Fisheries Acoustician

Do you want to play an important role in tackling the climate change emergency by helping to enable the sustainable development of offshore wind in Scotland?

OCTOBER START DATE

The Scottish Government is preparing for the implementation of a new HR and Finance platform and, as a result, some job offers will be subject to an October 2024 start date at the earliest.  This will be confirmed as your application progresses.

 We are looking for someone who:

• Is passionate about improving our understanding on how offshore renewable energy developments may impact on marine ecosystems and food-webs.
• Is able to produce scientific evidence that contributes to the evidence base supporting the sustainable development of offshore wind.
• Thrives in collaborative work doing multi-partner projects

If you are the above, then this exciting opportunity to join the Marine Directorate could be for you.

This is a fixed term post (until 31 March 2026) associated with the PrePARED (Predators + Prey Around Renewable Energy Developments) project, funded by the Offshore Wind Evidence and Change programme and Crown Estate Scotland. The post-holder will direct and coordinate acoustic surveys of fish assemblages (when at sea), process acoustic signal and catch data into fish abundance data, take part in the analysis of Baited Camera video records, contribute to the analysis of distribution data (e.g. species distribution models) and communicate the results. The post holder will be required to work at sea as project objectives require.

Whilst we anticipate the role will be focussed on issues related to offshore wind, we operate a flexible resourcing policy within the Marine Directorate and as such the post-holder may be required to work on other areas of high priority work as required. 

In January 2022, Crown Estate Scotland announced the successful applicants to the ScotWind offshore wind leasing round to commence a new phase of offshore wind farm construction in Scottish waters helping Scotland meet its Net Zero targets, become carbon neutral by 2045 and tackle the climate emergency. The Scottish Government is responsible for identifying where the ScotWind projects will be located, administering the related offshore planning consents, and ensuring that projects are delivered in an environmentally sustainable manner. The Renewables and Ecology Team (R&E) in the Marine Directorate provides specialist scientific advice to regulators and policy makers to support this.   

The CCBE team within MD-SEDD currently has around 51 staff who provide evidence, assessment and advice within government that support our commitment to Healthy, Biologically Diverse & Clean Seas. Our specialists also provide advice on Scottish Government policy priorities, such as the protection of biodiversity, blue carbon, climate change and marine spatial planning.

• Lead on the collection of acoustic and trawl catch data at sea (including decisions on when to fish and adapt transect design) using systems provided on the MSS research vessel (e.g. EK60, towed echosounders)
• To process all raw acoustic data (echo integration) and catch data using proprietary tools in the production of fish abundance estimates and seabed maps. Analyse video footages from Baited Cameras and model fish distributions (species distribution models)
• To communicate effectively project successes, outputs and deliverables to PrePARED work package leads
• To produce draft communication briefings to the PrePARED lead where required during the course of the project

Competencies:

(Provide evidence at assessment / interview)

• Analysis and Use of Evidence 
• Self-Awareness
• Communication & Engagement 
• Improving Performance 

You will be assessed via the Science framework, please find out more below:

Science specialist competency framework

(Provide evidence in application form)

• A demonstrable track record in the collection of active acoustic data and drawing inference relating to fish communities and proven experience of processing the acoustic signal (e.g. EK60 echosounder) with echo integration software (e.g. Myriax: Echoview).
• Experience of collecting fisheries acoustic data at sea.
• Proven experience with R and the use of common statistical models (GLMs, mixed models, GAMs) as well as GIS software, such as QGIS or ArcGIS.
• An ability to meet project milestones, working both within a multi-disciplinary team and independently, within tight timescales.

No specific qualifications are required for this post.

The Scottish Government is the devolved government for Scotland. We have responsibility for a wide range of key policy areas including: education, health, the economy, justice, housing and transport. We offer rewarding careers and employ people across Scotland in a wide range of professions and roles.

Our staff are part of the UK Civil Service, working for Ministers and senior stakeholders to deliver vital public services which improve the lives of the people of Scotland.

We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment along with a wide range of employee benefits. Find out more about what we offer.

As part of the UK Civil Service, we uphold the Civil Service Nationality Rules.

WORKING PATTERN

Our standard hours are 37 hours per week, reducing to 35 hours per week for all staff on 1 October 2024. We offer a range of flexible and hybrid working options depending on the needs of the role. If you have specific questions about the role you are applying for, please contact us.

EQUALITY STATEMENT

We are committed to equality and inclusion and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation. 

Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer and support recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Find out more about our organisation, what we offer staff members and how to apply on our Careers Website.

Find out more about Net Zero recruitment at: Net Zero roles at Scottish Government - Scottish Government Jobs

Read our Candidate Guide for further information on our recruitment and application processes.

CONTACT

For further information about this role contact: Philip.boulcott@gov.scot