Officer - Ship Safety and Accident Investigation (SNE)

NATIONAL EXPERT SECONDED TO EMSA

Call for applications for an ‘Officer - Ship Safety and Accident Investigation’ Ref. n°: EMSA/SNE/2026/03

The European Maritime Safety Agency was established for the purpose of ensuring a high, uniform and effective level of maritime safety, maritime security as well as prevention of and response to pollution by ships within the EU.

The idea of a European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) originated in the late 1990's along with a number of other important European maritime safety initiatives. EMSA was set up as the decentralised agency that would provide a major source of support to the European Commission and the Member States in the field of maritime safety, security and prevention of pollution from ships. The Agency was established by Regulation (EC) No 1406/2002 and subsequent amendments have refined and enlarged its mandate to cover among other measures, the efficiency of maritime transport.

The Agency provides technical, operational and scientific assistance to the European Commission and Member States in the fields of maritime safety, maritime security, prevention of, and response to, pollution caused by ships as well as response to marine pollution caused by oil and gas installations.

The Agency also contributes to the overall efficiency of maritime traffic and maritime transport and supports European cooperation on coastguard functions.

EMSA's activities can be broadly described as:

• providing technical and scientific assistance to the Member States and the European Commission in the proper development and implementation of EU legislation on maritime safety, security, prevention of pollution by ships and maritime transport administrative simplification;
• monitoring the implementation of EU legislation through visits and inspections;
• improving cooperation with and between Member States;
• building capacity of national competent authorities;
• providing operational assistance, including developing, managing and maintaining maritime services related to ships, ship monitoring and enforcement;
• carrying out operational preparedness, detection and response tasks with respect to pollution caused by ships and marine pollution by oil and gas installations;
• at the request of the European Commission, providing technical operational assistance to non-EU countries around relevant sea basins.

More information about the Agency and its structure and activities can be found on our website: http://www.emsa.europa.eu

EMSA invites you to apply for a Seconded National Expert as ‘Officer – Ship Safety and Accident Investigation’. This position will be attached to Department 2 ‘Safety, Security & Surveillance’, in Unit 2.1 ‘Safety & Security’.

Conditions of Secondment:

This call for applications concerns a Seconded National Expert position. Rules applicable to National Experts seconded to EMSA can be found on the following link. Please carefully read these rules before applying. The initial duration of the secondment is one year with possibility for extension. The place of employment is Lisbon, Portugal.

General conditions for the secondment:

This call for applications is open to experts working for intergovernmental organisations (IGOs) or Government or State Departments in the EU Member States, Norway or Iceland.

The secondment of an SNE by an employer other than a national, regional or local public administration, an international organisation or an IGO should be authorised only on a case-by-case basis, once it has been ascertained that the SNEs employer is part of the public sector or is an independent university or research organisation that does not seek to make profits for redistribution.

To qualify for secondment, experts shall:

• Have worked for their employer on a permanent or contract basis for at least 12 months before their secondment and shall remain in service and continue to be paid by that employer throughout the period of the secondment;
• Be a national of an EU Member State, Norway or Iceland.

It should be noted that due to the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union on the 31/01/2020, candidates from the United Kingdom who do not hold the nationality of an European Union member state, are not eligible for calls for applications at EMSA due to the fact that they do not fulfil the requirements of article 1(3) of the Decision of the Administrative Board of 20 November 2009 Laying Down Rules on the Secondment to EMSA of National Experts and National Experts in Professional Training.

Functions and Duties:

The Officer - Ship Safety and Accident Investigation, under the responsibility of the Head of Unit 2.1 ‘Safety & Security’, will be responsible of a number of the following tasks:

• Analysing marine casualties and investigation reports and advising on best practices;
• Producing technical reports on ship safety topics based on the analysis of marine casualties and investigation reports;
• Participating in underwater services (UWS) operations in the field;
• Participating and contributing to the PCF, EMCIP, and user groups meeting in relation to accident investigation;
• Developing and delivery trainings related to accident investigation, fishing vessel safety and the Human Element;
• Supporting the operation of the EMCIP;
• Assisting in the conduct of any other activity of EMSA in the field of accident investigation;
• Providing technical advice/assistance in the field of EU maritime safety legislation and in the field of ship safety and construction standards;
• Monitoring developments on international legislation at IMO on ship safety and accident investigation issues and producing briefings;

Main skills and qualifications:

• A university degree or equivalent qualification or professional experience in a field related to the functions and duties outlined above;
• At least 3 years of professional experience, in the area of the above-mentioned functions and duties, acquired after the award of the required qualification. When no university degree or equivalent qualification has been acquired, 7 years of relevant experience is required, of which 3 must be in the area of the above-mentioned functions and duties;
• Very good knowledge of international and European Union legislation in the field of maritime safety;
• Very good knowledge and practical experience in applying ship safety standards at IMO and/or, EU and/or national level);
• Professional experience in the preparation and delivery of training programmes would be considered an asset;
• Professional experience with casualty analysis and/or investigation would be considered an asset;
• Professional experience in underwater activities would be considered an asset;
• An excellent level of written and spoken English;
• Professional experience in EU and IMO maritime safety legislation field e.g. participating in COSS (Committee on Safe Seas and the Prevention of Pollution from Ships) and IMO meetings would be considered an asset;
• Ability to work effectively under pressure and to respond quickly to new demands;
• Strong initiative and sense of responsibility;
• Good knowledge and practical proficiency in Microsoft applications and tools including internet, email, etc.

Submission of applications:

Each application shall contain the following documents:

1. A detailed curriculum vitae in European format (that can be obtained at the following address http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/documents/curriculum-vitae or downloaded from our site).
   1. A motivation letter.
   2. A duly completed and signed declaration of honour (which can also be downloaded from our site).

Please note that candidates cannot send their application directly to EMSA. These applications are not considered valid. To be considered valid, the EU Permanent Representation or the EFTA

Secretariat/Mission to the European Union (for Norway or Iceland), or the IGO, must send your application to: recruitment@emsa.europa.eu within the deadline below.

EMSA will only take into account applications received before the deadline which is 30 September 2026 at 17.00 hours (Lisbon time). Please liaise with the appropriate intermediator depending on your case, to ensure that your application reaches it well on time.

EMSA is an Agency focusing on gender balance and a harmonic workplace and strongly encourages the applications of women for the positions where they are underrepresented, especially SNEs positions.

The selection process:

For each selection process a Selection Committee is nominated. Each valid application will be screened based on the requirements of the job profile stated in this call for applications. The most suitable candidates will be called for an interview and a written test.

Please be informed that the interviews and written tests will be organised remotely.

Candidates are strictly forbidden to make any contact with the members of the selection committee, either directly or indirectly. Any infringement of this rule will lead to disqualification from the selection procedure. All candidates will receive an information letter on the outcome of their application.

The reserve list, if established, will remain valid until 31/12/2027, with the possibility of renewal. Therefore candidates whose name will be put on a reserve list could be offered a secondment during this period of time. Please note however that inclusion in the reserve list does not guarantee a secondment.

For any prior enquiry, please refer to the FAQ (Frequently asked questions) section, or send an e-mail to recruitment@emsa.europa.eu .

Equal Opportunities:

EMSA is an equal opportunities agency. Seconded National Experts are selected without prejudice as to race, political, philosophical or religious beliefs, gender or sexual orientation and without reference to their marital status or family situation.

Requests for information and lodging a complaint:

How to request for information: An applicant who would like further information concerning a particular decision of the selection procedure may send a request by e-mail preferably within 10 working days from the date he/she was notified.

EMSA’s Human Resources will forward the request to the Chairperson of the Selection Committee and the applicant will receive a reply as soon as possible.

How to lodge a complaint: An applicant may lodge a formal complaint under Article 90(2) of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Communities and Conditions of employment of other servants of the European Communities by e-mail to Recruitment@emsa.europa.eu or registered mail at the following address:

Human Resources and Internal Support Unit EMSA Praça Europa 4 1249-206 Lisbon Portugal The time limit for initiating this type of procedure is three months (see Article 90 (2)of the Staff Regulations as amended by Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1023/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2013, OJ L 287, 29.10.2013) from the time you become aware of the act allegedly prejudicing your interests.

Applicants can make a complaint to the European Ombudsman at the address below or directly on Ombudsman’s website https://www.ombudsman.europa.eu/en/home.

However, before submitting a complaint to the European Ombudsman, applicants must already have contacted EMSA about the matter and used all the internal administrative options for review and/or complaints provided for in the Staff Regulations.

Médiateur européen 1 avenue du Président Robert Schuman CS 30403 F-67001 Strasbourg Cedex France

Personal data protection:

Any personal data provided by the Applicant shall be processed pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 and Decision No 1247/2002/EC. It shall be processed solely for the purposes of the recruitment exercise.

Should the Applicant have any queries concerning the processing of their personal data, they shall address them to the data controller, the Head of Human Resources and Internal Support Unit.

The Applicant shall have right of recourse at any time to the European Data Protection Supervisor. For more on personal data protection and related documents see the Personal Data Protection page. Electronically signed on 19/08/2026 18:06 (UTC+02)