Commissioners of Irish Lights - Navigation Support Officer (1 vacancy)

Overview of Role: In consultation with our internal and external stakeholders, the eNavigation & Maritime Services (EMS) department is tasked with provision of navigation policy advice, navigation risk assessment, optimising our current and future marine data assets, support for service delivery to Coastal Operations and reviewing current and future provision of Aids to Navigation.  

Reporting to the Navigation Services Manager (NSM), the Navigation Support Officer (NSO) is a mid-level role requiring excellent decision-making, organisational, communication, teamwork and interpersonal skills.  

A key part of the role is to provide support on navigation to the EMS team including:

• The preparation of Board and Departmental reports,
• Navigation assessments for Foreshore Licence, Aquaculture applications, Maritime Area Consent Applications and statutory sanctions,
• Supporting ship superintendence and survey requirements.

The role delivers client-facing activities, which are time sensitive, and liaises with stakeholders in the maritime and government sectors. This includes, the fishing industry, leisure sectors, ports, harbours, district and county councils, General Lighthouse Authorities and government departments. The role also engages with the wider energy sector including maritime research & development, Search and Rescue (SAR) community, Irish Coastguard and the UK Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA).

The role will suit someone with maritime operations and project management experience who has a passion for our core mission of ensuring safety for all at sea.The role is rewarding and challenging, requiring a flexible approach to work, including limited travel.  

Accountabilities:

• Ownership of Foreshore Licence consultation process and future Maritime Area Consent (MAC) process.
• Tracking of statutory consultee requests and authoring of responses following appropriate internal consultation.
• Liaison with the other General Lighthouse Authorities (Trinity House, Northern Lighthouse Board), Government departments and agencies to ensure a consistent approach to navigational safety issues.
• Ownership of the Aquaculture Licencing feedback process to provide timely responses to relevant Departments on new and existing applications for sites and Special Unified Marking Schemes (SUMS).  
• Scheduling and record keeping, management of offshore renewable energy consultations, including tracking of progress and status of applications. Liaising with developers/applicants and proactively managing internal shared resources to deliver timely replies.
• Management of chart and publication requirements for the Maritime Services within EMS including electronic chart licencing. 
• Maintenance of tracking tools for buoy maintenance and provision of regular updates to buoy construction planning meetings.
• Assisting the NSM in the analysis of outages and presentation of key metrics to drive quality improvements.
• Ensure the quality assurance of navigation data contained within Irish Lights information systems in conjunction with the Irish Lights Data Analyst.
• Assist with the development of current and future GIS systems.
• Respond to queries and liaise with the public on issues pertaining to navigation safety in an Irish Lights context.
• Deliver on objectives agreed in the Performance and Development System (PADS). 

Essential:

• Degree Level 8 qualification, or equivalent maritime qualification and experience
• STCW Certification (DECK) • Experience in marine and/or navigation sectors
• Relevant professional or technical background • Record of delivery on budget and time targets
• Excellent organisation and communication (written and oral) skills
• Excellent teamwork and interpersonal skills
• Strong ICT skills 

Desirable:

• Background in technology and/or innovation
• Project Management experience
• Familiarity with environmental legislation and requirements, including Appropriate Assessments, SACs, SPAs.
• Experience working with information systems
• Interest/familiarity with marine legislation
• Membership of a relevant professional organisation
• Experience working with geospatial data and GIS 

Salary

The annual salary scale for this role is €53,846 - €64,272 (8 points). 

Please view the Candidate Briefing Pack for full details of the position, the requirements and how to apply by 12 February 2024.

The Commissioners of Irish Lights is an equal opportunities employer and promotes diversity in the workplace.