Farming Assessor

Description

The Aquascot Aquaculture and Fish Sourcing team are expanding their capability with the opening of a new vacancy for a Farming Assessor to join the team. Aquascot is an employee owned business operating within the food industry, established for over 30 years it has a significant presence in the highlands. We are based in Alness, Ross-Shire and are committed to providing responsibly sourced, high quality seafood to our customers. In 2026 Aquascot attained B Corp certification becoming the first Scottish based seafood processor to achieve the globally recognised standard for social and environmental performance.

The farming assessor will work within the cross functional Aquaculture and Fish sourcing team and help deliver the Aquascot “Feet on the Farm” assessment program. The successful candidate will be a clear communicator, have an ability to manage a range of IT systems and capacity to critically analyse data and prepare succinct reports. As part of the farms assessment program the farming assessor will be required to engage with farm managers, technical and health professionals, with integrity and have an eye for detail. The role will require travel throughout the Highlands and Islands. Ultimately, we are looking for a candidate with a good working knowledge of responsible fish farming practices and who is seeking an opportunity to apply their knowledge and experience to identify and promote best practice within the UK Aquaculture sector.

Aquascot is an employee owned business operating within the food industry; established for over 30 years it has a significant presence in the highlands. We are based in Alness, Ross-Shire and are committed to providing sustainable, high quality seafood to our customers.

Key Responsibilities:

• To work within the Aquaculture team in building relationships with fish farmers and clients and in developing the Aquascot Aquaculture and Fish sourcing team as a value driven department with integrity.
• To collate farm assessment data, perform data analysis and support the team in the production of assessment reports for distribution to suppliers and customers as required.
• To participate in Aquascot’s Waitrose ‘feet on the farm’ assessment programme.
• To support and champion continuous improvement and promote best practice throughout the Aquaculture industry.
• To liaise with Aquascot’s procurement and technical functions to ensure sourcing is in alignment with our farms assessment program.
• To help resolve any aquaculture related issues in raw material product quality discovered in Aquascot’s processing unit.
• To participate in cross disciplinary continuous improvement projects in Aquascot’s processing unit which require expert knowledge on fish physiology, health, welfare or other relevant aquaculture context.
• To respond to any specific farming challenges with additional visits, calls and reports as required.

Key attributes of the candidate:

Essential

• Degree or above in aquaculture, biological sciences or other related area.
• Must have a broad interest in any one of farming, environment, ecology, animal welfare or sustainability of food production, with an eagerness to learn and communicate knowledge.
• Practical fish farming experience, this could be experience gained in any relevant role within the aquaculture sector.
• A strong desire for identifying and promoting best practice within the Aquaculture community.
• Enthusiastic, resilient and task orientated with good working knowledge of salmon or trout farming, with the ability to ‘connect’ with farm managers and staff.
• Logical mindset, comfortable with gathering, interpreting and presenting data/reports (often of a scientific nature), attention to detail and ensuring data integrity is key.
• Familiar with Microsoft Office packages and basic statistical analysis.
• Personable, a good listener and able to communicate with a wide range of people both within Aquascot and outwards to farming partners and clients.
• Able to understand the customers’ needs and articulate those needs to the supply chain and farming community.
• Excellent persuasive skills and ability to build trust and integrity quickly with each farming supply partner. Protecting data and acting co-operatively.
• A Full UK driving license and the willingness to undertake farm assessment trips throughout rural Scotland.

Desirable

• Our preference is for candidates who have at least two years of on-farm experience within the UK Salmon or Trout farming sector.
• Able to demonstrate competency in advanced data analysis (e.g. RStudio) and/or data visualisation (e.g. Power Bi).
• Proven capability in managing, to completion, a self-contained piece of project work

Applications (CV and cover letter) or informal enquiries (in strictest confidence) can be sent to Andrew Davie, Head of Aquaculture at andrew.davie@aquascot.com or 07885 971214

Closing Date: 17:00 Wednesday 25th November 2026

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: From £33,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Canteen
• Company events
• Company pension
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee discount
• Free parking
• Gym membership
• Life insurance
• On-site parking
• Referral programme
• Sick pay

Work Location: In person