We are seeking Technical and Scientific Officers to join the National Fisheries Laboratory in Brampton, Cambridgeshire, a high achieving, innovative national team that contributes to the protection and development of freshwater fisheries across England.
These roles will involve work across several disciplines to help ensure delivery of our services to Environment Agency area operational teams and external fisheries customers. We would be particularly interested in hearing from candidates with fish biology / fisheries ecology and / or molecular diagnostic/research laboratory experience.
Our technical and scientific officers have varied roles and work to the highest standards across a range of laboratory diagnostic areas. This includes in support of fish disease incident investigations, with involvement of ageing, parasitology, histology, bacteriology, micro-biology and molecular disciplines. They also perform fish health checks and support non-native fish investigations and national fisheries management and development projects.
The roles will support the delivery of our services in the detection, monitoring and management of fish pathogens and non-native fishes, to support our incident response and regulatory responsibilities. Duties are likely to include fish dissection and the collection, management, and preparation of samples for analysis and processing across our state-of-the-art laboratories, as well as vital reporting elements.
Duties will also likely include operational laboratory support, with responsibilities to maintain accurate records and laboratory supplies, assist with maintenance and servicing contracts and ensuring laboratory, fish holding and associated waste facilities (i.e. chemical and clinical) are well managed. You will also actively embody the highest standards of health, safety, and wellbeing, in line with EA guidance. You will also be required to support with our incident response responsibilities 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
A background and interest in fish biology/ecology/disease, fisheries management and/or laboratory experience.
You will be self-motivated and organised with excellent attention to detail and problem-solving skills.
You will have demonstrated experience of customer service, will be an excellent communicator with the ability to convey a variety of information to different audiences.
You should be able to prioritise demanding workloads, be comfortable working to tight deadlines, and have a pragmatic approach to achieving objectives.
A strong team ethic is essential, as is an ability to work independently.
Knowledge of one or more of our core disciplines would be of benefit, namely fish ageing, microbiology (bacteriology), molecular diagnostics (nucleic acid handling, PCR, qPCR, sequencing), parasitology, histology and dissection.
Excellent IT skills, you will be able to work across a range of software's to communicate, store, analysis and interpret data.
A full UK driving licence would be beneficial.
Contact and additional information
The roles are office and laboratory based, situated within the National Fisheries Laboratory, Brampton, Cambridgeshire. Occasional 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 our fisheries incident response service, 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
Closing date: 26 November 2023, 23:55 hours.
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