Vacancy -- Marine Enforcement Officer (WFMC) - (x4)
Recruitment Principles
Vacancy Details
Purpose of Post:
- The Control & Enforcement Branch of Marine and Fisheries Division is responsible for all aspects of fish, fishing and fisheries enforcement. Fisheries policy in Wales is underpinned by the Wales Fisheries Strategy. One of the major policy areas within Fisheries relates to Sea Fishing. This area brings staff in direct contact with the fishing industry, the Control and Technical measures that govern the industry and with other parts of the UK and Europe.
- The main purpose of this post is to deliver the functions of the Welsh Fisheries Monitoring Centre (WFMC).
- The primary role is to ensure that our seas are protected through effective surveillance and control measures. The FMC is a new concept for Wales and will be directly responsible for monitoring activity by UK and foreign vessels in our waters and Welsh vessels wherever they may be, checking Statutory Data from all sectors, both UK and Foreign, facilitate trade by processing catch certificates and prevent Illegal, Unreported and Unregistered issues, foreign and UK vessel licensing requirements and form part of a larger UK wide Marine Intelligence group. There will be a requirement that the FMC will have the capacity to operate on a 24 hour basis, where and when required, for example to support our Fishery Patrol Vessels when on task. This will require the centre to be open during weekends and bank holidays and so MEO’s would be required to word a shift rotation and employed on an annualised hour contract.
- The post holder may be required to support the wider role of the Marine and Fisheries Control and Enforcement Team carrying out enforcement duties around the Welsh Coast.
Key tasks:
As part of a team approach:
- 24hr FMC management.
- Monitoring of all commercial fishing activity within the Welsh Zone through Vessel Monitoring systems and statutory data submissions
- Validation of catch certificates for the export of fisheries products to the EU
- Handling Sensitive Intelligence with required clearances
- Conduct investigations into breaches of fisheries legislation
- Preparing and handling evidence-case files and the administration of all Investigation files on behalf of the Branch
- Financial Administrative Penalties administration
- Intelligence sharing with Devolved Organisations
- Statutory data analysis
- Intelligence handling, prioritisation of Illegal Unregulated and Unreported fishing activity.
- Monitoring of quota uptake by non UK vessels operating within the Welsh Zone
- Real time tasking and support to our Fishery Patrol Vessels while at sea
- Administration and management of Marine Consents Licensing
Development opportunities:
Although office based, the role may require individuals to assist with the inspection of fishing vessels, examine the fish caught or landed and therefore requires a degree of physical fitness.
Individuals will be required to train to become fully warranted Marine Enforcement Officers. The training and supervision will take around a year to complete and will include intensive courses in a range of activities.
Closing Date:
Disability Confident
Welsh Government accepts the social definition of disability, in which it is recognised that barriers in society act to disable people who have impairments or health conditions or who use British Sign Language. We are committed to removing barriers so that all (or potential new staff) can perform at their best. The Equality Act 2010 uses the medical definition of disability (“a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term impact on a person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities”).
We guarantee to interview anyone who is disabled whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post. By ‘minimum criteria’ we mean that you must provide us with evidence in your application which demonstrates that you generally meet the level of competence for the role and any qualifications, skills or experience defined as essential. We are committed to the employment and career development of disabled people.
If you have an impairment or health condition, or use British Sign Language and need to discuss reasonable adjustments for any part of this recruitment process, or wish to discuss how we will support you if you were to be successful, please email SharedServiceHelpdesk@gov.wales as soon as possible and a member of the team will contact you to discuss your requirements and any questions you may have.
Welsh Language Requirements
The Welsh Government is a bilingual organisation and Welsh language skills are considered an asset to the organisation. We encourage and support staff to learn, develop and use their Welsh language skills in the workplace.
The following list of language requirements represents an objective assessment by the line manager on behalf of the Welsh Government of the Welsh language skills required to undertake the duties of this particular post.
Competencies / Job Specific Criteria
Competencies
- Making Effective Decisions - Examine complex information and obtain further information to make accurate decisions.
- Leading and Communicating - Confidently handle challenging conversations or interviews.
- Collaborating and Partnering - Actively encourage team working, changing ways of working to facilitate collaboration for the benefit of the team’s work.
- Delivering at pace - Be interested and positive about what they and the team are trying to achieve.
Job Specific Criteria
- Analytical skills to enable processing of multiple sources of information
- The ability to communicate well to a diverse range of audiences.
- Highly motivated, self-starter who works well alone and as part of a wider dispersed team.
Assessment Process
Other Information
Desirable requirements
- Knowledge and experience of fishing industry or marine science.
- Understanding of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act or working in an enforcement capacity.
- Full UK Driving Licence.
Open Days/Drop in sessions
Come along to our recruitment drop-in sessions to:
- Find out more about the work we do;
- Hear from current MEOs, Wales Fisheries Monitoring Centre staff and vessel crew;
- Obtain information about the roles we’re currently advertising;
- Seek guidance from our HR manager to assist you in completing your on-line application.
The sessions will be held at Welsh Government offices on:
- Monday 9th December – Penllergaer, Swansea
- Tuesday 10th December – Rhodfa Padarn, Aberystwyth
- Friday 13th December – Sarn Mynach, Llandudno Junction
We will be holding drop-in sessions throughout the day at the following times: 9am-11am, 12pm-1pm, 2pm-4pm, 5pm-6:30pm.
There is no need to book – just come along on the day.
Working Pattern
This post will be subject to the Welsh Governments Annualised Hours contract which will require staff to work a fixed number of hours per year but hours will be more intensive in certain periods and less intensive in other periods. Post holders will be expected to work unsocial hours (during the evening, night and at weekends to align with fishing activity) forming part of a rota to provide 24 hours cover to support other elements of the Control and Enforcement Team.
Shortlisting / Sift
You will need to assure yourself that you can provide sufficient evidence of the core skills, behaviours and job specific criteria for the post.
Evidence provided by applicants in the application and CV will be assessed using a scoring matrix against the job specific criteria. The successful candidates will be shortlisted for interview.
Evidence against the competency areas should be included within your application, however these will only be assessed at interview.
How to apply
All applications for this vacancy should be made online via the Welsh Government's online application system. If you have a disability which would prevent you from applying on-line, please e-mail SharedServiceHelpdesk@gov.wales to request an application pack in an alternative format, or to request a reasonable adjustment related to a disability in order to submit your application.
To apply, you'll need to have an account on our online application system. Click the 'Apply' button below, and you'll be asked to 'Log in' if you already have an account, or 'Register' if you don't yet have an account. Registration takes just a few minutes to complete. You'll need an e-mail address to be able to register. Once you've registered for an account and logged in, you'll be taken to the online application form, which you'll need to fully complete and submit before the deadline on the closing date.
If you’d like to apply for this vacancy in Welsh, please use the ‘Newid Iaith / Change Language’ link at the top of this page, to take you to the Welsh version of this advert, from which you can apply in Welsh.
For further information regarding the Welsh Government recruitment process, please see the Recruitment Guidance for External Candidates (link).
When evidencing your suitability for the post, it is recommended that you refer to the Civil Service Competency Framework (link)