Fish Health, Ageing and Species Technical Officer 1 - Fish Disease Investigation Coordinator - 8741

1
East of England, National
Brampton
Brampton Office
Staff Grade 4
Permanent
Full Time
Operational Delivery, Science, Other
£27,138
This is an exciting opportunity to join a hard-working and high achieving national team, contributing to the protection and development of fisheries across England.
We are looking for a Technical Officer 1 to join the Fish Health, Ageing and Species (FHAS) team within National Fisheries Services (NFS) at Brampton. You will help oversee the team’s Fish Disease Investigations as the lead for fish mortality incidents, and will provide operational support to our National Incident Management Advisor. You will help to advise area officers in their response to Fish Disease investigations, championing best practice, helping ensure national consistency and maximising outcomes to benefit fisheries. You will have an active leadership role in the post mortem laboratory during disease investigations and will oversee aspects of reporting, liaising closely with Fish Health colleagues and area teams. Occasional site visits may be required as part of the role, with targeted attendance at fisheries to support investigations, communicate regulatory controls, improve technical resilience of colleagues and integrate improved management practices to help fisheries recover.
FHAS provide national services and technical advice for fish health, ageing and non-native species. The team provide laboratory examinations during fish kills caused by disease and/or fisheries management. We also conduct health checks to support fish movements and provide risk assessment for high risk, novel and new and emerging diseases. We are primarily laboratory and office based, with post mortem work, disease diagnostics, report writing, and giving advice and guidance being integral to our role.
An interest in and knowledge of freshwater fisheries and the aquatic environment is essential, and a background in incident response or fish health is preferable. A strong background in biology, fish disease, fisheries management and/or laboratory work is preferable.
As the successful candidate, you will be self-motivated and organised with excellent attention to detail. You should be able to prioritise demanding seasonal workloads, be comfortable working to tight deadlines, and have a pragmatic approach to achieving objectives. You will also be an excellent communicator at all levels and in multiple forms, and should have strong influencing and inter-personal skills. A strong team ethic is essential, as is an ability to work independently as well as part of a highly motivated team.
Closing Date: 2nd September 2018 at 23:55 hours

This permanent post will be office and laboratory based, situated within the National Fisheries Laboratory, Brampton, Cambridgeshire, but may require some external travel for meetings and occasional site visits as part of incident response and fishery management investigations.

For more information please contact Amy Reading at amy.reading@environment-agency.gov.uk

02/09/2018, 23:55 hours

Basic Check
Achieves Results
The fish health team is a small national team with a high output and busy seasonal peaks of work. The successful candidate will be able to work efficiently and effectively under pressure and within tight deadlines, whilst ensuring that their work, and that of others, is of the highest standard. Motivating, coordinating and getting the best out of colleagues will be essential to achieving results. Fish mortality incidents and disease investigations can be complex and emotive, and skilled and careful communications are required to ensure our investigations deliver for the affected fisheries and for regulatory controls.
Communicates Effectively
As day to day Mortality Lead, the post holder will liaise closely with area officers and will lead the Fish Health team during their post mortem investigations. They will need to ensure that all parties are aware of the circumstances of each incident, and will need to be able to give clear, concise and directional instruction. The fish health team has a varied customer base which includes internal Environment Agency staff, fishery owners, anglers, partner organisations and academic institutions. In order to communicate effectively it is vital that the successful candidate is able to recognise what style and level of communication is required for different customers and to adapt this accordingly.
Works in Teams
We are a small, friendly, technical team with a strong work and team ethic. This is essential to achieving results, and an ability to work alongside others, understand and respond to work pressures, and support colleagues as and when required is integral to the role. Effective communication within the team is vital, particularly during seasonal peaks in workload. The post holder will take an active lead in sharing information with the team, particularly in relation to Fish Disease Investigations, management practices and regulatory controls.
Influences and Persuades Others
The post holder will be responsible for advising and influencing area officers in relation to fish disease incident investigations, and will lead the fish health team during post mortem examinations. This will include communications on a range of technical and non-technical subjects. Due to the nature of seasonal workload pressures, strong interpersonal skills and the ability to influence the actions of others will be required.
Takes Decisions and Solves Problems
The number of disease conditions we see is increasing and factors influencing outbreaks in fisheries can be complex. The successful candidate must be able to interpret information from area officers at incidents to enable the most appropriate response, commensurate with the scale of incident, and the likely causes. This will influence the amount of time and resource we invest, our approaches to disease diagnosis and any regulatory controls applied. An ability to adapt to new information and to advise and act decisively will be critical to the role.
Scientific Knowledge
The Fish Health team is responsible for operating a number of different laboratory areas and diagnostic disciplines, and we provide technical services on a range of subjects including fish disease and fisheries management. It is important that the successful applicant has an existing understanding or an interest in developing skills in relation to these areas, with knowledge of fish biology, fish disease and fisheries management being integral to this.
If you are applying from the Civil Service please note that the Environment Agency is not a part of HM Civil Service and you would not be a Crown Servant in the event of being appointed. Therefore, you will not be eligible for continuous service. For applicants who currently work in local government or other bodies listed in the Redundancy Payments (Continuity of Employment in Local Government etc) (Modification) Order 1999, you may be eligible for continuous service for the purpose of calculating any future redundancy payment. If you are unsure of your status then you should contact your own HR Team.

We are fully committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce to reflect the communities we serve. We welcome flexible working patterns for all our vacancies, including job share, so please include clearly any information regarding your preferred working arrangements on your application.

We also have a Guaranteed Interview Policy to support those with a disability who are seeking employment. We have committed to guaranteeing an interview to anyone with a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

The Environment Agency, as a Non-Departmental Public Body, is committed to providing value for money and utilises Central Government frameworks and contracts for all external recruitment needs. For this reason, we are unable to engage with the market directly through post, email or phone calls . Should you wish to become a support supplier on one of these frameworks or contracts please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/become-a-crown-commercial-service-supplier/becoming-a-supplier-through-the-crown-commercial-service-what-you-need-to-know for more information.

This Vacancy is closed to applications.