We are looking for a Technical and Scientific Officer with a strong background in freshwater fisheries, fish biology and ecology to join the National Fisheries Laboratory (NFL) team in Brampton, Cambridgeshire.
A significant element of this role will be the management and delivery of the Environment Agency’s national fish ageing service and how we use this data to better understand the health, performance and pressures acting on freshwater fisheries. This applies to a range of different ecologically and economically important fish species (e.g., salmon and eel) and will integrate with other services provided by the NFL depending on your skills and experience.
Responsibilities will include the supervision of other technical and scientific officers, working with senior team members to priorities workloads and the daily operation of the ageing and ecology service, from receiving bookings to processing of samples, data analysis, interpretation and reporting.
As part of this role, you will use your knowledge of fish biology, fisheries management, and ecology to provide technical support both internally and externally. Working closely with our technical specialists, Area Officers, and external customers, you will drive standards and seek opportunities for better ways of working, advising on sample design and interpretation of outputs to better inform fisheries management and monitoring of fish populations. You will also support on the strategic development of the service and be expected to support in the training of staff, including the development of training materials. You will also have opportunity to contribute to specialist fish ageing surveys such as those with international reporting obligations.
Using your knowledge on freshwater fish and their biology you will be expected to support across other work areas as required, including for our incident response obligations relating to fish disease and non-native fish species and to support incident response across the business.
The team
The National Fisheries Laboratory team act as a single point of expertise to identify, monitor and limit the impact of current and future threats to fisheries and the aquatic environment from fish disease, parasites, pathogens, non-native species, and ageing.
A laboratory and office-based team, our work consists of the delivery of post-mortem and laboratory diagnostics (parasitology, bacteriology, histology, molecular, ageing) and the provision of technical advice and guidance to inform our regulation.
Experience/skills required
Sound scientific knowledge of freshwater fisheries, fish biology and ecology.
Experience of fish ageing, and/or quantitative ecological data interpretation and analysis
Effective planning skills, workload prioritisation and maintenance of quality standards.
Knowledge of aquatic non-native species and pathogens, particularly in relation to freshwater fish.
A strong team ethic is essential, as is an ability to work both independently and through others. You will need to take initiative, be flexible, solve problems and make decisions.
You will be an excellent communicator at all levels and in multiple forms, and you will need to communicate effectively within the team and organisation.
Good presentation skills, this role will require you to represent our team at internal meetings and forums, national meetings and specialist symposia.
Experience of working well with a variety of customers, partners and /or stakeholders, and a proven track record of building networks would be advantageous.
Contact and additional information
The role is office and laboratory based, within the National Fisheries Laboratory, Brampton, Cambridgeshire. Travel for meetings, events and site visits may be required.
We operate a 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday service. You will also have an incident role and will be expected to support with fisheries incident response, which may on occasion be outside of these hours.
We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities for everyone. We offer flexible working as well as a host of other employee benefits. For further information please download the candidate pack.
If you have any other questions, please contact the hiring manager Emma Nolan at emma.nolan@environment-agency.gov.uk or Technical Specialist Gareth Davies via email gareth.d.davies@environment-agency.gov.uk or phone 02030 251837.
Closing date: 19 November 2023, 23:55 hours.
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