About the job

Job summary

Would you like to work for an organisation focused on the assessment and protection of the Scottish marine environment and the people it supports? Do you have good analytical chemistry skills, experience working within a quality system and have a knowledge of the marine environment?

 

If you do, you may be interested in joining our group of chemists actively involved in the Climate Change, Biodiversity and Ecosystems (CCBE) work area of the Scottish Government Marine Directorate Science, Evidence, Data and Digital (SEDD) portfolio.

 

The CCBE work area provides advice and undertakes monitoring of the marine environment, including the measurement of contaminant concentrations in sediment and biota (fish and shellfish), measures the effects of contaminant exposure upon wildlife, and undertakes assessments of environmental status.

 

The main role of this post is to undertake method development for microplastics in sediment, continue with the data collation for microplastics in surface water, and contribute to the collation of seafloor litter data for submission to ICES. You will have the opportunity to assess and interrogate datasets as well as produce papers and reports on the outcomes.

 

This data supports Marine Directorate work areas such as environmental monitoring and assessments for OSPAR and the UK Marine Strategy. You will ensure their work complies with MS Quality System requirements. You will contribute to the publication of their work through statistical data analysis, drafting of reports / papers, and by delivering posters and oral presentations as may be required. You may be given the opportunity to participate in research cruises and environmental sampling.

 

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.

Job description

• Development of methods for the analysis and identification of microplastics in sediment.
• Collation of data for microplastics in surface water and seafloor litter.
• SEDD operates a Quality System to ensure that scientific work complies with the UK Joint Code of Practise for Research (JCoP) or ISO 17025, as appropriate. You will be expected to maintain appropriately high standards of analysis and record keeping (including the use of the Laboratory Information Management System, e.g. for sample tracking).
• Participate in the annual review and updates of Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) and Risk Assessments.
• Statistical data analysis.
• Contribute to the preparation of reports, presentations and peer-reviewed papers.
• Be willing to participate in sampling (onshore and at sea) that involves the dissection of fish and shellfish.

Person specification

Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry preferably (or related science) with good laboratory skills.

 

Essential Criteria

 

1. Good laboratory skills as demonstrated by a Science degree.
2. An ability to follow written and verbal instructions to ensure work is completed accurately.
3. Good level of numeracy with experience of using statistical analyses to understand and interpret datasets.
4. Good written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to work within a team to achieve objectives.

 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £36,585, Scottish Government contributes £9,877 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

Interviews are anticipated to take place in early September but may be subject to change, interviews are expected to take place in person.

Please apply using the link provided

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.