Job title: Marine Investigations Officer

Department: Harbour Masters

Reporting to: Marine Compliance Manager

Grade: 6

Salary: £53,174 per annum

Working pattern: Monday to Friday, 35 hours per week

Base: Gravesend, Kent

Closing date: 23 December 2025

Interview Date: 8 January 2026

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 Lock 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. As part of our duties under the Ports and Marine Facilities Safety Code, we manage and maintain the port’s navigational safety management system and marine emergency planning function. 

The role:

Based in our Head Offices at Gravesend you will join a small, established team providing specialist services in support of the PLA’s core safety functions.

• You will manage the triage and quality assurance of navigational safety and pollution incidents and support the Harbour Masters by carrying out incident investigations and providing lessons learned

• You will contribute significantly to the ongoing development and maintenance of an effective safety management system, risk assessment processes, compliance assurance and supporting regulatory framework and enforcement regime, whilst providing statistical analysis and reports on a routine and as-required basis.  

• You will be part of a small team of internal Port & Marine Facilities Safety Code (PMSC) auditors, ensuring that all operations comply with established safety standards and regulations, tracking findings and assigned actions through to completion at all levels of PLA Management.

• You will contribute to the day-to-day operation of the Marine Safety Management System (MSMS) and the navigational risk management database, which are critical for identifying, assessing, and mitigating potential risks.

The ideal candidate will:

• Hold a STCW (OOW Unlimited) Certificate of Competency or equivalent or a BML Certificate, and/or have relevant management experience in the marine and ports industry, including in particular, navigational safety management, risk assessment and incident investigation.

• Have proven and effective interpersonal skills.

• Have good communication, presentation and analytical skills.

• Have an ability to work effectively under pressure.

• Have excellent IT skills, with experience of a range of software packages.

Benefits package:

• 28 days annual leave (plus Bank Holidays)

• Medical Cash Plan (Westfield Health)

• 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 Paul Evans, Marine Compliance Manager on 01474 562323.

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.