Location: Operating from Gosport

Contract: Seasonal contract until November 2024

Salary: £26,775 per annum

Closing Date: 28 April 2024

Are you a keen and active Yacht Mate who is looking for a new opportunity?

The Marine Society & Sea Cadets (MSSC) is a vibrant and growing charity delivering life changing nautical adventure for young people through the Sea Cadets to give them the best possible head start in life. We also provide personal and professional development opportunities for seafarers with the Marine Society. Working with our staff, cadets, and volunteers, we have built a vision and five-year strategy to take us forward and further improve the astounding contribution already made through our work to the lives of thousands of young people and seafarers, while fully supporting our volunteers who are vital to our success.

We are currently looking for a Yacht Mate to join our 2024 sailing season.

About the role

The primary purpose of the Yacht Mate is to assist with the safe operation and navigation of the MSSC’s yachts. The delivery of safe and effective sail training and the co-ordination of all ships’ routines.

The MSSC yachts undertake mainly six-day voyages for six Cadets on each vessel. The sail programme involves our yachts operating around the coasts of UK and near continent from March to November. The particular demands of seagoing employment require the incumbent to be available for duty for prolonged periods and working hours cannot be defined in terms of numbers of hours per week, nor will overtime be recognised. The working and rest hours for this role will be within the confines of the terms of the Maritime Labour Convention. The uncertain nature of the working hours will be recognised by the holiday arrangements afforded.

Responsibilities

• Assist the Yacht Skipper in the execution and planning of the sail training programme.
• Responsible for the safety, discipline, morale, welfare and day-to-day employment of embarked personnel.
• Responsible for preparation and cleanliness of the yachts and overseeing the preparation and cooking of meals.
• Assist with the planning and storage of weekly food orders, taking into account known allergies and intolerances of the embarked crew and cadet trainees.
• Assist relief Yacht Skippers maintain the safe systems in place.
• Assist in the maintenance and husbandry of hull, machinery, mast, spars, sails, standing and running rigging, electrical and mechanical systems and safety equipment, both above and below decks during the sail training season.
• Ensure cadets and staff operate in line with the MSSC’s safeguarding and other policies.

For further information, please take a look at our Recruitment Pack.

Requirements

• Day Skipper (Practical and Theory).
• RYA Powerboat Level 2 or higher.
• Good management and leadership skills and ability to direct staff and cadets with clarity and in a positive manner.
• Ability to instruct and education youth trainees in sailing techniques and general ship’s living routines.
• Ability to assist with the passage planning and coordination with local harbour authorities.
• Must be a team player who can work closely in a small team.
• Possession and maintenance of an ENG 1 or ML5 medical certificate, or an ability and willingness to obtain.

Desirable

• RYA VHF License.
• Knowledge of Sea Cadet training procedures.
• Experience of using a Safety Management System to maintain all safety and routine maintenance systems.

Benefits

• 104 days annual leave pro rata, per annum.
• Private medical insurance.
• Pension (employer contribution up to 10%).
• Wellbeing portal and EAP with 121 counselling.
• Employee development: We are investing in our employees' development and have an annual calendar of learning and development opportunities, designed to support employees to develop into their roles and stretch them to achieve their full potential.
• National staff conference: All employees come together once a year to reflect on the past year and celebrate success at our offsite staff conference. This is a great opportunity to listen to employees' views, and for employees to network, share information and socialise.

If you are interested in this Yacht Mate vacancy, please apply now!

Additional Information

MSSC positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates from all backgrounds. Equity, diversity, and inclusion really matters to us, so we can best serve our beneficiaries from every community. We work to ensure a fair and consistent recruitment process and aim to be a charity where diversity of experience, identity and skills are valued and welcomed. MSSC is an equal opportunities employer.

We recognise our responsibilities to safeguard and protect the young people and vulnerable adults with whom we work. We do all we can to promote their health, safety and wellbeing, and we expect our staff to share this commitment and work in line with safeguarding policy, the MSSC’s values and ethos of inclusivity. We adhere to safer recruitment practices and therefore employment is subject to detailed pre-employment checks for successful candidates, including references and criminal disclosure checks and the completion of a disclosure questionnaire.

All successful applicants are required to attend safeguarding training and undergo a criminal record check.