Scottish Officer
The Sea Watch Foundation is a long-established national UK marine environmental research charity concerned with monitoring the numbers and distribution of whales, dolphins and porpoises in the seas around the British Isles, as well as investigating the conservation threats that they face. In the 1970s, its Director developed cetacean “Citizen Science” in the UK, with a special partnership between scientists and trained volunteer observers drawn from all walks of life, which has led to one of the largest and longest-running cetacean sightings databases in Europe.
The post of Scottish Officer has been established to work alongside Sea Watch’s Sightings Officer (Simone Evans), closely liaising also with Sea Watch’s Director (Peter Evans) and the Communications & Outreach Officer, taking on the following key responsibilities: 1) support and develop Sea Watch’s network of observers in Scotland; 2) increase the amount of useful sightings data (particularly from effort-related observations) in Scotland, and 3) represent the charity in Scotland, and facilitate public awareness and education of its work through the regular dissemination of relevant information.
Minimum Requirement: A university degree in biological science or a related subject.
Preferred Experience: Applicants having knowledge & direct experience with cetaceans in Scottish waters and their identification, good connections with current & potential SWF observers, and recruiting the public to volunteer in wildlife field data collection.
Desirable Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Highly organised and conscientious
- Strong interpersonal skills
- Experience overseeing and training volunteers
- Ability to enthuse others through written word and face to face
- Knowledge and passion for cetaceans and their conservation
- Proven social media experience
- Experience of events management
- Public speaking experience
- Basic knowledge of data processing & checking, production of graphs/histograms from sightings data
Job Title: Scottish Officer
Job Location: Anywhere in Scotland
Hours: To be decided: either three days (i.e. 24 hours total) per week, with flexibility in allocation of working hours, or five days (i.e. 40 hours total) per week.
Amount paid: £25,000-27,500 per annum (if full-time)
Start Date: As soon as possible.
To apply, please send your CV and cover letter to Professor Peter Evans at peter.evans@bangor.ac.uk
