Pest Control & Biosecurity Officer

Pest Control & Biosecurity Officer, St Helena Government
£50,000 pa + benefits
3 Year Fixed Term Contract
St Helena, South Atlantic

A self-governing overseas territory of the United Kingdom, St Helena is an island of 47 square miles and around 4,000 people in the South Atlantic. With Cape Town in South Africa some 1,700 miles distant, the Islanders enjoy a unique lifestyle in truly unspoilt, friendly and peaceful surroundings.
St Helena is poised for the biggest transformation in the island’s history, with the imminent construction of an airport. It will grow from a centralised economy with 1,000 visitors per year to a market economy with up to 30,000 visitors per year.  The Officer will support formulation of a food security policy framework through designing and implementing integrated pest management (IPM) policy and actions to underpin this framework in support of agricultural activities on the Island in addition to managing the Islands Biosecurity.

The Role
•    Pest Control - Review existing data on St Helena’s agricultural pests and undertake any required survey work to establish an up to date agricultural pest status report for the Island. Review existing management practices, infrastructure and services available on Island for agricultural pest management.
•    Biosecurity - Provide an assessment of the potential risks and hazards that could damage the Island’s unique ecosystems, production activities and practices, and its valued biological assets in consideration with the Island’s long term strategic priorities.
•    Development and presentation of concise regular reports to the Director, Agriculture and Natural Resources in addition to presentations and advice to stakeholders and politicians, in particular the Natural Resources, Development and Environment Committee.

The Person
•    A Bachelor of Science degree in an agriculture or biology course with significant experience of working with and advising at a senior level on a range of integrated pest management methods for agricultural production and policy development.
•    Working knowledge of agricultural pest and disease identification in addition to a knowledge of agric-chemicals regulations, guidelines, and best practice.
•    Good written and oral communication skills and the ability to foster a collaborative working relationship with a variety of stakeholders including Government and private sector officials, politicians, farmers and producers.

Benefits for this post include
•    Paid flights and sea passages to and from post and for annual overseas leave
•    20 days annual leave (pro rata basis), not including travel to/from home country
•    Relocation allowance
•    Rental allowance
•    Utilities allowance

Further information and an application form can be found at http://www.sthelenacareers.com. If you would like more information about the post please contact Kedell Worboys on 0203 170 8706, click the 'Apply Now' button to apply online, or write to St. Helena Government UK Representative, 16 Old Queen Street, London, SW1H 9HP.
Completed application forms to be sent electronically to Kedell Worboys (click the 'Apply Now' button) by 15 August 2012.