Ecologist – Seabirds and Island Biosecurity

JOB PURPOSE

This role enables the delivery of high priority projects which, together, deliver the Seabird
and Island Biosecurity actions in NTS’s ‘Plan for Nature’. These projects are the prioritised
list of work for which NTS has identified a critical need to conserve its seabirds and garner
wider societal support while we do so. The role fills both skill and capacity gaps in our
current workforce by providing a flexible mobile team to carry out operational, research and
communication work across our seabird places.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

The post-holder will:

• Carry out a list of high priority research, operational work and communications projects to
  progress NTS’s seabird conservation actions across its seabird sites. These include our work to
  recover seabirds affected by avian influenza, research to understand how to manage visitor
  pressure on seabirds, citizen science methods to monitor seabirds, developing new technology to
  improve biosecurity on seabird islands, and specific work on NTS’s identified priority species:
  Leach’s storm petrel, Fulmar, Puffin, Razorbill, European storm petrel and Great Skua.
• Present work in clear, accurate, scientifically robust, engaging and timely ways so that
  conservation evidence can be fast-tracked for use in managing our sites and garnering wider
  societal support for seabird conservation.
• Liaise frequently with the wider seabird ‘community of interest’ at NTS (The senior seabird
  officer, nature conservation team, rangers, operations managers, marine policy colleagues,
  communication and fundraising staff) to share information about your work and capture their
  input into it.
• Demonstrate the highest standards of welfare for wild seabird populations while collecting
  data to inform their conservation.
• Work to agreed standard operating procedures while working in island and clifftop
  environments.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE

Qualifications

Essential

• A current BTO ringing licence.

Desirable

• PhD, Master’s or equivalent experience in a professional seabird research or conservation
  role.
• A current BTO ringing licence which includes an endorsement to catch and ring adult seabirds.
• Driving Licence, valid for driving within the UK

Experience

Essential

• Experience delivering high quality, robust, research projects in a previous professional
  role.
• Experience managing data from collection through to analysis.
• Experience writing scientific reports.
• Ability to work safely in clifftop environments or steep terrain.
• Ability to live on remote islands, including in tents, sometimes for more than 2 weeks at a
  time.
• Positive attitude towards travelling around some of Scotland’s remotest seabird islands,
  including an ability to plan the logistics of doing so.
• Experience communicating your work to a variety of audiences.

Desirable

• Demonstrable knowledge of invasive non-native predators on seabird islands.
• Experience tracking and/or blood sampling wild birds.
• Experience managing and/or working alongside volunteers.

DIMENSIONS AND SCOPE OF JOB

Scale

• The role will take place across many of NTS’s seabird islands and mainland sites which may
  include St Kilda, Mingulay, Pabbay, Berneray, Canna, Fair Isle, Unst, St Abbs Head, Staffa, The
  Treshnish Isles, Iona and its Islets and the Murray Isles, as well as spells in an NTS office,
  preferably Balnain House in Inverness, but could be elsewhere in Scotland. Some working from
  home is also acceptable.
• It is anticipated that the post, which is a fixed-term 18 month contract, will cover a
  seabird breeding season, then office-based work over the winter and then a second seabird
  breeding season.

People Management

• The post holder will be managed by the Senior Seabird officer who is based in the West
  Highlands operational team in the NTS Highlands and Islands region, though the post holder will
  have a national remit. The post holder may manage up to one member of staff and may work
  alongside volunteers. The Senior Seabird Officer also works closely with the wider NTS Nature
  Conservation team and so the post holder will also have links to that team.
• The post holder will work closely with site managers and ranger teams on specific sites
• The post holder will liaise with marine policy colleagues to feed into and respond to NTS’s
  wider seabird policy and advocacy work.
• The post holder will support the fundraising teams in reporting back to funders on the work
  they do, and communications colleagues to share our work and engage a wide diversity of
  audiences.

Finance Management

• This role will not be a budget holder but has delegated oversight of day-to-day T&S and
  minor equipment budget as part of their work.

Tools / equipment / systems

• Specialist bird handling or biological sampling equipment may be used.
• EBCU is the Essential business car user scheme. This provides an annual allowance to assist
  with financing and maintaining your own vehicle so that it is fit for business use. This is not
  intended to cover the full cost of financing and maintaining the vehicle. You will also be able
  to make an expenses claim for each business mile travelled (paid at EBCU rate).

Place in organisational structure:

Managed by Senior Seabird Officer, Dr Ellie Owen, with input from NTS’s National operational teams and Nature conservation teams.

The Purpose, Context, Key Responsibilities, and Person Specification reflect the
requirements of the job at the time of issue. The Trust reserves the right to amend these with
appropriate consultation and/or request the post-holder to undertake any activities that it
believes to be reasonable within the broad scope of the job or his/her general
abilities.

Applications

Interested applicants should forward their Curriculum Vitae (CV) or an
Application Form (find these on NTS vacancies page) to the People Department, The National Trust for Scotland, by email via
[email protected], by 11am on the 26/02/2024.

• Please ensure your CV includes your full name and contact details
• The CV file sent to us should be titled with your first initial and surname
• When submitting your CV please state the position and job location of the vacancy you are
  applying for in the subject title or body of your email: For example “Ecologist – Seabirds and Island Biosecurity, Balnain House”