National Whale and Dolphin Watch Assistant The Sea Watch Foundation is seeking a voluntary National Whale and Dolphin Watch Assistant for the 2020 season. This position will suit a volunteer who has a strong interest in marine conservation and recognises the importance of educating and raising awareness by involving the public. The assistant will be responsible in aiding the Sightings Officer with the following duties: Promoting, organising and running the National Whale and Dolphin Watch event (25 th July – 2 nd August 2020) Creating promotional materials (posters, displays, flyer) for dissemination around the UK Social networking (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, website) before and during the event Interacting with the media (radio, TV and newspapers), including preparing press releases Using initiative and creativity to reach out to wider audience Keeping records of planned events Updating webpage with events Posting observer packs to participants in a timely manner Encouraging data submission and website updates during the event Collating data and imagery from the event Entering event data on to database template The National Whale and Dolphin Watch Assistant will also have some opportunity to be involved in land-based and boat-based watches. However, this will be dependent on workload and will be agreed between the Assistant and the Sightings Officer each time the opportunity arises. The field season will run from April to October 2020 and has been split into four periods of seven weeks for Research Interns. Our National Whale and Dolphin Watch Assistant is required to stay for the middle two periods of the season. The assistant will be based in or around Bangor, North Wales, and he/she will be helped in finding suitable accommodation. The assistant is responsible for their own travel and living expenses. National Whale and Dolphin Watch Assistant periods for summer 2020: Periods 2 & 3: 01/05 – 04/09 Important skills/qualifications Essential: a strong interest in marine conservation and education strong commitment to volunteering work excellent verbal and writing skills an ability to work in an organised and reliable manner and to manage a variable workload, including appropriate delegation good IT skills (Office package) a careful, meticulous worker comfortable with entering quantities of sightings data accurately outgoing personality with confidence to interact with the public Desirable: experience of events organising experience with postings on social media prior experience in public speaking a strong interest and some knowledge of British cetaceans willingness to work outdoors in often very changeable Welsh weather To apply: Please send your CV and a cover letter reporting any relevant experience you have, and contact details of two referees, to: Dr Chiara Giulia Bertulli ( chiara.bertulli@gmail.com) and Dr Peter G.H. Evans (peter.evans@bangor.ac.uk) Deadline: 8 th March 2020 at midday. Please specify “National Whale and Dolphin Watch Assistant” into your subject title. Applicants must be available for interview via Skype between the 9 th and 13 th March and will be notified of the outcomes by the 15 th March 2020. ########################################################################### Find out more about National Whale and Dolphin Watch: www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/nwdw If you want to download a copy of our previous National Whale and Dolphin Watch reports: https://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/nwdw-reports/ The Sea Watch Foundation For the past 30 years, Sea Watch Foundation ( http://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/) has been monitoring the dolphins, porpoises and whales around the UK, documenting abundance trends, identifying conservation threats, and advising on the best ways to protect regional populations. Alongside its own scientific surveys and research, Sea Watch has for more than a quarter of a century pioneered citizen science as well as run a range of education and outreach programmes. Public awareness We aim to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of the marine wildlife and the habitats supporting them, to encourage respect and conservation of the marine environment for future generations. We also run training courses for the public in cetacean identification and survey methods. A list of some science, awareness and education achievements is given below: Sea Watch Director, Dr Peter Evans, received the European Cetacean Society Conservation Award, 2012 Sea Watch Foundation was recipient of the UNEP/ASCOBANS Outreach and Education Award, 2009 Sea Watch Foundation was voted best UK animal adoption scheme by BBC Wildlife, December 2008 Publication of Evans, P.G.H. (2019) European Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises. Marine Mammal Conservation in Practice. Academic Press, London & San Diego. 306pp.