Technical Officer – Welfare Assessment

 
Technical Officer – training and education

Payscale: £30,493 – 41,737, depending on experience and qualifications (plus London weighting where applicable).

About the HSA

The Humane Slaughter Association is a unique charity which promotes the welfare of farmed animals ‘Beyond the Farm Gate’; at markets, during transport, at slaughter, and when animals must be killed in emergencies.

Our vision is of a world where allfarmed animals are transported and killed humanely and our mission is to research, advance and promote the use of humane methods for the transport, slaughter and killing of farmed animals.
We do this by offering practical advice, education, ad training to all those involved in transport, slaughter, or emergency killing of livestock animals, as well as by funding scientific research to develop more humane approaches. Although we are based in the UK, the charity is international and works worldwide.

Technical Officer – training and education

The postholder for this role will play a central role in developing and maintaining our educational and training resources. This will enable us to promote humane transport and slaughter of farmed animals to a diverse audience through multiple channels, including face-to-face teaching and training, online written and audio-visual material as well as interactive e-learning.

In collaboration with colleagues, the postholder will be responsible for the development of learning and training materials including information on our website, e-learning material, video training, lecture material etc.

A key component of this role will be to take complex scientific and technical information and tailor it to a diverse range of audiences around the world.

Another important route by which HSA promotes humane transport and slaughter is through conferences, symposia, and webinars. The postholder will be closely involved in the organisation and deliver of these events.

Key Skills, Qualifications and Attributes

Essential

·       A degree in agriculture, life science, veterinary medicine (or a related field) or equivalent professional experience.

·       An understanding of the basic principles of animal welfare at slaughter.

·       Comfortable with working with and producing material which describes the slaughter process in detail.

·       A demonstrable ability to summarise complex information for a range of audiences with different levels of technical expertise.

·       Excellent written and oral communication skills.

·       Strong IT skills ideally including experience with MS office and SharePoint, as well as software for creation of visual content (ideally including PowerPoint, Adobe Creative Suite and/or Canva).

·       Experience of preparing and delivering oral and written presentations/reports to a varied audience

·       Ability to work to targets, with excellent organisational skills.

·       Team player, but comfortable working alone when necessary.

Desirable

·       Expertise in animal welfare at slaughter and/or during transport (this expertise could have been gained though working with the livestock industry or as an educator, veterinarian, animal welfare researcher, regulator, or policymaker). 

·       A postgraduate qualification, ideally in animal welfare or a related area.

·       A qualification in teaching and learning at the higher or further education level (e.g. FHEA).

·       Understanding of the laws and regulations relating to the welfare of animals (in the UK and/or elsewhere) undergoing transport and slaughter.

·       Expertise in the welfare of farmed or wild-caught aquatic animals.

·       Website editing and design expertise.

·       Skills in video content creation and editing.

·       Experience of using social media including Twitter/X, LinkedIn and/or YouTube to deliver animal welfare or technical information.

·       Experience of using learning management systems or online course delivery platforms to deliver educational material.

·       Experience of event planning and organisation (e.g. scientific conferences)

·       Experience of online events delivered through platforms such as Zoom or GoToWebinar.

Personal Attributes

The candidate must be comfortable with the charity’s approach to animal welfare which includes co-operation with the livestock and slaughter industries. Whilst the HSA wishes to ensure the highest standards of welfare for animals farmed for food or other products, it does not oppose the slaughter of animals per se. Candidates must be comfortable working within the livestock industry and other key stakeholders whilst striving to ensure the humane treatment of animals undergoing transport or slaughter.
Job Benefits

Payscale: £30,493 – 41,737 (depending on experience and qualifications) plus London weighting, where applicable.

Contract Type: Permanent/full-time, subject to a satisfactory probationary period. Part-time and flexible working arrangements may be possible.

Location: Office-based or remote (within the UK) according to the wishes of the applicant. The HSA offices are currently based in Hertfordshire, UK.  The postholder will need to travel to meetings around the UK and occasionally overseas.

Contributory pension scheme (inc. employer’s pension contribution of 8% of gross salary).

25 days paid holiday per year (allowance increases with length of service), plus statutory holidays.

Excellent training opportunities.

Eligibility
Because the charity is based in the UK, you must be legally entitled to work and reside in the UK. The successful candidate will be expected to reside in the UK whilst employed by the charity.

Candidates should ideally hold a UK driving licence or other licence which allows them to drive in the UK.

Please note, that if you wish to work from home, we require a reliable internet connection with a minimum 10Mb/s broadband.

To Apply

Please also specify your current remuneration details and notice period and include the names of two referees (including your current or most recent employer) who may be contacted if you are offered the position. We will not contact referees without your permission.

Closing Date for applications is Midnight (GMT) Friday 7 June 2024

We would be grateful if you would also complete a diversity monitoring form – this will be sent to you once we receive your application and can be returned anonymously. The answers provided on this form play no role in the shortlisting of candidates.

Selection Process

Initial online screening interviews will be held in the week commencing: 17 June 2024

We plan to hold initial online screening interviews will be held in the week commencing: 17 June 2024, with shortlisted candidates invited to an in-person interview at our offices in Hertfordshire in the week commencing 24June 2024.

Please let us know if you require any special arrangements should you be invited to interview.

Employment Checks

All offers of employment are made subject to the following criteria:

Proof of eligibility to work in the UK, Proof of Residency, two references including one from your current (or most recent) employer.
 

The HSA requests no contact from employment agencies or media sales.

Humane Slaughter Association (HSA)

The Old School, Brewhouse Hill, Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, AL4 8AN, United Kingdom

Phone:+44 (0) 1582 831919

Registered Charity in England No 1159690: Charitable Incorporated Organisation