1. Marine Planners:
North West, South and National
Candidate Pack

2. Recruitment Processes Indicative Timeline
Welcome
About the MMO
Vacancy Description
Recruitment Processes
Indicative Timeline
Terms, Conditions and Benefits
Candidate Information Pack

3. Candidate Information Pack
Welcome
Background
Vacancy
Process
Timeline
T’s & C’s
The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
We license and regulate marine activities in the seas around England and Wales so that they're carried out in a sustainable way.
We’re responsible for:
Managing and monitoring fishing fleet sizes and quotas for catches.
Ensuring compliance with fisheries regulations, such as fishing vessel licences and quotas for fish and seafood.
Managing funding programmes for fisheries activities.
Planning and licensing for marine construction, deposits and dredging that may have an environmental, economic or social impact.
Making marine nature conservation byelaws.
Dealing with marine pollution emergencies, including oil spills.
Helping to prevent illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing worldwide.
Producing marine plans to include all marine activities, including those we don’t directly regulate.
More information about our work is on the GOV.UK website.
“The Marine Management Organisation is committed to its staff and believes in investing in their wellbeing and learning and development.
We strive to be an Organisation that creates an environment in which staff are able to identify and share good practice, celebrate success and encourage positive attitudes towards diversity.”
John Tuckett, CEO
Candidate Information Pack

4. ABOUT THE WORK AREA – Marine Planning
Welcome
Background
Vacancy
Process
Timeline
T’s & C’s
ABOUT THE WORK AREA – Marine Planning
The marine planning team are responsible for preparing, implementing and monitoring marine plans in England. Marine plans inform and guide marine users and regulators across England, managing and facilitating sustainable development.
What we do:
Engage with stakeholders to develop marine plans that respond effectively to issues within each plan area.
Develop plans that integrate social, economic and environment objectives to achieve sustainable development.
Support the implementation of marine plans with stakeholders.
Monitor the effectiveness and impact of marine plans.
Why we do it:
To achieve the UK vision for the marine environment for ‘clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas’ by responding to issues within each marine plan area.
Key achievements:
Developed the marine planning system in England from scratch.
Produced and had adopted the first marine plans in the UK – East Marine Plans in 2014.
Developed and submitted to government for adoption the South Marine Plan, which was adopted in 2018.
Supporting the integration between terrestrial and marine planning systems.
Offered members of the public the opportunity to shape what occurs within their marine area in a way that had never existed before.
Pioneering stakeholder approach, bringing together marine stakeholders in an inclusive and beneficial manner to develop marine plans.
Delivered a multi-platform, free to access, information system for marine plan policies and their supporting data in 2015 – Marine Information System.
Candidate Information Pack

5. ABOUT THE WORK AREA – Marine Planning
Welcome
Background
Vacancy
Process
Timeline
T’s & C’s
ABOUT THE WORK AREA – Marine Planning
10 facts about Marine Planning:
Marine planning makes sure that the right activities happen in the right place, at the right time and in the right way.
We are delivering marine plans for 230,304km2 of English waters.
Marine planning helps the UK economy, protects the environment and looks after the best interests of local communities.
Marine planning doesn’t just cover the sea, it includes the coast, estuaries and tidal waters.
We engage with a wide range of stakeholders from diverse backgrounds, including the general public, industry, non-governmental organisations, government departments, academics, local authorities, delivery partners, and coastal partnerships.
The team has a diverse background from map-makers, archaeologists, seal surveyors, marine scientists, explorer, rocket scientist, plastic poo counter, teacher, carer, snake-charmer, ice-hockey player, estate agent, free-diving instructor, and career civil servants. We are multidisciplinary.
We have 29 team members based across all of the marine plan areas.
Marine planning recognises local interests and doesn’t apply a one size fits all approach.
The EU DG for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries regards our stakeholder engagement approach to be innovative and effective.
We are the only marine planners in England.
Candidate Information Pack

6. CASE STUDY – what’s involved in a Marine Planning Team role?
Welcome
Background
Vacancy
Process
Timeline
T’s & C’s
CASE STUDY – what’s involved in a Marine Planning Team role?
A Marine Planning Team role is a varied and challenging role with the opportunity to specialise in specific areas. Some of the work of the Marine Planning Team include:
Working with decision makers and those developing other plans to see how they fit with marine plan policies.
Analysing data or running evidence projects to fill evidence gaps.
Building and running the programme guiding project plans and task plans to deliver key pieces of work.
Meeting a wide variety of stakeholders to ensure plans respond to their needs.
Drafting marine plan policies or generating related maps and supporting information.
Gathering intelligence and information on how marine plans are used.
Answering marine plan queries from licence applicants or decision makers.
Running and attending events to gather information for marine plan development.
Monitoring plans and reporting to parliament on plan use and performance.
Candidate Information Pack

7. Candidate Information Pack
Welcome
Background
Vacancy
Process
Timeline
T’s & C’s
Job Title:
1 Marine Planner North West
1 Marine Planner South
1 Marine Planner National
Grade: EO
Locations:
Preston Coastal Office
Hastings Coastal Office
Lancaster House, Newcastle
Vacancy Reference: 2475
Salary: £23,738 – £27,636 pa
About the Job
Reporting to Higher Executive Officers (HEOs), all posts will contribute to the production of marine plans for England. They will deliver marine planning tasks as directed by the Marine Planner HEOs, working with the other Marine Planners to ensure task integration. The roles are expected to contribute to all aspects of the plan-making process e.g. stakeholder engagement, data and information management, assessment processes and promoting constructive relationships.
The post holders will apply an in-depth understanding of preparing and implementing marine plans, and undertaking engagement with decision-makers and applicants. You will represent marine planning effectively, supporting the development and delivery of marine plans with stakeholders, forming and maintaining positive and productive relationships that promote dialogue, which is essential for marine plan development, implementation and monitoring. This will contribute to effective use of marine plans and enable plan-led management across England.
The Marine Planner North West post will be based in the MMOs Preston office, the Marine Planner South post will be based in the Hastings office and the National Marine Planner post will be based in the MMOs Lancaster House office, in Newcastle. Other suitable locations may be considered. All roles will be expected to travel to attend meetings on a regular basis.
The Marine Planner North West post is a permanent post. The Marine Planner South post is a fixed term appointment (FTA) for one year and the National Marine Planner post in Newcastle is a fixed term appointment (FTA) for one year, both with the possibility of permanency in the future. For FTAs existing Civil Servants are expected to join on loan/secondment and will require approval from their line manager.
A merit list may be created from this round of recruitment to fill future vacancies at the same level, in other locations.
Candidate Information Pack

8. Main Duties and Accountabilities
Welcome
Background
Vacancy
Process
Timeline
T’s & C’s
Main Duties and Accountabilities
Job Title:
1 Marine Planner North West
1 Marine Planner South
1 Marine Planner National
Grade: EO
Locations:
Preston Coastal Office
Hastings Coastal Office
Lancaster House, Newcastle
Vacancy Reference: 2475
Salary: £23,738 – £27,636 pa
Marine plan development
Input to the development of processes that enable plan production, monitoring, review and reporting
Contribute to the production of marine plans including issues identification, development of policies and options for their delivery
Work with others to assess lessons learned from marine planning, and other initiatives and plans, to inform development of marine plans and associated assessment processes
Act as marine planning lead for a topic or sector within a relevant theme group
Provide input to evidence reports and other documents supporting marine plans
Contribute to the development of implementing and monitoring marine plans
Contribute to the wider work of the marine planning team
Contribute to stakeholder engagement
Maintain and strengthen stakeholder contacts and build on these relationships
Work with team members on stakeholder engagement (events, meetings, workshops, providing feedback)
Work with team members on stakeholder communications and updates to marine planning pages of the MMO website
Design, attend and facilitate meetings with stakeholders; write and disseminate meeting notes; identify and complete agreed actions
Identify processes and mechanisms which streamline how marine planning fits into the daily work of MMO decision-making teams; lead on this area of work with a specified MMO team
Develop, manage and deliver projects in support of awareness and implementation of marine plans
Advise and comment on statutory consultations on the plans of external organisations that have marine planning relevance
Contribute to the information management and audit trail capability of the team
Ensure effective time management
Evidence and analysis
Work with team members on developing the marine planning evidence base
Work with team members on data supply to support marine plan decision-making
Analyse and interpret planning policy documents (e.g. Local Authority Plans and national sector or marine policies)
Contribute to development of plan policies for inclusion in marine plans
Provide input to planning analysis and outputs, such as evidence reports, marine plans and supporting documents
Support map development for marine plans
Support the development of digital marine plans
Candidate Information Pack

9. Main Duties and Accountabilities
Welcome
Background
Vacancy
Process
Timeline
T’s & C’s
Job Title:
1 Marine Planner North West
1 Marine Planner South
1 Marine Planner National
Grade: EO
Locations:
Preston Coastal Office
Hastings Coastal Office
Lancaster House, Newcastle
Vacancy Reference: 2475
Salary: £23,738 – £27,636 pa
Main Duties and Accountabilities
Marine Planner
National
specific
Be the point of contact in Lancaster House, Newcastle, for general marine planning matters
Prepare communications for engaging stakeholders across all marine plan areas including newsletters, webpages and consultations
Support the monitoring of marine plan policies across all marine plan areas
Maintaining audit trails for marine plan production
Maintaining file structure on SharePoint
Supporting plan document production
North West
and South
Be the point of contact in the North West or South plan areas respectively for marine planning matters
Prepare engagement plans for engaging marine planning stakeholders in the north west
Proactively engage with stakeholders in north east
Implement marine plans with external decision-makers and internal MMO teams
Ensure join up with bordering plan area marine officers and carry out cross border work
Candidate Information Pack

10. Candidate Information Pack
Welcome
Background
Vacancy
Process
Timeline
T’s & C’s
Role Criteria
Job Title:
1 Marine Planner North West
1 Marine Planner South
1 Marine Planner National
Grade: EO
Locations:
Preston Coastal Office
Hastings Coastal Office
Lancaster House, Newcastle
Vacancy Reference: 2475
Salary: £23,738 – £27,636 pa
Essential criteria for this role
Excellent written and verbal communication skills with an ability to adapt to different audiences
Evidence of engaging stakeholders with a broad range of interests
Excellent team player who recognises the importance of working relationships within the business who can work in collaboration to develop and maintain effective relationships
Desirable criteria for this role
Previous experience of working in a role with a marine or policy background
Experience of dealing with data covering a range of different sectors
Has developed analytical skills
An appreciation of marine issues, perhaps gained through work in coastal areas, is highly desirable
Spatial planning experience gained either through work in local or central government or in private practice
Experience of one, or more, subject areas; environmental and/or marine management, social sciences or sustainable development
The ability to use, or willingness to learn, Geographic Information Systems tools
Able to travel and undertake overnight stays across all marine plan areas as required
A current driving licence is highly desirable due to travel requirements of the Marine Planning roles
Candidate Information Pack

11. Candidate Information Pack
Welcome
Background
Vacancy
Process
Timeline
T’s & C’s
Competency Profile
The core competencies for this role are:
Collaborating and Partnering (Lead Competency)
Leading and Communicating
Delivering at Pace
Making Effective Decisions
For further information on the MMO competency framework please visit GOV.UK
Job Title:
1 Marine Planner North West
1 Marine Planner South
1 Marine Planner National
Grade: EO
Locations:
Preston Coastal Office
Hastings Coastal Office
Lancaster House, Newcastle
Vacancy Reference: 2475
Salary: £23,738 – £27,636 pa
Candidate Information Pack

12. Candidate Information Pack
Welcome
Background
Vacancy
Process
Timeline
T’s & C’s
How to Apply
All of our jobs are advertised on the Civil Service Jobs website.
You must download and complete a copy of the MMO CV Template as part of your application. This should
then be attached to your application.
Please note:- Your application will not be sifted if you do not use the standard MMO CV Template.
Once the vacancy has closed, you will be ed a unique link to enable you to complete the Civil Service
Judgement Test. You will have 5 days to complete the test.
Sift and Interviews
Applications will be sifted using your Civil Service Judgement Test Score, and your CV to establish whether
you meet the essential criteria.
Please note:- Feedback will not be given at sift stage.
The interview will consist of a 10 minute presentation (topic to be confirmed in invite to interview) followed by
a 1 hour 15 min competency and technical interview.
Further Information
If you have any questions about applying for this role please contact:
Name: Jess Churchill-Bissett or Ed Wright
Tel: or or
Candidate Information Pack

13. Week commencing 19 August 2019
Welcome
Background
Vacancy
Process
Timeline
T’s & C’s
Indicative Timeline
Please note these dates are only indicative at this stage and could be subject to change.
If you are unable to meet these timeframes, please let us know by contacting;
Name: Jess Churchill-Bissett or Ed Wright
Tel: or or
Week commencing
4 November 2019
Anticipated start date
Week commencing
1 October 2019
Outcome
Week commencing
16 September 2019
Interviews
Week commencing 19 August 2019
Sift period*
15 August 2019
Closing date
August 2019
November 2019
Interviews will take place at Lancaster House, Hampshire Court, Newcastle Business Park, Newcastle, NE4 7YH
* The sift will include an online situational judgement test as an initial sift, links to the test will be sent via .
Candidate Information Pack

14. Candidate Information Pack
Welcome
Background
Vacancy
Process
Timeline
T’s & C’s
Appointment Term:
Locations:
Working Arrangements:
Salary Range:
Pension:
1 Permanent (Marine Planner North West) and 2 Fixed Term 1 year appointments (South Marine Planner and National Marine Planner)
Preston coastal office, Hastings coastal office or Lancaster House, Newcastle
Full time, Part time, flexible working arrangements.
With competitive maternity, paternity and parental leave we also recognise the importance of a good work-life balance and offer flexible working and a family friendly approach to work.
£23,738 – £27,636 pa New entrants to the Civil Service will start on the salary band minimum.
Existing Civil Servants applying on level transfer will transfer in on their current salary providing it is within the salary range. If you are on a lower salary then you will transfer in on the salary range minimum. Existing Civil Servants applying on promotion will transfer in on the salary range minimum.
Your pension is a valuable part of your total reward package where:
The employer makes a significant contribution to the cost of your pension.
Your contributions come out of your salary before any tax is taken. This means, if you pay tax, your take-home pay will not be reduced by the full amount of your contribution; and
Your pension will continue to provide valuable benefits for you and your family if you are too ill to continue to work or die before you retire. For more information, visit
Candidate Information Pack

15. Candidate Information Pack
Welcome
Background
Vacancy
Process
Timeline
T’s & C’s
Leave Allowance:
Training and Development:
Other Benefits:
30 days (pro-rated for part time staff), 10 and a half day’s public and privilege holidays and flexible working.
We are committed to investing in our staff and offer a range of work based training and qualifications, coaching and mentoring opportunities and a guaranteed five days of learning a year.
Childcare - the Civil Service recognises that many staff balance working lives with the demands of a family life and offers support with childcare and holiday play schemes costs by providing childcare vouchers for staff who meet the eligibility criteria.
Special leave.
Sick pay.
Salary advances.
Interest free season ticket and bicycle loans.
Defra discount scheme.
Employee Assistance Programme.
Eye care.
Trade Unions.
Mediation service.
Volunteering.
Staff networking pages.
Some sites also offer onsite facilities including fitness centres and staff canteens.
Candidate Information Pack

16. Candidate Information Pack
Welcome
Background
Vacancy
Process
Timeline
T’s & C’s
Eligibility:
Nationality:
Reserved for UK Nationals:
This post is advertised to suitably qualified people in the external market, and to existing Civil Servants and those in accredited Non Departmental Public Bodies.
All jobs listed in our current vacancies are open to:
EC nationals
members of the Commonwealth, European Economic 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 candidates will be asked to provide, in confidence, evidence of entitlement to work in the UK and 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 an assessment centre.
Certain posts, notably those concerned with security and intelligence, might be reserved for British citizens, but this will not normally prevent access to a wide range of developmental opportunities within the Civil Service.
This is not a reserved post.
Candidate Information Pack

17. Candidate Information Pack
Welcome
Background
Vacancy
Process
Timeline
T’s & C’s
Security Clearance:
Conflicts of interest:
Pre-employment checks will be undertaken in accordance with the HM Government Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). The BPSS comprises verification of four main elements:
Identity
employment history for the last three years
nationality and immigration status, including the right to work
criminal records check for unspent convictions also known as a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks.
In some circumstances enhanced checks may also be required however candidates will be advised if this is the case.
Additionally, successful candidates are required to give a reasonable account of any significant periods (six months or more in the past three years) of time spent abroad.
The DBS checks are designed to provide clarity on any unspent convictions and therefore the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974) apply.
Candidates must note the requirement to declare any interests they may have that might cause questions to be raised about their approach to the business of the Department. They are required to declare any relevant business interests, shareholdings, positions of authority, retainers, consultancy arrangements or other connections with commercial, public or voluntary bodies, both for themselves and for their spouses/partners. The successful candidate will be required to give up any conflicting interests and his/her other business and financial interests may be published.
Candidate Information Pack

18. Candidate Information Pack
Welcome
Background
Vacancy
Process
Timeline
T’s & C’s
Equality and Diversity:
Civil Service Code:
The Marine Management Organisation is committed to being an equal opportunities employer. We value and welcome diversity. We aim to develop all our staff to enable them to make a full contribution to meeting the Department's objectives, and to fulfil their own potential on merit. We will not tolerate harassment or other unfair discrimination on grounds of sex, marital status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic origin, disability, age, religion or sexual orientation. We will promote and support the use of a range of flexible working patterns to enable staff to balance home and work responsibilities; and we will treat people fairly irrespective of their working arrangements.
Under the terms of the Equality Act 2010, we are legally required to consider making reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged in the recruitment and selection process. We are therefore committed to meeting, wherever possible, any needs you specify in your application. We will also consider any reasonable adjustments under the terms of the Act to enable any applicant with a
disability (as defined under the Act) to meet the requirements of the post.
We offer a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for people with disabilities (as defined by the Equality Act 2010) who meet the minimum criteria for appointment.
All civil servants are subject to the provisions of the Civil Service Code that details the
Civil Service values, standards of behaviour and rights and responsibilities.
For further information, visit GOV.UK.
Candidate Information Pack