Mate, Woolwich Ferries

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Key Information

Location: Woolwich Ferry

Salary: £52,177+ 10% non-consolidated allowance

Closing date for applications is 17th November 2025@ 23:39 hours 

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 Mates.

As the Mate, you will be responsible for the safe and efficient management of the Woolwich Ferries and crew under the direction of the Captain, and in whose absence you will act with the full responsibility and accountability for the safe operation of the vessel, the welfare of the crew and passengers, the protection of the marine environment; and in so doing will assume the full responsibilities as outlined in the Captain job description.

You will be working as part of a roster which includes night shift working.

Key Accountabilities:

• Ensure WF services meet or exceed the TfL/WF KPI's at all times.
• Ensure full compliance with WF Safety Management System, and other regulatory authority requirements, at all times particularly in respect of vessels and crew.
• Monitor all vessel operations, berthing, navigation, passenger and vehicle transfer systems are functioning correctly, and report defects and abnormalities in a timely way to the Engineering manager or Engineer on board as appropriate.
• Maintain all on board equipment including machinery, engines and safety equipment and ensure regular inspections are carried out on such.
• Investigate any damage to the vessel, personal injuries to the crew, and any marine environmental incidents, and to assist the Captain in liaison with the Emergency Services or regulatory authorities in emergency situations.
• Supervise the safe mooring and unmooring of the vessel at all times.
• Uphold TfL and WF standards of customer service for passengers, and to be responsible for the passenger count protocols and reporting for every voyage.
• Managing staff including crew and car park, including but not limited to rostering, training or development, toolbox talks on changes in the operational or regulatory environments.
• Ensure that the North and South terminal car parking areas are adequately resourced at all times. Maintain and manage communications across the operation.
• Any reasonable management requests and flexibility to support the operation.

Knowledge:

• Must hold a current, valid, Level 1, Tier 2, Boatmasters License for category D, UK inland waterways and Local Knowledge Endorsement for are of vessel operation, or minimum STCW 2/1 OOW or 500t Master. (Essential)
• In all cases relevant STCW basic safety certificates. (Desirable)
• In depth and in date maritime regulatory knowledge and application.
• Expert knowledge of crewing and WF Safety Management System, competent crewing, vessel and auxiliary machinery operation. (Desirable)

Skills:

• Competent in the use of vessel control systems.
• Strong literacy and numeracy skills.
• Efficient crew rostering and operational cover requirements.
• Ability to write detailed investigative reports.
• Excellent verbal and written communications.
• Leadership skills

Experience:

• Experience of watchkeeping, either at sea or on inland waterways, on board a passenger/freight/vehicle ferry, including knowledge of crewing arrangements and practices.
• Overarching accountability for vessel maintenance and upkeep.
• Promotion of safe operating procedures.
• Management of crew and car park staff performance and conduct.
• Experience of enforcing high level competency standards and working practices.
• Taking command in emergency situations including the effective management of crew and liaison with regulatory authorities and emergency services.

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 reflects the requirements of the role you are applying for. PDF format preferred and do not include any photographs or images

Equality, diversity and inclusion

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.

 
Benefits  

In return for your commitment and expertise, you will enjoy excellent benefits and scope to grow.  Rewards vary according to the level of role but mostly include the below:
 
Final salary pension scheme 
Free travel for you on the TfL network 
Reimbursement of 75% of the cost of a standard class Ticket for National Rail travel from home or 75% reimbursement on a 28-day flexi ticket
30 days annual leave plus public and bank holidays 
TfL is committed to work-life balance, operating a hybrid working approach where business and role requirements allow
Tax-efficient cycle-to-work programme
Retail, health, leisure and travel offers 
Discounted Eurostar travel