Maritime Trials and Operations Specialist

Job Title – Maritime Trials & Operations Specialist

Job Location – Portchester, UK.

Please note, UK wide and international overseas travel should be expected regularly in this role.

Job ID – 44972

About this opportunity and L3Harris UK

Operating at 11 sites in the United Kingdom, L3Harris supports Britain's mission to secure and strengthen the country by delivering sovereign innovation across the space, air, land, sea and cyber domains.

L3Harris in Portchester is part of our Maritime UK business - a leading global supplier of integrated marine control systems and simulation products for warships, submarines and high-end commercial marine vessels worldwide. Our Maritime UK business has four UK location and together we are powering the Royal Navy’s adoption of autonomous surface vehicle technology as well as delivering autonomous capability to UK ports, harbours and offshore energy service providers.

A few of our employee benefits are:

• 25 days holiday per year (plus bank holidays), increasing with long service and with the opportunity to buy/sell up to 5 days
• Private medical insurance with optional family cover
• Pension scheme of up to 8% employer contribution
• Life Assurance 4x salary (flexible up to 10x)
• Group income protection
• Flexible opt-in extras such as a health care cash plan, dental insurance, gym membership, critical illness cover, cycle to work scheme, travel insurance and electric car scheme
• Employee Family Assistance Program providing mental health and wellbeing support
• Professional membership reimbursement (discretionary)

We are looking for a proactive and highly motivated Maritime Trials & Operations Specialist to join our expanding Maritime Operations team. In this exciting role, you will support the successful delivery of Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) programmes, customer projects, demonstrations, trials, and operational activities both across the UK and internationally.

As a key member of the team, you will coordinate and actively participate in a wide range of maritime operations, including vessel commissioning, Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), Harbour Acceptance Testing (HAT), Sea Acceptance Testing (SAT), customer demonstrations, field trials, and training activities. You will help ensure all operations are delivered safely, efficiently, and in full compliance with company procedures, customer requirements, and relevant maritime regulations.

Working closely with Project Managers, Engineering teams, customers, suppliers, and operational stakeholders, you will play an integral role in the planning, preparation, logistics, execution, and reporting of maritime activities involving both manned and autonomous vessels. This is an excellent opportunity to contribute to the delivery of cutting-edge maritime and autonomous technologies in a fast-paced and technically challenging environment.

We are seeking someone with a strong maritime background who enjoys hands-on operational boat work, thrives in collaborative, multidisciplinary teams, and takes pride in delivering complex projects successfully.

The ideal candidate will be flexible, professional, and adaptable, with a willingness to travel throughout the UK and internationally to support customer programmes, trials, and operational commitments.

What the role will involve

The responsibilities of your role will include the following:

• Plan, coordinate and execute maritime operational activities including vessel commissioning, testing, demonstrations, customer acceptance activities and deployment support.
• Undertake Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), Harbour Acceptance Testing (HAT), Sea Acceptance Testing (SAT), operational trials and customer demonstrations involving manned and unmanned vessels.
• Prepare vessels, equipment, systems and supporting infrastructure for testing, trials and operational activities, ensuring readiness and compliance with applicable safety requirements.

Support the safe launch, recovery, transportation and towing of vessels and associated equipment.

Operate, crew or support manned and unmanned vessels during trials, testing, demonstrations and customer activities.

Coordinate logistics, resources, equipment and personnel necessary for successful delivery of maritime operations.

Deliver operational, system and user training to customers and internal stakeholders as required.

Conduct routine inspections, maintenance and readiness checks on company and customer vessels.

Prepare and review risk assessments, method statements, safety documentation, operational procedures and trial plans.

Generate operational reports, daily progress reports, lessons learned documentation and post-activity summaries.

Liaise effectively with Project Managers, Engineering teams, customers, suppliers and regulatory stakeholders to coordinate operational activities and resolve issues.

Support business development activities through participation in demonstrations, exhibitions, customer visits and technical presentations.

Ensure compliance with company policies, quality standards, maritime legislation and Health & Safety requirements at all times.

Contribute to continuous improvement activities by identifying opportunities to enhance operational effectiveness, safety and customer satisfaction.

Support UK and international deployments, including extended periods working at customer locations, ports, shipyards and offshore environments when required.

What you’ll bring 

The role requires the following experience and skills:

• Commercially Endorsed RYA/MCA Advanced Powerboat Certificate of Competence or equivalent maritime qualification.
• Experience supporting maritime operations, vessel testing, commissioning, trials, demonstrations or operational deployments.
• Experience operating or supporting manned and/or unmanned vessels in operational environments.

Experience working within multidisciplinary teams and coordinating activities across multiple stakeholders.

Strong understanding of maritime safety requirements, risk management processes and operational procedures.

Ability to prepare operational documentation, reports, risk assessments and trial records.

Strong communication, organisational and problem-solving skills.

Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications and standard business software tools.

Full UK driving licence.

Ability and willingness to travel extensively, including UK and international deployments, and work away from home for extended periods when required.

Important to know

Applicants who accept a conditional offer of employment must meet the requirement of right to work in the UK and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information and will be subject to government security checks.

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