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Contract Technologist - ADAPTFORes Project

Location: Teagasc, Animal & Grassland Research Centre, Athenry, Co. Galway H65 R718
Technologist
Salary: Technologist Grade 1 with a Salary Scale of €40,580 to €77,284
Closing Date: 27/11/2024 12:00 PM
Funded Full Time

Job Description

Duration:

Temporary externally funded non Grant-in-Aid contract post, the indicative duration of which is 20 months, subject to contract. A panel may be formed from which future similar vacancies may be filled; such a panel will remain active for a maximum period of 12 months.

Basic Function:

Irish forests play a vital function in climate mitigation, make an important contribution to economic growth in rural areas and deliver a range of ecosystem services to society. The area of forestry in Ireland is currently 808,848 ha and the Forestry Programme 2023-2027 aims to expand forestry by 8,000 ha of new afforestation per annum. To maximise the contribution of Irish forestry to the economy so it continues to develop in a sustainable manner, there is a key requirement to increase the resilience in Irish forests, through adaptation, mitigation and protection strategies to address the impacts of climate change.

Relevant data collected in Irish forests and forestry-related experiments will be used to quantify pathways to increasing the resilience of forest ecosystems through the evaluation of the increased suitability of forest genetic stock, sustainable carbon sinks and the protection of the resource from harmful agents.

The adoption of suitably-adapted and diverse forestry planting stock in Irish forests is one best practices that can substantially increase resilience. Management strategies that work to minimise disturbances will reduce potential emissions from forests and advanced surveillance techniques that detect the presence of damaging agents can provide an early warning system to assist the protection of Irish forests. This project will investigate the potential adaptation, mitigation and protection strategies to Increase resilience in Irish forests.

Duties will include cataloguing research data relating to forestry, including genetic, phenotype data and climate data, the aim is to create a metadata library of outputs generated and utilised by the project. Having a good understanding of climatic and forest genetic analysis techniques, how trees might respond to climate and their impact on Irish forests is a key requirement. Flexibility is required in the role and there is a requirement to assist the project coordinator and project partners to support the delivery of key research tasks. Reporting duties include updating of the project website, preparation of newsletters, and reporting of experimental results to assist in maximising project impact and outreach. Experience with project planning and knowledge transfer are critical skills required for this role. The candidate will be expected to have excellent communication skills and be highly motivated, a team player, and have familiarity with agriculture, forestry and climate-related issues.

Background:

The appointee will be based at Teagasc, Athenry or other Teagasc location strictly by agreement. This position is funded by the Department of Agriculture Food and Marine.

Job Objectives

Liaise with stakeholders and project partners involved in the project.
Assist in the setup, management and measurement of forestry experimental trials.
Database management.
Assessment of experimental parameters using statistical analysis and modelling techniques.
Collation of research results and preparation of technical reports.
Ensuring smooth and timely transfer of research results to the relevant task leaders, project partners and wider stakeholders.
Provide technical support to project team members.
Assist in project outreach activities to include communication of project-related activities to a range of relevant stakeholders and general public.
Liaise with national and international partners to maximise the impact of the project outcomes.
To assist Teagasc in meeting the commitments of the Quality Customer Service Charter and Action Plan.
To actively participate in the annual business planning and Performance Management Development System (PMDS) processes.
Fully co-operate with the provisions made for ensuring the health, safety and welfare of themselves, fellow staff and non-Teagasc staff and co-operate with management in enabling Teagasc to comply with legal obligations. This includes full compliance with the responsibilities outlined in the Safety Statement.
Any other duties as may be assigned from time to time

* This job specification is intended as a guide to the general range of duties and is intended to be neither definitive nor restrictive. It will be reviewed from time to time with the post holder.

Skills Requirement

	Essential	Desirable
Qualifications	A level 8 degree (as recognised on the National Framework of Qualifications or equivalent) in Forestry, Agricultural Science, Science or a climate related discipline.	A postgraduate degree and/or relevant knowledge of forestry, agriculture, climate change or geographic data would be a distinct advantage. Experience having worked in a project team environment would be a distinct advantage.
Skills	Good interpersonal skills. Good organisational skills – ability to plan, organize and schedule work and report work progress. Computer literate, MS Excel, MS Word and MS outlook. Data management and data handling skills Excellent data analysis and report writing skills. Excellent oral and written communication skills. Strong evidence of team working.	Ability to work as part of a multidisciplinary team. Aptitude for multidisciplinary approaches. Evidence of project outreach capacity via various channels and platforms is a distinct advantage. Flexibility to undertake new tasks as they arise Aptitude for multidisciplinary approaches. Experience with statistical packages and referencing software.
Knowledge	Forestry experimental data Experimental design, demonstrated technical expertise and understanding of forestry phenotype/genotype data Management of big data and its analysis. Familiarity with reporting, task completion and ability to develop appropriate networks.	An understanding of forestry/agriculture/environmental science and climate change issues and likely impacts for Irish agriculture and forestry. Knowledge of research outreach activities (projects and/or publications, conference presentations, awards). Extension experience and communication to relevant stakeholders is highly desirable. Knowledge of national climate action plans and their implications would be an advantage.
Behavioural Competencies	Ability to work and support colleagues as part of a team, including consulting, collaborating and building relationships with key stakeholders. Strives for high quality of work that demonstrates commitment to the programme. Ability to engage effectively to develop knowledge and technology transfer initiatives. Excellent communication skills (oral, written, presentation) with an ability to enable effective knowledge and technology transfer. Ability to generate new ideas, unique concepts, suitable models and project solutions.
Other	As this role will involve driving vehicles, candidates must satisfy and continue to satisfy during employment with Teagasc, legal requirements to drive a car unaccompanied on Irish public roads.
Eligibility	This is an open public competition. Should a current serving Teagasc staff member be successful in their application through open public competition for this post, their current contract of employment with Teagasc will come to an end on taking up this post.

Note: The ‘essential’ qualifications, knowledge, skills and behavioural competencies outlined above are ‘must-have’ which will be used in the selection process.

Attachment(s):

Technologist_InformationBooklet.docx.pdf

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