV. The team conducts surveys and produces data and products supporting safety of navigation essential for safe vessel movement within the port as well as supporting a broad commercial portfolio of work. We are seeking an experienced survey data professional to join the management team to drive the design, implementation and delivery of a survey data strategy supporting the efficiency and growth of the port and the department.

The role:

The postholder is responsible for overseeing the processing, development, organisation, and analysis of the department's survey data. This role ensures the integrity, and quality of data, while facilitating the smooth flow of data between acquisition, processing and product generation phases to meet specification and business objectives for safety, conservancy and contracted surveys whilst ensuring compliance with data management procedures and regulations.

The postholder will:

• Develop and enforce data processing and management policies and procedures to ensure data integrity, quality, and consistency.
• Ensuring that survey data outputs are delivered to specification across the business in relation to compliance with PMSC & Merchant Shipping Act (2020), International IHO standards and/or commercial contracted survey specifications.
• Collaborate with internal teams and other departments to provide clean and accessible data for data-driven decision-making.
• To undertake and act on safety of navigation impact for all survey data.
• To lead on development of workflows and best practices pertaining to survey data processing and delivery.
• To provide in-house expertise and advice on survey and hydrographic data specifications, processing software, and QC processes.
• Ensure continuous improvement of routines and software within the survey data processing and analysis fields.

The roles and responsibilities of the position are:

• To support the management team in translating data requirements into technical specifications and instructions.
• Lead the surveyor team, directing and coaching as required to ensure survey data quality, adherence to specification and attainment of KPIs.
• Act as an escalation point for data issues either relating to quality and/or delivery.
• Manage compliance of deliverables regarding the relevant specification/instruction and the wider quality management system to ensure outputs are fit for purpose.
• Assess data for navigational significance affecting port operations, making recommendations to accelerate product updates as necessary.
• Ensure timely promulgation of identified navigationally significant data including generation of associated products, NTMs, Nav warnings, CCAs and H-Notes.
• Respond to survey data and related product queries and requests.
• Assist in creation, QC and distribution of departmental products.
• To assist the geospatial/GIS team in the design and maintenance of navigational products and APIs including QC against standards and specifications.
• Provide guidance and training to staff on data management best practices and the use of data tools and systems.
• To keep abreast of industry best practise to ensure data collection, processing and product development remains efficient, supervising trials in new technology and making technical recommendations.
• Provide leadership, mentoring and training to the surveyors and supporting team

What we are looking for:

• Bachelor's degree in Marine/Earth Sciences, Surveying or Computer Science. A post graduate qualification and/ or professional accreditation is a plus.
• Proven experience and training and/ or certification with production of official navigational charting data and products.
• Familiarity with data visualisation, analysis and reporting tools.
• Familiarity with agile project management methodologies.

Person specification:

• Proven management experience in a similar role, involving the selection and implementation of appropriate technologies to build resilient, high-quality and scalable data solutions – from acquisition through to reporting.
• Strong organisational and management skills, with the ability to build, develop and lead a small team of professional surveyors.
• 7 to 10 years’ experience in the hydrographic survey industry including acquisition, processing systems and reporting and product generation.
• Knowledge and understanding of national and international hydrographic data standards, and products,
• Experience in development of analytical reports, including analysis, applying data science techniques, summarising and interpreting results.
• Appetite to work with fellow managers and teams in the transition to a digital first product line, leading on the design, implementation and management of improved data workflows.
• Ability to implement processes and procedures compliant with quality standards.
• Ability to identify opportunities to improve own and team’s processes, including through the innovative use of new tools and data.

Benefits package:

• 28 days annual leave
• Private Medical Insurance
• Generous pension
• Onsite parking with electric charging
• Access to Occupational Health, Mindfulness, Counselling and Physiotherapy
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Access to MyGymDiscounts

For further information or if you would like to have an informal discussion about the position, please contact John Dillon-Leetch on 07743385531 or john.dillon-leetch@pla.co.uk.

The PLA are not registered with the UK Home Office and do not sponsor candidates who require a visa or work permit to work in the UK, therefore an offer of employment cannot be made unless you currently hold the rights to live and work in the UK.