Plant Health Inspector (Winter) - The Scottish Government

The Company:

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, 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.

Job description:

Working as part of a team of inspectors, you will support Scotland’s seed potato industry by inspecting seed potato consignments and collecting soil samples from fields intended for seed potato production, specifically for the detection of potato cyst nematode. These seasonal roles generally operate between September and May, with work allocated by local area offices in line with customer demand for tuber inspection and soil sampling. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to Scotland’s agricultural success while gaining hands-on experience in plant health and regulatory inspection.

Full, comprehensive training will be given to successful candidates in the identification of potato tuber diseases, tuber inspections and soil sampling method.

Daily rate of £129.82 per day (travel and subsistence expenses will be reimbursed where appropriate).

Responsibilities:

• Support area office travelling between farms to inspect seed potato consignments for a number of different growers.
• Identify faults in the crops and record results of inspection in accordance with best practice.
• Support office travelling between farms drawing soil for the purposes of potato cyst nematode detection.

Job package:

Working pattern: Our standard hours are 35 hours per week and we offer a range of flexible working options depending on the needs of the role. For this role, the candidate will be contacted by the local area office to work as and when the need arises according to customer demand for tuber inspection and soil sampling.