Guidance
This page contains important information which we encourage all candidates to read carefully before submitting a CV or online application.
Click on the links below to navigate to content on this and other pages.
- Application tips
- Benefits
- Eligibility & Nationality
- Equality & Diversity
- Expenses
- Guaranteed interview scheme
- Mobility
- Offers to successful candidates
- Online ability testing
- Reasonable adjustments
- Relocation assistance
- Submitting your application
Application tips
We know from experience that stronger candidates have undertaken some initial research about who we are and what we do and are able to make links with their current/past role/performance to the requirements we ask for in the job profile. Please think carefully about how well you meet each of the requirements. You should also check the competency profile for the job level to ensure you are covering the relevant range of behaviours. (There is a competency profile for each job level.)
Your responses should aim to provide an effective example(s) which clearly and succinctly illustrates your abilities to meet the capability profile. Do ensure you cover the following for each element of the capability profile:
- What was the situation or circumstances that needed you to take action?
- What specific tasks or actions did you personally take to contribute to the situation?
- What results were achieved from your personal contribution(s)?
- What impact or effect did it have
- Why is this an effective example of this particular capability/behaviour(s)?
Do tell us about any other relevant experience, skills, knowledge or expertise you may have (paid or voluntary work) which could be relevant to the role and the work of MFA/MMO. Do make sure you tell us if you are able to meet any requirements given in the essential and desirable criteria within the job profile too.
As well as exploring information on this website, you may also wish to get a better sense of how what we do as a delivery body is influenced by the wider policy agenda of Defra and other agencies involved. Please see the following links for additional information:
Defra: Marine pages:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/marine/index.htm
Defra: Fisheries pages:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/fisheries/index.htm
Defra: Marine and Coastal Access Act
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/marine/legislation/index.htm
Benefits
The annual salary for the job you are applying for is given in the current vacancies listing, alongside the job title and job reference number. For quick reference, the starting salaries for jobs in Tyneside are given below:
- Level 1 - AA grade, starting salary of £14,609
- Level 1 - AO grade, starting salary of £17,898
- Level 2 - EO grade, starting salary of £22,698
- Level 3 - HEO grade, starting salary of £26,745
- Level 3 - SEO grade, starting salary of £33,072
- Level 4 - Grade 7, starting salary of £43,221
- Level 4 - Grade 6, starting salary of £52,708
On appointment successful applicants will be able to choose between two pensions arrangements:
- Nuvos: A defined benefit pension scheme to which you and the employer make contributions (3.5 per cent employee contribution and average employer contribution of 19.5 per cent).
- Partnership pension account: A stakeholder pension with an employer contribution based on your age. You do not have to contribute but if you do your employer will also match your contributions up to 3 per cent of pensionable pay.
You do not have to join the Civil Service Pension arrangements - you may opt out and be covered instead by a personal pension or the State Second Pension (S2P).
Detailed information on pensions choices and schemes is provided on appointment.
Other benefits include:
- A normal working week of 37 hours plus an additional 5 hours per week for meal breaks.
- 30 days annual leave plus 10.5 days public holidays.
- Flexible working arrangements enabling you to accrue and borrow time over a monthly period.
- Maternity: 52 weeks maternity leave of which 26 weeks on full pay and 13 weeks Statutory Maternity Pay (further and full details available on offer of appointment).
- Paternity: 15 day paid paternal leave and voluntary parental leave.
- Childcare voucher scheme: Tax efficient salary sacrifice scheme.
- 6 months full then 6 months half pay if you are unable to attend for work due to illness.
- Advance funding scheme for travel season tickets.
- Fully supported travel expenses for business-related travel, training, meetings, etc.
- Subsidised canteens in some locations.
- Sports facilities in some locations.
If you are offered a position with MFA/MMO, further details on the above will be specified with our offer of employment.
Nationality
All jobs listed in our current vacancies are open to:
- EC nationals
- Members of the Commonwealth, European Area (EEA) and certain non-EEA family members.
- Candidates from the Commonwealth must be free from any restrictions to reside and take up employment in the UK.
As part of our selection process, successful canidates will be asked to provide, in confidence, evidence of entitlement to work in the UKand to provide references for your character and health. We will usually ask for documentary evidence of your nationality and other personal details to enable us to start taking up references, health and security clearance checks. We will tell you what you need to bring with you if you are invited to attend a Recruitment Day.
Equality & diversity
Defra and its Executive Agencies are equal opportunities employers. Applications for employment are welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of race, colour, ethnic or national origin, sex, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, religious beliefs or age.
Diversity means harnessing the differences of individuals to create a productive environment where everyone is valued for their different skills, knowledge, talents, styles, perspectives on problems and challenges and in the way we deliver our services to our customers and other stakeholders.
All our people can expect to work in an environment that is free from harassment and bullying and where they will be treated fairly, with dignity and respect at all times.
Diversity monitoring: All candidates will be asked to complete a Diversity Monitoring Questionnaire as part of our recruitment process. This information is requested separately from your application and we actively encourage everyone to complete it to help us maintain best practice in recruitment and selection and to regularly monitor barriers to opportunities in employment.
Expenses
We regret that we are unable to reimburse any accommodation, travel or other expenses you may incur in attending one of our Recruitment Days in Newcastle or other locations.
Guaranteed interview scheme
The guaranteed interview scheme was originally set up to enable candidates with disabilities to proceed straight to interview if they are able to demonstrate they can meet the minimum entry criteria.
Our capability profile specifies the minimum entry criteria for our different job levels and our job application form provided us with this information.
Therefore all candidates are expected to complete the application form which is used to assess our minimum entry criteria for all MFA/MMO jobs.
Mobility
With rare exceptions, candidates who are successful will be required to attend a full induction programme with our existing London based teams. This will therefore involve frequent travel to London and/or other locations notified to you. Typically, this may involve you attending induction training for the first 4-6 weeks in London on joining us at MFA/MMO. This is to ensure your are provided with full induction, training and orientation to our bespoke systems and processes. Travel, accommodation and subsistence expenses will be provided to cover any days away from your home base.
Offers to successful candidates
If you are successful at one of our Recruitment Days, you will be contacted within a day or two of attending. We will make an initial job offer to you so that we can start to undertake the Government wide Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS).
BPSS is a package of pre-employment checks which reflect good recruitment and employment practice. They provide us with an appropriate level of assurance as to a candidates trustworthiness, integrity, and reliability. They are undertaken for all successful applicants for employment in the public sector and Armed Forces (both permanent and temporary) and all private sector employees working on government contracts (e.g. contractors and consultants), who require access to, or knowledge of, government assets protectively marked up to and including confidential.
Checks are undertaken by NRG - our recruitment partner and our HR Shared Services Team based in York. Invitations to our Recruitment Day will provide further information of what you will need to bring along with you.
Online ability testing
In addition to meeting the essential/desirable criteria and behaviours within our capability profile, we invite each candidate to complete an online verbal reasoning test. These help us to ensure our selection processes are fair, open, transparent and more inclusive by providing opportunities for people without formal school or other academic achievements to demonstrate their abilities in these areas.
During our Recruitment Day, all canidates will be asked to complete a suite of supervised tests appropriate to the level of role they have applied for. Canidates applying for roles which involve managing and developing people will also be asked to complete a short personality questionnaire. This combination of psychometric tools and Recruitment Day activities enables us to match candidates to roles in which you are more likely to be effective and successful in using their skills and talents to best effect.
All our psychometric tools are fully accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and have been used successfully across public, private and not-for-profit sectors. Administration and interpretation in undertaken by qualified professionals who hold BPS qualifications in occupational testing.
We will provide you with further details if your application is successful.
There are many ‘practice tests’ available on the internet and a search on Google for a verbal or numerical test will take you to various sites where you can practice taking different types of ability tests.
Reasonable adjustments
We are required by law, under the Disability Discrimination Act, to make reasonable adjustments to enable candidates with disabilities are able to participate as fully and inclusively as possible in our recruitment activities.
If you have a disability and you would like to talk to us about making an adjustment to the selection processes involved, please tell us as soon as possible so we can discuss this with you personally. Contact our recruitment team at NRG at mfa@nrgplc.com
Relocation assistance
Please note that all our current roles will be based at new headquarters in Tyneside. It is our policy not to provide relocation assistance for candidates who may currently be based in other geographical locations and who need to move to Tyneside to take up a role with us. We may, on a discretionary basis, consider exceptional candidates for expert or specialist marine roles that are difficult to fill regionally.
Submitting your application
All applications should be submitted using the online application form and CV to NRG as specified in the job profile.
If you have questions, or require further information, support or assistance, please contact our recruitmetn team at NRG at mfa@nrgplc.com