Operations Officer

The Scottish Government Marine Directorate is looking for two Operations Officers to join the Marine Directorate.  The directorate is responsible for deterring and detecting illegal activities through effective compliance and enforcement arrangements.  The roles will be based in Peterhead and Fraserburgh.As warranted officers (following satisfactory completion of our British Sea Fishery Officer (BSFO) training programme), you will undertake inspections of documentation, equipment and catches and provide guidance, advice and information to fishing industry contacts. You will work as part of a team to investigate compliance of Marine Licensing Regulations, ensuring quality standards and protecting Scotland’s marine environment. These posts qualify for a Flexible Working allowance, for more information on this please refer to the Working Pattern section.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities

• The inspection of documentation, fishing gear and/or catches for compliance with conservation, quota management and marketing regulations,
• Analysis of Master’s daily electronic logbook information.
• Analysis of vessel’s transmissions via Vessel Monitoring Systems.
• Providing guidance, advice and information to the fishing industry.
• Officers based at our coastal locations may conduct inspections onshore in factories and on-board fishing vessels whilst in harbour. Inspections of fish and documentation are conducted at the premises of fish buyers and sellers as well as in vehicles used to transport fisheries products. Inspections are conducted 24/7 in-line with the operations of the industry and officers can expect to undertake some of their duties in unsocial hours and at weekends.
• Investigating offences against Scottish, UK, EU and International Fisheries Regulations, and being responsible for compiling and submitting prosecution reports to The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, which may ultimately lead to the criminal prosecution of offenders.

Qualifications

Qualifications
Valid full driving licence which enables you to drive in the UK – you must indicate in your CV that you meet this requirement.

Success Profiles
Success Profiles have been developed by the Professions and can be found in the Job Profile for the individual role. 

Success profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of behaviours, experience and technical criteria (if applicable) that candidates will be assessed on.

Experience

1. Previous experience or knowledge of working in the fishing, aquaculture or marine environment and/or industries.
    

Behaviours

• Making Effective Decisions – Level 2
• Working Together – Level 2
• Communicating and Influencing – Level 2
• Managing a Quality Service – Level 2

You can find out more about the skills required here.

How to apply
Apply online, providing a CV and supporting statement (of no more than 1000 words) providing evidence of how you meet the behaviours, experience and technical skills listed in the Success Profile above. Both the CV and the supporting statement provided will be assessed against the criteria for the role.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be used to support your application, but all statements and examples provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, and presented as your own) applications will be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

Please see our candidate guidance for more information on acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in recruitment.

Expected Timeline (Subject to change)
Sift - 28th to 30th October 2026  
Interview - week commencing 9th November 2026
Location - Interview via MS Teams

Skilled Worker Sponsorship
Skilled Worker sponsorship is not available for this role. As a result, we are unable to appoint candidates who require Skilled Worker sponsorship now or in the future. Applicants must have an existing and ongoing right to work in the UK.

If invited for further assessment this will consist of an interview and presentation. 

In the event of a high volume of applications, candidates will have their applications initially assessed against the Experience criteria above. Candidates who pass this initial sift will have their applications fully assessed against the listed criteria.  

Recruitment Principles 
As a government organisation, we adhere to the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles and we investigate any complaints received in relation to recruitment cases.

About Us
The Scottish Government is the devolved government for Scotland. We have responsibility for a wide range of key policy areas including: education, health, the economy, justice, housing and transport. We offer rewarding careers and employ people across Scotland in a wide range of professions and roles.

Our staff are part of the UK Civil Service, observing the Civil Service Code and working for Ministers and senior stakeholders to deliver vital public services which improve the lives of the people of Scotland.

We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment along with a wide range of employee benefits. Find out more about what we offer.

As part of the UK Civil Service, we uphold the Civil Service Nationality Rules.

Working Pattern
These posts are fully on-site and require attendance at either the Fraserburgh or Peterhead office location 5 days a week, hybrid working arrangements cannot be offered for these posts. One post will be based in the Fraserburgh office and the other post will be based in the Peterhead office.

Due to the nature of the role a high degree of flexibility is required as there is an expectation for travel from the Fraserburgh and Peterhead office location across the North East of Scotland.

Flexible Working Allowance
Officers will qualify for either a shift allowance or flexible working allowance.  

Fraserburgh - Flexible Working – (currently £4224.4)
Peterhead - Shift working day/back shift 12.5%
Peterhead - Shift working night shift 21%

Security Checks
Successful candidates must complete the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), before they can be appointed. BPSS is comprised of four main pre-employment checks – Identity, Right to work, Employment History and a Criminal Record check (unspent convictions).

You can find out more about BPSS on the UK Government website, and read about the Government Vetting Charter, or about all the different levels of security checks in our Candidate Guide. 

Equality Statement
We are committed to equality and inclusion and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation. 

Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer and support recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them.

Further Information:
Find out more about our organisation, what we offer staff members and how to apply on our Careers Website.

Read our Candidate Guide for further information on our recruitment and application processes.

If you experience any difficulties accessing our website or completing the online application form, please contact the Resourcing Team via recruitment@socialsecurity.gov.scot       

Apply before 23:55 pm on 25th October 2026