Pesticide Usage Surveyor - Edinburgh, United Kingdom - Scottish Government

Scottish Government

Verified Company

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

2 weeks ago

Posted by:

Tom O´Connor

beBee Recruiter

Description

Overview:

An exciting opportunity has arisen to work within Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) as part of the Pesticide Usage Survey Team.

SASA is a Division of the Agriculture and Rural Economy Directorate.

SASA is a community of 170 scientists, inspectors, policy professionals and support staff with responsibility for providing a range of services in support of arable agriculture, horticulture, food, the environment and the wider rural economy.

We are seeking one Pesticide Usage Surveyor within the Pesticide Survey Unit (PSU) at SASA.

SASA's Pesticide Survey Unit is a small team of five permanent staff which conducts statutory post-approval monitoring of pesticide usage.

As a Pesticide Usage Surveyor, you will be responsible for assisting in the planning, organisation and conduct of pesticide surveys.

You will be responsible for collecting data from farmers, entering it into a database and performing data checking procedures. With training and experience you take responsibility for writing technical reports. The data collection aspect of this role may require short periods of working away from home.

This post offers the opportunity to develop a wide range of analytical and communication skills, and gain a good technical understanding under direction and guidance from line management.

Responsibilities:

You will be responsible for assisting in the planning, organisation and conduct of pesticide surveys. This will involve collecting detailed pesticide usage information from farmers and growers on a range of agricultural and horticultural crops, by facetoface and phone interview, ensuring that all data requirements are met.
You will enter data into a database and conduct data validation and checking procedures.
With training and experience you will perform statistical estimation of national pesticide use and take responsibility for writing technical reports.
You will be expected to develop and maintain knowledge of agronomic practices, pesticide product approvals and common agricultural diseases, insect pests and weeds.

Competencies
Self-Awareness

Communications and Engagement

Improving Performance

Analysis and Use of Evidence

Essential Criteria & Qualifications:

Essential Criteria

Strong interpersonal and verbal communication skills, with the ability to maintain good working relationships with stakeholders, ideally with experience of communication with farmers/growers.
An ability to produce clear and concise written reports using multiple data sources.
Strong planning and organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise workloads to meet deadlines.
Competent in Word and Excel or equivalent with experience of working with numerical datasets and a strong attention to detail.

Location
1 Roddinglaw Road, Edinburgh, EH12 9FJ.

The team embrace hybrid working but are mainly based at SASA, in Edinburgh. During data collection the post holder is required to visit remote locations and some driving is involved.

Provisional interview Dates

Minimum Time in Post

You will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of three years unless successful at gaining promotion to a higher Band or Grade.

HOW TO APPLY & ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

How to Apply:

Additional information:

For further information, please download and review the "Person Specification" which you will find below.

Person Specification Band B

The post is a full-time role, but staff with different working patterns are invited to apply, and we will assess proposed working patterns against the business requirements for this post.

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The Scottish Government is a diverse and inclusive workplace and we want to help you demonstrate your full potential whatever type of assessment is used. If you require any adjustments to our recruitment process, please let us know via

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