Deckhand, Woolwich Ferries

Job Description

Organisation – Woolwich Ferry
Job – River Services
Position Type – Full Time

Please note: Applying for this role means you have read and understood this advert and any associated links.

Due to the expected high response to these vacancies we reserve the right to close this campaign once we have a suitable pool of applicants, which could be prior to the published application closing date.

For this recruitment campaign, as part of TfL’s continuing commitment to be an inclusive and equal opportunity employer we will be removing personal identifiable information from your application that could cause discrimination.

Apply for this role here

Deckhand – Woolwich Ferry

Contract Type: TfL – Permanent

Salary: £37,149 pa

Location: Woolwich Ferry

The closing date for applications is Sunday 27th August @ 23:59hrs.

The role

The Woolwich Ferry is a free vehicle and pedestrian ferry service across the River Thames in East London. The ferry service links Woolwich in the Royal Borough of Greenwich on the south bank, to North Woolwich in the borough of Newham on the north bank. It also links two ends of the inner London orbital road routes, the North and South Circulars. In excess of two million passengers use the ferry service each year.

There has been a Thames ferry service at Woolwich since the 14th Century. The original small open hand powered vessels and thereafter paddle steamers, are a long way from the two-diesel electric battery hybrid vessels which entered service early in 2019, accompanied by the intelligent docking and locking systems (IDLS) at the north and south terminals.

The Woolwich Ferry Service is licensed and financed by London River Services, the maritime arm of Transport for London (TfL). Following the Mayor of London’s announcement on 10th February 2020 the service has been transferred in house to Transport for London full technical and operational management.

The transition programme to facilitate this is well under way and as part of this transition we are recruiting for Deckhands.

As the Deckhand, your general purpose duties will be associated with the day to day operation of the Woolwich Ferry, working as part of a roster which includes night shift working, including but not limited to safe loading and unloading operations; general safety and security duties; maintenance of the vessels, infrastructure and equipment; mooring and bunkering operations, and any other duties as directed by the Duty Operations Manager, Captain and Marine Engineering Officer.

You will also comply with and promote all the requirements of the Woolwich Ferry Safety Management System, TfL policies and procedures, Captains / Marine Engineering Manager standing orders and industry best standards as applicable whilst providing a high level of customer service and care.

Key accountabilities:

• Ensure compliance with the Woolwich Ferry Safety Management System, other regulatory requirements and industry best practice at all times.
• Ensure compliance with TfL policies, procedures and Key Performance Indicator’s at all times.
• Safely and efficiently complete vessel loading / unloading, mooring, bunkering, cleaning and maintenance duties as dictated by the operational requirements at the time and other duties as reasonably directed by WF Management.
• Provide emergency response duties as directed by the Duty Operations Manager and Captain and take immediate action in response to all incidents on the vessels, at the terminals and in access roads / pavements connected therewith.
• Ensure standards of cleanliness and order are maintained throughout all areas of the vessel at all times – including but not limited to passenger and crew accommodation, vehicle decks, machinery spaces and link-spans, approach roads and pavements and all other areas connected with the Woolwich Ferry Operation. Additionally ensure all reasonable actions are taken to rectify or warn passengers during service hours of any issues or defects which may directly or indirectly affect passenger service and care.
• Count and report the total number of passengers and vehicles on board for every crossing.
• Monitor the movement of passengers in respect of safety and security measures and protocols in force at the time. Security related duties in accordance with the PFSP.
• Communicate and collaborate effectively with the traffic management team to ensure efficient traffic management at all times to ensure minimal delays and disruption to passengers.
• Participate in fire, evacuation, flood, and other emergency situations and drills as required.
• Inspect, identify and report defects, maintain and repair infrastructure, vessel, equipment and other items associated with the Woolwich ferry operation. Complete tasks as directed, identified and included in the WF OPM system as appropriate.

Skills, Knowledge & Experience required for the role:

Knowledge:

• Good knowledge of marine operations
• Good understanding of Woolwich Ferry SMS (desirable)
• Boat Masters Licence (Tier 1 level 2 ) (desirable)
• LKE and passenger endorsement – (desirable)
• Must have good knowledge required to adequately fulfil duties of the role (essential)

Examples: Efficient Deckhand / Able Seaman

Skills

• Competent with all aspects of safe and efficient passenger ferry operations.
• Effective communication skills.
• Ability to successfully manage conflict when interfacing with customers.
• Ability to work under pressure, while maintaining a high level of concentration and care.

Experience

• Previous marine experience as a STCW qualified Deckhand (desirable)
• Previous operational experience in transportation industry (desirable)
• An aptitude for delivering the highest standards of customer service and care (essential)
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work as a team.

This is a safety critical role; therefore, Occupational Health Clearance will be required.

Application Process

Please think carefully about the skills, knowledge and experience outlined in the job description and ensure your CV and cover letter reflects the requirements of the role you are applying for. Short listing will be carried out on the basis of answers to any pre-screening questions and the information on your CV and covering letter.

As part of the application process for this position, you are required to upload both a CV and a Covering Letter to your application before submitting. Applications with either CV or Covering Letter missing will be classed as incomplete and will not be progressed.

To be compatible with our anonymisation software, these must be in Microsoft Word doc.x format. Failure to upload documents in this format means that they may not be processed.

Stage 1: Application on Taleo

Please apply using your CV and a one-page covering letter. Word format preferred and do not include any photographs or images.

Stage 2: CV and cover letter review

Stage 3: Competency-based interview and roleplay exercise

Outcomes

You will receive your outcome once the wash up has concluded with the business, which will be within 1 week of the final assessments.

Appointment to post

In order to be appointed to a post, candidates must successfully pass a basic criminal records check, employment referencing, medical screening and a drug & alcohol test.

Although you may be successful and offered the role – you may not commence employment in the role or start training immediately. There may be a requirement to delay your start date until you are required.

Campaign Timetable

The campaign is running to a very specific delivery timescale as determined by the business and there will only be enough slots for the number of candidates invited. Dates for the Assessment Centre will be opened at the same time for you to book into. You are therefore encouraged to schedule into an assessment event as early as possible. If you do not book an assessment, you will be withdrawn from the campaign. Please note that no further dates will be made available as we have provided you with notice of when the assessment centres will be held.

Attending an Assessment Event:

You will receive an email request inviting you to book into an assessment event.

You will receive confirmation of your booking together with any relevant information required for your assessment at the time of booking.

Please ensure:

1. You have an active email address on Taleo where correspondence, invitations to assessment events and practice material can be sent. Please note emails can sometimes appear in spam/junk.

2. All your contact details including phone numbers, address and email are updated and current on your application.

Candidate Charter:

You can download a copy of the Candidate Charter here. This outlines our commitment to you as a candidate by providing insight into our recruitment process. It also outlines our expectations with regards to your engagement with us, to ensure that you receive the best recruitment experience possible, as we believe you should know the standards of service you can expect from us. You must read this document prior to submitting your application in order to understand every aspect of the process.

Reasonable Adjustment Process:

If you require reasonable adjustments, you must notify the recruitment team at least 48 hours (excluding weekends) prior to your scheduled assessment event to allow us to accommodate your requirements. You will then be sent a confirmation email which you will need to bring to your assessment. If you fail to bring this on the day your adjustments will not be granted, and you will be unable to re-book.

We will consider that you are the expert regarding your own requirements, and we will consider all requests fairly within the context of the role.

Please take the time to read the Disability Charter here.

Notice of Cancellation

We require you to give a minimum of 48 hours’ notice of cancellation or re-schedule. Non-attendance at your Assessment Event may lead to your application being withdrawn.

Please note: Your assessment may be rescheduled once only and reschedules will only be granted if there are assessment slots available, so please make sure you check you can make an appointment before booking. Subsequent cancellation may lead to your application being withdrawn. If you do not follow the process outlined in the Candidate Charter you risk being withdrawn from the campaign.

TfL Benefits

In return for your dedication and expertise, you will enjoy excellent benefits and scope to grow. Rewards vary according to the business area and role, but may include:

• Free travel for you on the TfL network
• A 75% discount on National Rail Season Ticket and interest free loan
• 30 days annual leave plus public and bank holidays
• Private healthcare discounted scheme (optional)
• Tax-efficient childcare payments
• Tax-efficient cycle-to-work programme
• Retail, health, leisure and travel offers
• Discounted Eurostar travel

Diversity statement

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. We want to represent the city we serve, which will help us become a more innovative and efficient organisation. Our goal is to make our recruitment as inclusive as possible. We are a disability confident employer who guarantee an interview to any disabled candidate who meets all of the essential criteria. We also use anonymising software that removes identifying information from CVs and cover letters to make the process fair.

Contacting Us

If at any time you need to speak to anyone within the Recruitment Team, then please contact us on 0203 005 1680 (local rate charges from all phones including mobiles) or email HighVolumeCampaigns@tfl.gov.uk