Conservation Trainee - Seagrass Aquaculture

Job Title: Conservation Trainee: Seagrass Aquaculture

Theme: Seagrass Nursery Operations

Role:Seagrass Trainee

Reporting to: Nursery Lead

Salary: Grade A £20,821 (relocation costs unavailable)

Hours of work:

Full time, 35 hours per week, flexible hours, to include weekend and bank holiday working as required

Contract: 1-year fixed term

Location: Project Seagrass Nursery, Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, West Wales

Introduction

Project Seagrass is an environmental charity devoted to the conservation of seagrass ecosystems through community, research, and action. Our mission is to lead societal change to enable the recognition, recovery, and resilience of seagrass ecosystems globally; that provide biodiversity, equitable and sustainable livelihoods, and planetary life support. Our organisation was created with the intention of reversing the loss of seagrass by turning research into effective conservation action and communication both directly and through partnerships with communities and other stakeholders. Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and how we work together.

Main Purpose of Post

We are offering a fantastic opportunity for a conservation-based trainee to join Project Seagrass at our incredible nursery site in beautiful West Wales. We are seeking an enthusiastic and versatile person to join our small nursery team in the role of Nursery Trainee to assist with the day to day running of nursery operations. This is an ideal opportunity for someone looking to start a career in conservation, aquaculture, horticulture, or marine restoration. We are looking for enthusiastic people from any walk of life who would like an opportunity to develop and pursue a career in marine conservation.

Working as part of our nursery team you will learn a range of skills and gain experience relating to seagrass husbandry, aquaculture, and horticulture.

You will also work alongside our volunteer teams and have the opportunity to support our education and outreach programmes where activities are linked with our nursery operations.

General Duties

Daily duties

· Monitoring aquarium/aquaculture systems

· Taking and recording temperature and salinity readings

· General tank, system and site cleaning and maintenance

Weekly duties

· Water chemistry testing

· Water changes

· Assisting with data collection and recording, data entry

Other duties

· Take part in appropriate training events as directed by the nursery lead.

· Seasonal tasks including planting, potting up, and seed/plant related preparation.

· Occasionally complete tasks relating to the care and maintenance of the freshwater and estuarine plants grown on the site

· Where feasible support seasonal field activities such as seed collection, seed transport, storage, and planting.

· Contribute to Project Seagrass social media channels via content creation around nursery activities.

· Contribute to production of the monthly Pendine Post newsletter.

· Support the nursery lead with all site-based activities such as corporate/funder or other visiting groups.

· Work collaboratively with site-based volunteers.

· Help manage the day-to-day administrative tasks as directed by the nursery lead.

· Liaise with suppliers as directed by the nursery lead.

· Respond to ad-hoc requests and any other duties that are within the scope, spirit, and purpose of the role.

· Participate in and support organisational events at the nursery site.

· Conduct the job role and all activities in accordance with safety, health, and sustainability policies.

· Promote equality and diversity in working practices and maintain positive working relationships

Person Specification

No previous conservation experience or conservation related qualifications are required to apply for this role. This traineeship has been designed to create a personal development opportunity for someone who wants to enter the sector. Therefore, applicants should have less than two years paid or unpaid experience in the conservation sector (not including academic work).

Essential criteria:

1. You must enjoy working with and learning from others.

2. Good communication skills, both verbal and written.

3. A desire to learn new skills and work in a sometimes challenging outdoor environment.

4. Current clean UK driving license.

5. Excellent organisational and time keeping skills.

6. A commitment to continuous personal development.

7. A willingness to spend time in the field and where required, work weekends and unsociable hours where necessary.

Desirable Criteria

8. Experience of working in plant nursery

9. Experience of working with seagrass

10. Experience of working with an environmental charity

Additional Information

All applicants will need to have an existing right to work (visa) in the UK.

Applications are invited based on a 2-page CV and 2-page covering letter by email to emma.p@projectseagrass.org. Informal enquiries: Informal enquiries are welcome and can be directed to Emily Yates via email: emily@projectseagrass.org

Application Deadline: Sunday 3rd March 2024

Job Type: Full-time

Salary: $20,821.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Ability to Relocate:

• Toa Baja, PR 00949: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person