Sustainability Officer

We are seeking a sustainability professional with expertise in project coordination, stakeholder engagement and programme delivery to join our team.

Quick overview of the role

• Job status: This is a full-time, permanent role.
• Location: Homebased (UK) or office-based in one of our offices in Edinburgh or Grimsby.
• Salary: The starting salary for this role is £32,000 per year.

Job role, responsibilities and relationships

The main dimensions of the role are:

This role provides operational delivery, coordination and administrative support for Seafish’s sustainability and responsible sourcing programmes, ensuring effective implementation of project activities and stakeholder engagement.

Reporting to the Sustainability Analyst, the post holder supports the delivery of sustainability initiatives through coordination tasks, maintaining datasets and records, supporting communications, and assisting with the implementation of agreed workplans.

The role supports key work programmes including:

• Delivery support for the Seafood Carbon Emissions Profiling Tool (SCEPT), including user coordination, training logistics, preparation of guidance materials and ongoing communications with industry users.
• Support for initiatives aimed at improving sustainability in commercial fishing practices, including meeting coordination, administrative support, and provision of secretariat functions for workshops and stakeholder groups.
• Support for sustainability data collection, collation, and reporting activities linked to Seafish’s corporate sustainability obligations, including Greening Government Commitments (GGC) reporting.

The role works with a wide range of stakeholders across the seafood supply chain, including seafood businesses, certification and assurance bodies, researchers, NGOs, and government organisations, primarily in a coordination and support capacity.

The post holder is responsible for ensuring the smooth delivery of engagement activities and maintaining accurate and timely project information to support analysis, reporting, and programme delivery.

Key accountabilities will be:

Under Seafish’s core ‘resilient supply chains’ work pillar:

• Support delivery of Seafish’s responsible sourcing and sustainability activities by coordinating tasks, maintaining delivery records, and assisting with implementation of workplans.
• Collect, collate and prepare sustainability and sector information to support analysis, reporting, and programme monitoring.
• Coordinate logistics and administration for engagement with seafood businesses, including arranging meetings, workshops and stakeholder communications.
• Support delivery of sustainability engagement activities by preparing materials, maintaining stakeholder contact lists and assisting with follow‑up actions.
• Assist in the preparation and dissemination of sustainability communications, guidance, and updates to industry stakeholders.

Responsible sourcing and sustainability programme support (40%)

• Provide day‑to‑day administrative and coordination support across responsible sourcing and sustainability projects and workstreams.
• Support organisation of stakeholder meetings, workshops, webinars and training sessions, including scheduling, logistics, agendas and follow‑up actions.
• Maintain contact databases, stakeholder records and project documentation.
• Support preparation of briefing papers, presentations, reports, guidance documents and case studies.
• Respond to routine stakeholder enquiries and direct more technical queries to appropriate colleagues.
• Support internal and external communications relating to responsible sourcing activities and sustainable production initiatives.
• Assist with monitoring project progress, actions, timelines and deliverables.

Seafood Carbon Emissions Profiling Tool support (35%)

• Provide first‑line user support and coordination for seafood businesses engaging with the Seafood Carbon Emissions Profiling Tool.
• Support delivery of training sessions, onboarding activities and development of user guidance materials.
• Assist with collection, organisation and quality checking of emissions and supply chain data provided by participating businesses.
• Support communication and coordination with external software providers and project partners.
• Help maintain records of user feedback, technical issues and development requests.
• Assist with preparation of case studies, summaries and communications materials to support industry engagement and uptake.
• Support analysis and presentation of non‑technical outputs and key insights from relevant sustainability projects.

Corporate sustainability and reporting support (25%)

• Support collection and organisation of internal sustainability data, including travel, waste, energy and emissions information.
• Assist with maintaining accurate records and supporting internal reporting processes.
• Support preparation of quarterly and annual Greening Government Commitments returns, plans and associated documentation.
• Help coordinate sustainability‑related activities and engagement across Seafish teams.
• Support development of internal communications and awareness initiatives relating to Seafish’s corporate sustainability performance.

Key Attributes:

Planning and Organising

The successful candidate will be able to:

• Demonstrate strong organisational and administrative skills, with attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, including non‑technical audiences.
• Support delivery of projects and work programmes to agreed timelines and quality standards.
• Interpret and present information clearly in reports, presentations and guidance materials.
• Work collaboratively across teams and maintain positive stakeholder relationships.
• Use initiative to manage day‑to‑day tasks while escalating issues appropriately.
• Facilitate meetings, workshops and training sessions confidently and professionally.
• Maintain accurate records, datasets and documentation.

Decision making and judgment

• Prioritises day‑to‑day tasks within agreed workplans and direction from the Sustainability Analyst.
• Uses established processes, templates and guidance to complete coordination, administrative and reporting tasks.
• Organises meetings and other stakeholder activities, escalating conflicts or scheduling issues where needed.
• Checks data and documentation for accuracy, flagging issues or inconsistencies for review.
• Responds to routine stakeholder queries and escalates technical or complex issues appropriately.
• Uses judgement to ensure outputs are clear, accurate and suitable for their intended audience.

Essential working relationships will include:

• Seafood businesses across the supply chain, including fishing, aquaculture, processing and retail.
• Sustainability specialists, researchers and technical specialists.
• Government departments, regulators and partner organisations.
• Internal Seafish teams supporting sustainability, industry engagement and corporate reporting activities.
• The role requires effective communication with audiences ranging from operational staff to senior stakeholders.

Knowledge, skills and experience required

To be a suitable candidate for this role you should have:

• A degree, diploma or equivalent experience in a relevant discipline (e.g. environmental management, fisheries science, sustainability, energy systems, geography, or similar).
• Experience providing project, programme or administrative support within a professional environment.
• Strong organisational skills and experience coordinating meetings, events or stakeholder activities.
• Experience working with data, spreadsheets and information management systems.
• Good written and verbal communication skills, including experience preparing reports, presentations or guidance materials.
• Experience engaging with external stakeholders or customers in a support or coordination role.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities effectively.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications including Excel, Word, Outlook and Teams.

Experience of the following would be advantageous

• Knowledge or interest in sustainability, responsible sourcing, food / seafood supply chains or environmental reporting.
• Familiarity with greenhouse gas emissions, carbon accounting and/or sustainability reporting concepts.
• Experience supporting delivery of workshops, training sessions or stakeholder engagement events.
• Experience maintaining project documentation, action trackers or reporting systems.
• Familiarity with collaboration and data‑sharing platforms such as SharePoint.
• Experience working in the seafood, food production, environmental or public sector.

Salary and benefits

All roles within Seafish are classified and have defined salary bands. This role sits within Job Family D in our pay structure, and the starting salary is at £32,000. A new member’s appointment on the pay structure is dependent on the experience they bring to the role when they start. New candidates normally start at the lower end of the range unless they can demonstrate considerable experience in the requirements of the role.

Additional benefits include:

A competitive benefits package including annual leave, volunteering leave, flexible working, pension contributions, wellbeing support, professional development opportunities and performance rewards. Please visit our website for full details of our employee benefits.

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