Permanent position available as Fisheries Observer at CEFAS

£25,915 – £27,116

Permanent

Full time, part time

1 position based at Plymouth or Hayle

Ref 257004

The Role

You will be a member of a highly motivated and committed team of observers who are based at port offices throughout England, delivering important scientific work required under UK legislation.

Your main duties will be to record the numbers of fish and shellfish which are retained and discarded onboard English registered fishing vessels during normal commercial fishing operations. Access to fishing vessels is on a voluntary basis and you will be required to negotiate access with vessel operators. You will also be required to undertake biological sampling of fish and shellfish landings at various ports in England. You will work regularly at sea on commercial fishing vessels, sailing from various ports to schedules determined by the fishing boat skippers, and with shore-based industry sectors, such as fish markets and merchants. This work will require significant travel (pool van provided) and regular lone working during unsociable hours, at weekends and at short notice. Additional payments are made for working at sea and during unsociable hours.

The Candidate

Applicants should be highly motivated, target-driven individuals with good communications skills, both verbal and written. A keen interest in collecting good fisheries data is essential as the job can be challenging at times. You should be able to demonstrate the following essential criteria:

Knowledge of the UK fishing industry
Experience of working at sea, in different sea conditions, ideally on commercial fishing vessels
Willingness and ability to work flexibly at unsociable hours, in challenging weather and environmental conditions, and without supervision
Ability to conduct physical and precise scientific fieldwork at sea and on land with good attention to detail
Knowledge and a keen awareness of health and safety, with specific experience of safety at sea and vessel safety
Ability to follow protocols and procedures to record numerical and other data consistently and accurately
Ability to identify different fish species found in UK waters
Self-motivated and self-reliant with a keenness to meet targets
Good IT skills, experience of data entry into databases and undertaking data quality assurance checks
Full driving licence (valid for driving in the UK).

Cefas is proud of a diverse and inclusive work environment, committed to fairness and the promotion of equality of opportunity for all. We know that having a range of experiences, backgrounds, ways of working and thinking makes us a stronger organisation, better at reflecting the communities we serve. We embrace different views and experiences and value the fresh perspective that people from a variety of circumstances bring to the work we do. We welcome applications from candidates who have not previously worked for the Civil Service, mid- and late-career changers with transferrable skills, people from all backgrounds and circumstances regardless of disability, gender, age ethnicity, LGBT+ identity and socio-economic status.

Closing date: 11:55pm on Friday 19 May 2023.