Deckhand – 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.

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.

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.

Please click the apply link to apply.