Job Description
Location: Port Edgar Boat Station (South Queensferry, Edinburgh)
Contract: Full time, 11 week fixed term contract, starting on 22 June 2026
Salary: £23,635 gross pro rata
Closing Date: Friday 5 June 2026
Interview: Interviews to be held virtually on Thursday 11 June 2026
Are you 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 an OTW Project Assistant who will support the delivery of the On The Water project at one of boat stations, specifically at Port Edgar (Edinburgh); whilst being engaged remotely to the other 2 sites at the Midlands Boat Station and Royal Docks Boat Station. The project provides young people from outside Sea Cadets, age 9-14, the opportunity to get on the water, learn new skills and build confidence through boating activity. This is a very varied and rewarding role that requires someone who is self-motivated, inspiring, organised, creative, tenacious, positive, IT competent and with a real interest in people with an attention to detail and real enthusiasm for the project.
Key Responsibilities
The welcoming and registration of participants for the On The Water project
Collecting and uploading daily statistics and figures that show how the project is progressing
Making new and repeat bookings
Talking to participants and their parents/carers about the opportunities within Sea Cadets
Managing a waiting list and reducing dropouts
Responsible for the safety and wellbeing of participants alongside the Boat Station staff
Ensure that participants complete surveys to share their experience of the project and encourage adults to feedback on their young people’s experience
Attend any meetings as required by the project
Assist with the evaluation of the On The Water project
Previous experience of working with volunteers
Experience in a customer facing role
Experience working with young people
Experience working with diverse community groups or working in outreach
Experience of tracking targets and managing data
Self-motivated and able to manage your time and workload effectively
Flexible and enthusiastic
Able to work as a team player with creative ideas and solutions who will empower our volunteers to make a difference to the lives of even more young people across the UK
Satisfactory DBS
For further information, please download the Recruitment Pack.
- Flexible Working hours and a hybrid culture
- Cycle to work scheme and Season Ticket Loan
- 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
- Life assurance (4x salary) for those that join the pension
- 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.
If you are interested in this Project Assistant (OTW) 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.
