Chief Inspector jobs

The selection process for this role will be:

Stage 1: Online Tests

Stage 2: Sift of CV and Personal Statement

Stage 3: Interview

You must be successful at each stage to progress to the next stage.

Stage 1: Online Tests

At this stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

• Ability

After submission of the first stage of your application (personal details), you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Verbal Test and a Civil Service Numerical Test. If you successfully pass the tests, you will be invited to complete the full application (please see ‘Stage 2: Sift’ below for further information).

Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended) to give yourself enough time to complete your full application (please see ‘Stage 2: Sift’ for further information). Both the online test and the full application must be completed by the closing date on the advert, otherwise your application will be rejected.

Guidance for the tests will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.

Our online test supplier will be performing scheduled maintenance 21st June - midday to 1pm and 28th June - 4pm to midnight. You will be unable to access tests during this period.

If you are in the middle of a test when the maintenance begins, your progress will be paused. You will be able to resume your test from where you left off via your application centre once the downtime has ended. Please note that you will not be able to launch any new tests while the system is offline.

Stage 2: Sift

At sift, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

Experience – you will be asked to provide a CV (unlimited wordcount) and Personal Statement (750 wordcount). Please provide evidence of your Experience of the following:

• A professional background within the commercial marine transport industry.
• Project management skills with a proven ability to plan and prioritise to meet challenging timescales in a dynamic environment.
• Ability to assess and analyse data from various sources, and to recognise when external expertise is required to make progress.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the first criteria - A professional background within the commercial marine transport industry. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview.

The sift will take place week commencing 7th July 2026.

Stage 3: Interview

At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

• Behaviours - Making Effective Decisions, Leadership, Communicating and Influencing, Working Together and Delivering at Pace
• Experience
• Technical - Applying Expertise and Technology (Accident Investigation Competence)
• Technical - Written Communication - (Accident Investigation Competence)

You will also be required to create and deliver a presentation and complete a written exercise. Guidance will be provided if you are invited to interview.

The interviews will take place from the 16th July 2026.

This interview will be conducted in person at our Southampton office. Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.

Please note that we will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change.

Further information on the selection process

For more information about how we hire, useful tips on submitting your application and interview guidance for this role, visit the How We Hire page of our DfT Careers website. You can find detailed information about the recruitment process and what to expect when applying for a role.

We will also hold a 12-month reserve list for this role, which may lead to potential opportunities beyond the role you applied for. You can read more about our reserve lists here.

Appointments for this position will be made in order of merit. If you are successful in the selection process but there are no further available posts for the advertised role, you may be contacted to discuss an offer for a lower graded role (with similar experience and responsibility requirements).

If you are unsuccessful in the selection process, your application may be considered for a lower graded position if your demonstrated skills and experience meet the requirements of the alternative position. Candidates will be considered in order of merit.

Reasonable Adjustments

As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If you need a reasonable adjustment so that you can complete your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Document Accessibility

This job advert contains links to the DfT Careers website. Our website provides useful guidance and information that can support you during the application process. If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert or the information on our website, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Pre-employment Checking

If your application is successful but you have been dismissed from the Civil Service, your application could be removed at the pre-employment checking stage depending on the nature of the dismissal.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

All external applicants and current employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) will be required to undergo a Social Media Check. A Social Media Check is a review of your publicly available online activity, typically across platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and others. The purpose is to identify any public posts or content that could raise concerns for employers, such as:

• Hate speech or discriminatory behaviour
• Threats or acts of violence
• Illegal activity or substance misuse
• Sexually explicit material
• Extremist views or affiliations

Importantly, this check does not involve hacking into your accounts or accessing private messages. It only considers content you have chosen to make public. Employers use this kind of screening to help ensure their workplace remains safe, inclusive, and aligned with company values. It’s not about judging your personality or lifestyle - it’s about checking for potential red flags that might affect the role or company culture. If you have questions or concerns about the social media check, we would be happy to explain in more detail what’s being looked at and how your data is handled securely and fairly.

Due to the nature of MAIB operations, you will be required to undertake physical activities such as working in disrupted environments, confined spaces and boarding vessels by pilot or shoreside ladders. You will also be exposed to situations, information, and material that may be potentially traumatic.

We therefore advise candidates to consider these requirements before applying. Please note also, that we will require successful candidates to undergo an internal health check assessment before starting in post. Candidates will be given more information on this assessment closer to the time by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch within the Department for Transport.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter.

Feedback

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service