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Employment Opportunities
The following opportunities are currently available:

Sea Sampler

Employment Opportunities for Summer 2010

 

Who may apply: The Commission is an International Governmental Organization and as such we will be considering applicants regardless of nationality.

Salary range: $267- $299/day (U.S. currency) while aboard vessel plus a $6/day taxable gear allowance. There are separate daily rates for travel and working standby.  In addition, the IPHC will pay for approved transit, lodging, and expenses to and from the research vessel.  Deployment usually takes place from Seattle after training in May.

 Duration: 21 - 90 days.

 The International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) will be conducting comprehensive setline surveys ranging from the U.S. West Coast and British Columbia to the Aleutian chain and Bering Sea in the summer of 2010.  The research will be conducted aboard chartered commercial longline fishing vessels with a scientific crew of two to three aboard each vessel.  Additionally, the IPHC will deploy a sea sampler on National Marine Fisheries Service trawl surveys, which consist of a scientific crew of five to six including one IPHC representative. 

 A number of sea sampler positions will be available in 2010 and the IPHC will be conducting interviews from February 15 through March 15 to fill vacancies for the coming summer.  Applicants must be available either in person or via telephone for an interview during this time.   However, if a qualified applicant is unavailable to interview due to current work assignment, the applicant should indicate alternative dates for an interview.  Interviews will be granted based on the rated qualifications listed below.  Positions will be filled by April 15, 2010.

Qualified candidates who have successfully completed the interview will be placed on a roster from which openings will be filled.  Inclusion on the roster list does not guarantee employment.  Any candidates on the roster, but not hired for this year’s work will be added to the standby list for the following season’s work and will not have to re-interview for future work.

 All hired sea samplers will be required to attend training in Seattle in late May and have a valid passport at that time.

 Job Description

Work aboard ship involves recording length, sex, and maturity data from Pacific halibut, and collecting age determination structures (otoliths).  Special projects and data collection from other species will also be part of the job. Working conditions can be cold, wet, and smelly: sampling the fish requires working long hours, and heavy lifting on a slimy, rolling deck. Samplers use knives and forceps while performing their duties on deck. 

 Collaboration with commercial fishing captains and crew on chartered vessels is essential to successful collection of stock assessment data. Applicants should understand that living conditions aboard survey vessels are often cramped, noisy, and uncomfortable.  Because of the small size of the vessels (generally 60-90 feet), individual sleeping berths are often in common quarters.  Biologists and vessel crew of both genders may be aboard the vessel at any time.  The vessels are required to provide three meals per day, but they are not required to cater to special dietary needs.  Personnel must be flexible and maintain effective interpersonal relations under the described conditions.  Employees will act as liaison between the IPHC office and other involved parties, such as the vessel captain and NMFS representatives, to assure that research objectives are met.

 During deployment, samplers may be required to perform additional tasks in port when not assigned to a vessel.  These days are considered working standby, and are subject to a different pay rate than that received while at sea. Duties include but are not limited to data editing, data entry, and assisting IPHC port samplers.  The employee may be given accommodations and meal allowances during these periods.

 Employment will occur from May to September and will be between 21 and 90 days in duration. Preference may be given to candidates with the widest range of availability within those months.  Positions in all areas of the survey are open to all employees, regardless of nationality.

 

Minimum Qualifications:

Education:       Graduation from a recognized university, college or technical institution.

 Experience:     Experience collecting scientific data in the field.

                       Experience living on vessels at sea.

Abilities:          Must be able to work long hours, climb ladders on the vessel and dock, negotiate slippery                        decks, and lift live fish as large as 40 pounds without assistance. Applicants must not be                        subject to motion sickness to the extent that work performance is impaired

Background:    Employment with the IPHC requires the ability to freely cross the U.S./Canadian border.                        Candidates must have a valid passport by the beginning of May 2010.  All prospective                        employees must submit to a criminal background check.  Convictions such as DUI/DWI,                        Breaking and Entering, Assault, Drugs, or Theft may prevent you from crossing the                        U.S./Canadian border and this may result in the IPHC not being able to offer you employment.

Rated Qualifications:

·         Number of sea days

·         Experience aboard longline vessels

·         Experience aboard small (<100 ft) vessels in the open ocean

·         Skills in identifying north Pacific fish species

·         Demonstrated ability to follow statistical sampling protocols and accurately record data

·         Leadership  and teamwork skills and experience

To Apply:

The IPHC is currently accepting applications for the 2010 season. If interested please complete and return an application package which includes your: 1) résumé, 2) application form 3) background waiver and 4) reference check release form.  The application forms can be completed online but the waivers must be faxed or scanned and emailed with a valid signature. 

 Background and reference checks will only be completed after applicants have been short listed.

Mail or fax the package to: Tracee Geernaert, IPHC, P.O. Box 95009, Seattle, WA  98145-2009, FAX: (206) 632-2983.  Once you apply please keep us updated with current contact information. Applications will be accepted until  February 15, 2010.  All applications received after this date will be placed at the bottom of the roster or processed for the following year. 

 For additional information, please contact Tracee by phone at (206) 634-1838 ext. 208 or via e-mail at tracee@iphc.washington.edu

 

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