MARINE CONSERVATION SOCIETY/ MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM SEAFOOD WATCH

AQUACULTURE SCIENTIST

Job Specification

  1. Post

Job title / Aquaculture scientist
Start date / 27th June 2016
Period of contract / Fixed term contract – 12 months
Date of revision / N/A
Location / MCS office, Edinburgh
  1. Reporting structure

Responsible to / MCS Aquaculture Programme Manager
SFW Aquaculture Program Manager
Responsible for / 0 Direct reports (staff who report to this post) / 0 indirect reports (staff who report to a manager who directly reports to this post)
  1. Overall purpose and objectives

Purpose / Responsible for the assessment of aquaculture ratings for MCS Good Fish Guide, and MCS partner, the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch® (SFW); maintaining and developing good working relationship with SFW; supporting maintenance and development of MCS Good Fish Guide and associated products.
  1. Key responsibilities

  • Ensure MCS farmed species assessments are scientifically accurate, up to date and transparent through dedicated research
  • Ensure MCS assessments for SFW are consistent with interpretation of the SFW Aquaculture Standard, scientifically accurate, up to date, and transparent through dedicated research
  • Develop thorough and comprehensive understanding of the Seafood Watch Aquaculture Standard
  • Develop and maintain meaningful and productive relationships with relevant external organisations, including Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch
  • Publicly promote the MCS sustainable seafood programme
  • Work as part of the MCS Fisheries & Aquaculture team.

  1. Main duties

Ensure MCS aquaculture assessments are scientifically accurate, up to date and transparent.

  • Research new information, and update existing data, on the production of farmed fish, as released by FAO, CEFAS, Marine Scotland and other organisations such as standard holders, in collaboration with relevant team staff.

Use this information to score farmed species and their respective production methods for sustainability using an agreed Good Fish Guide assessment methodology.

Provide accurate, comprehensive and validated information and species assessments for use on the Good Fish Guide website to ensure that the resource is fit for purpose.

Liaise, where appropriate and necessary, with equivalent international NGOs in relation to maintaining, developing and coordinating sustainability rating methodologies and assessments.

Develop thorough and comprehensive understanding of the Seafood Watch Aquaculture Standard

  • Spend month 1 (or first 2-3 weeks) in Monterey for training on the SFW Aquaculture Standard and immersion in SFW team
  • Weekly communication with Seafood Watch throughout development of assessments and completion of Seafood Watch tasks in order to ensure consistent interpretation of the SFW Aquaculture Standard

Ensure assessments for SFW are consistent with interpretation of the SFW Aquaculture Standard, scientifically accurate, up to date, and transparent through dedicated research

  • Author two SFWassessments (China tilapia in ponds, Ecuador tilapia in all systems), including engaging in personal contact with representatives of government, industry, academia and non-profit organizations to gather information and for peer review
  • Research new information, and update existing data on the state of aquaculture production within the assigned Seafood Watch assessment scopes.
  • Complete the SFW reviewer training program
  • Maintaining weekly contacts with SFW staff

Develop and maintain meaningful and productive relationships with relevant external organisations, including Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch

  • Ensure effective and timely communication with organizations providing relevant information for SFW and MCS assessment purposes
  • Liaise with relevant stakeholders to ensure access to existing and new data on ecological impacts and sustainability of species and farmed species within the scope of the assigned assessments
  • Develop and maintain relationships with other NGOs working on sustainable seafood assessment programmes.
  • Ensure effective and timely communication with organisations providing relevant information for seafood assessment purposes (FAO EU).
  • Liaise with relevant UK aquaculture industry representatives, government and research organisations to ensure access to existing and new data on aquaculture production or sustainability relevant to the maintenance of online sustainable seafood databases

Support promotion of the MCS sustainable seafood programme.

Support production of the annual Good Fish Guide, with associated lists of MCS ‘fish to eat’ and ‘fish to avoid’, including maintenance of the Good Fish Guide app, and support for associated promotion and publicity.

  • Respond to enquiries from the public and industry stakeholders in relation to the Good Fish Guide and related extension material as required.

Work as part of the MCS Fisheries & Aquaculture team

Liaise closely with other members of the team to ensure timely exchange of information and development of a cohesive programme.

Provide information to other members of the Fisheries & Aquaculture team, especially in relation to changes and developments in seafood assessment processes or ratings

Assist in the preparation and input to funding proposals and reporting requirements required by the MCS Fisheries & Aquaculture programme

  1. Additional tasks (if appropriate)

N/A

  1. Internal reporting
  • Inform the Aquaculture Programme Manager of developments and activities on a weekly basis;
  • Produce an annual work plan;
  • Inform the MBA Seafood Watch contact point of ongoing work plan;
  • Maintain a detailed advance quarterly Work Plan or Online Calendar;
  • Input to a quarterly written report on activities and progress against targets for submission to the Board of Trustees;
  • Input to reports for submission to funders as required
  • Attend regular meetings with the Aquaculture Programme Manager as required under MCS Support & Supervision Policy;
  • Attend Aquaculture & Fisheries team meetings, project review meetings and other conservation team meetings as required
  1. General duties
  • Abide by the core values of MCS in all aspects of their work.
  • Support MCS’ strategies and initiatives to expand the organisation’s membership, raise funds and communicate the wider aims of MCS throughout their work.
  • Maintain the highest professional standards at all times, ensuring that all outputs are produced within agreed budgets, time scales and specifications.
  • Represent MCS externally, attending meetings, conferences and events as and when appropriate.
  • Assist with general enquiries on information and resources from MCS, when necessary.
  • Act responsibly in terms of the health, safety and welfare of yourself and colleagues, acting in accordance with our Health & Safety Policy and Procedures, and the policies as set out in the Employee Handbook.

The duties and responsibilities highlighted in this Job Description are indicative and may vary over time. Post holders are expected to undertake other reasonable duties and responsibilities relevant to the nature, level and scope of the post as advised by the Aquaculture Programme Manager.

  1. Working relationships

Internal
Internal to MCS but outside immediate work team / Works effectively and liaises closely with the Communications team in relation to production of MCS sustainable seafood extension material.
Assist MCS staff with aquaculture information to support related conservation projects, in particular issues associated with sustainable seafood ratings advice, species information and assessments.
Volunteers / N/A
External
External consultants / N/A
External stakeholders / Work effectively with industry stakeholders including; industry members (aquaculture, marketing, retail, restaurant and other support sectors), regulatory, research and management organizations (e.g. Government, Universities, industry associations etc.)and particularly, relevant NGOs in relation to accessing, collating and presenting the necessary data to support the MCS Sustainable Seafood programme and other Fisheries & Aquaculture Programme objectives
Be a primarycontact for Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch.
  1. Working environment

Physical environment / Works in a shared open plan office with three other staff.
Travel / Some UK travel, and some international travel associated with SFW training.
Out of the office approximately 12 days per year.
Any other matters related to working environment / MCS offices are non-smoking environments
  1. dimensions and Limits of Authority

Budget / Jobholder has no budgetary responsibilities.
Jobholder can sign off expenditure up to £50 without pre-approval.
Management / N/A
Strategy / Supports the implementation of the MCS Conservation Strategy 2015 -2020
Policy / Supports development of MCS Sustainable Seafood policy
Outputs / Responsible for ensuring that Good Fish Guide and its associated database and products are maintained in a current and accurate state, and that data necessary for related extension material for the sustainable seafood programme are available and current.
Responsible for ensuring assessments for Seafood Watch are maintained in a current and accurate state, and that data necessary for related extension material for the sustainable seafood programme are available and current.
Other / N/A
  1. Person specification

Essential / Desirable
Proven abilities and competencies / Strong understanding of different aquaculture systems, species, practices, and associated ecological risks
Demonstrated understanding of emerging issues in marine conservation and aquaculture
Ability to travel domestically and globally
Proven ability to research and assimilate information and material from a diverse range of sources (e.g. scientific papers, technical reports, web-based resources)
Proven ability of working within the aquaculture or seafood sector.
A track record of managing projects, including planning and achieving milestones within budget.
Proven ability to liaise work with external organisations, the public and relevant stakeholders
Demonstrable ability to develop and maintain complex science-based databases.
Able to apply a deep understanding of the sustainable seafood movement / Experience in carrying out website maintenance
Other skills and abilities / Demonstrated critical thinking skills
Effective IT skills, particularly in MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint
Effective presentation of complex information in a clear way to a range of audiences both orally and written
Excellent organisation and project management skills for maintaining large datasets and working to deadlines
Qualifications, training and knowledge / Master’s degree (or near completion) in an aquaculture related field
Good knowledge and understanding of aquaculture production standards, both within the UK and more widely.
Personal qualities / A strong team player, but with the ability to work independently and on own initiative with minimal oversight
Good interpersonal skills for developing relationships within the team and with external stakeholders
A desire to promote positive change and to seek ongoing improvement in the marine environment