Job posting: MRAG Americas Fishery Assessment Analyst
Closing Date: March 1, 2022
Job opportunity: MRAG Americas, Inc. is currently seeking a Fishery Assessment Analyst to join our Certification Division.
About MRAG Americas: MRAG Americas (www.mragamericas.com) is a private consulting and auditing company focused on activities that support the conservation of marine and freshwater ecosystems through responsible, rational, and sustainable use of fish and other aquatic resources. MRAG Americas is a third-party independent certification body, accredited to assess fisheries and supply chains against various certification standards, including the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM) standards. This work involves assessing the biological sustainability of fish stocks; the impacts of the fisheries on non-target stocks, endangered species, habitats and ecosystems; and the quality of management systems that underpin continued sustainability. MRAG Americas’ fishery assessment teams includes a mix of technical expertise in fish stock assessment, fish biology and ecology, fishing impacts on aquatic ecosystems, fishery management and operations, current knowledge of the country and fishery under assessment, and third-party auditing techniques. MRAG Americas also conducts audits against standards for social responsibility in fisheries.
Fishery Assessment Analyst: Reporting to the Senior Fisheries Certification Manager, the Fishery Assessment Analyst performs a key function in fishery sustainability assessment and certification work in a scientific, technical and administrative capacity.
Responsibilities:
• Participate as an assessment team member/assessor for MSC and RFM certification assessments as either a fish stock assessment or ecosystem impacts expert;
• Liaise with existing and potential clients and the MSC and RFM certification programs with respect to opportunities for certification projects in coordination other MRAG Americas’ certification team;
• Help track schedules of fishery assessments and maintain timely participation of assessment team members and delivery of outputs etc.;
• General Administrative duties, including draft proposals and contracts for fishery assessments and pre‐assessments; upload required material to relevant databases as necessary, monitoring timelines and project deadlines. Communicates with program staff on a regular basis about policy changes, financial matters, budget schedules, and other issues that need administrative action.
• Assist in preparing individual project budgets
• Participate in internal audits as part of annual accreditation assessments;
• Participate in review and consultation on changes to MSC Fishery Certification Requirements and other policy proposals;
• Maintain good working relationships with program staff to support certification program goals and keep abreast of program issues.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
• A minimum MS degree in Natural Resource Management, Marine, Environmental or Fisheries science; PhD highly desirable;
• A minimum of three years relevant experience, including experience in stock assessments, fisheries management and environmental science; some or all of this experience can be concurrent with completing an advanced degree program;
• Familiarity with fishery certification schemes (e.g. Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM), etc.) is highly desirable;
• Organizational, quantitative and analytical skills;
• Attention to detail, ability to prioritize and work accurately under challenging time constraints;
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills;
• Able to operate with considerable independence and discretion;
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities;
• High quality technical writing skills and demonstrated ability to compile well documented scientific reports;
• Demonstrated ability to use Microsoft Suite, database and spreadsheet software packages (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access) to a high level of competence.