Job detail for Senior Operations Officer

Would you like a job where you can lead your own team in a fast-paced, high priority area?  If so, Marine Directorate are looking for an individual to join their Lerwick team as a Senior Operations Officer.

As the Senior Operations Officer you will be responsible for the effective delivery in the District of the enforcement, monitoring and surveillance task in relation to sea fisheries legislation and other marine related legislation under the powers given to British Sea-Fishery Officers, Marine Enforcement Officer and any other powers assigned to the post. You will lead operations and provides clear instruction, mentoring and guidance to Operations Officers.

Due to the remote locations of landing ports a considerable amount of driving is involved therefore a valid driving licence that enables the candidate to drive in the UK is required.  You should note that this role includes carrying out visits to various types of establishments in all weather conditions, therefore a willingness to carry out these visits is a prerequisite for the posts.

Flexible Working Allowance

Officers will qualify for a monthly flexible working allowance which is currently 10% of the B2 max.

:

• Lead and support colleagues through delivering against the Operating Model ensuring an understanding of standards and expectations, ensuring data capture.
• Working collaboratively with their teams, other Senior Operating Officers and Coastal Business Manager to be aware of proactive resource management in their district. This will ensure current and future work priorities for each district are agreed with a consistent approach.
• Attend meetings, seminars and other events with other Government Departments, External bodies, NGOs, when required to do so, acting as an advocate for Marine Directorate.
• Deliver tasking priorities and statutory obligations against targets for each district and other Senior Operations Officers. Deliver specific functions as required to ensure Compliance in the fishing industry and the wider marine environment the Marine Directorate have competence.

Qualifications:

• Valid driving licence which enables you to drive in the UK.
• BSFO warrant.
• MEO warrant.

Please confirm in your application that you hold the requested qualification(s).  If you do not provide this information, your application will not be considered.

Success profile

Success profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of behaviours, experience and technical criteria (if applicable) that candidates will be assessed on.

Experience:

• Experience leading a team.
• Previous experience working in an Operational Delivery area.

Behaviours:

• Making effective decisions – Level 3
• Communicating and influencing – Level 3
• Working together – Level 3
• Managing a quality service – Level 3

Find out more about Success Profiles.

How to apply:

Apply online, providing a CV and supporting statement (of no more than 1000 words) providing evidence of how you meet the behaviours, experience and technical skills listed in the Success Profile above. Both the CV and the supporting statement provided will be assessed against the criteria for the role.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be used to support your application, but all statements and examples provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, and presented as your own) applications will be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.  Please see our  candidate guidance for more information on acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in recruitment.

Skilled Worker sponsorship is not available for this role. As a result, we are unable to appoint candidates who require Skilled Worker sponsorship now or in the future. Applicants must have an existing and ongoing right to work in the UK.

If invited for further assessment, this will consist of an interview and presentation.

Assessments are scheduled for w/c 19 October 2026 however this may be subject to change.

Apply before 23:59 on 6 October 2026.  This post is open to internal candidates and Common Citizenship Organisations only (external candidates and staff from UK Other Government Departments are not eligible to apply for this vacancy).

Recruitment Principles:

As a government organisation, we adhere to the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles and we investigate any complaints received in relation to recruitment cases.

About us:

The Scottish Government is the devolved government for Scotland. We have responsibility for a wide range of key policy areas including: education, health, the economy, justice, housing and transport. We offer rewarding careers and employ people across Scotland in a wide range of professions and roles.

Our staff are part of the UK Civil Service, observing the Civil Service Code and working for Ministers and senior stakeholders to deliver vital public services which improve the lives of the people of Scotland.

We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment along with a wide range of employee benefits. Find out more about what we offer.

As part of the UK Civil Service, we uphold the Civil Service Nationality Rules.

Working pattern:

This role is 35 hours per week and operates a flexible working pattern, Monday to Friday, between 07:00 and 23:00.

Security checks:

Successful candidates must complete the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), before they can be appointed. BPSS is comprised of four main pre-employment checks – Identity, Right to work, Employment History and a Criminal Record check (unspent convictions).

You can find out more about BPSS on the UK Government website, and read about the Government Vetting Charter, or about all the different levels of security checks in our Candidate Guide.

Internal candidates may need to gain higher security clearance than they currently hold if successful in their application.

Equality statement:

We are committed to equality and inclusion and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation.

Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer and support recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them.

Further information:

Find out more about our organisation, what we offer staff members and how to apply on our Careers Website.

Read our Candidate Guide for further information on our recruitment and application processes.