Sustainability Officer

Seafish
Seafish

GBP 32k-32k / year

Posted on Jul 3, 2026

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.

What it’s like to work in the Sustainability Team at Seafish

About Seafish

Seafish is here to give the UK seafood sector the support it needs to thrive. Our work makes a huge difference. We collaborate with a wide range of partners – from seafood businesses and trade bodies to government, regulators and environmental organisations – and we engage in everything from research to campaigns, insight and training.

About the Sustainability Team

Our Sustainability Team works with industry, government, regulators, the research community and wider supply chain, to support an environmentally, socially and economically sustainable UK seafood sector. We help drive improvements in sustainable seafood (wild capture and aquaculture) production and responsible sourcing, ensuring the seafood industry can thrive while protecting marine ecosystems and supporting coastal communities for future generations.

As a team and organisation, we come together throughout the year for face-to-face sessions, including our all-staff conference. You may also be required to travel to attend other conferences, events or meetings as part of your role.

How we work

At Seafish we have a trust and performance culture. Performance driven results mean having autonomy and accountability in equal parts, so you can work in the way that’s most effective for you, as long as you deliver your work to the expected standards. You’ll have a personal development plan that outlines the objectives and competencies for your role and learning and development goals. You’ll have regular catch-ups with your line manager, along with mid-year and end of year reviews to discuss your work and performance.

We have a hybrid working environment at Seafish with opportunities for staff to get together at internal conferences and events.

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.

Every role is Seafish is linked to our bespoke competency framework. The competency levels for this role are:

  • Growing Expertise – Seeks out opportunities to develop and expand knowledge
  • Embracing Change – Shows ability to adapt to change
  • Building Relationships – Builds links with others in order to develop and deliver best business solutions
  • Achieving Results – Overcomes challenging circumstances to achieve high quality results
  • Influencing with Impact – Communicates complex messages

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:

  • 25 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays and wellbeing break when the organisation closes between Christmas and New Year (3 additional days).
  • Optional five days per year paid volunteering leave for an activity of your choice.
  • Trust and Performance culture – you work in a way that suits you to get your work done to the expected standard.
  • A generous employer pension scheme – we'll double your contribution up to a maximum employer contribution of 10%.
  • A range of health and wellbeing benefits including Cycle to work scheme and Techscheme, life insurance including health and wellbeing support, gym discounts and eye care.
  • Our unlimited employee assistance scheme is a support service available 24/7 – it offers confidential, impartial advice on anything you need such as work, family, finance support or anything else personal to you.
  • A professional development culture with plenty of learning opportunities.
  • Rewards for high performance each year.

Application process

To apply for the post, you should email your application to recruitment@seafish.co.uk. Please include “Sustainability Officer” in the subject line of your email.

Your application should include:

  • A covering letter or a short video explaining why you are a suitable candidate.
  • A recent copy of your CV so we can find out more about your skills and experience.
  • A completed copy of our recruitment consent form.

The deadline for applications is Friday 24 July 2026.

Candidates invited to interview will be given at least one weeks’ notice of proposed interview date to allow you to prepare. At this stage you might be asked to complete a short task in advance of interview and then answer some competency-based questions during interview.

If you need any accommodations or adjustments during our recruitment and selection process, please reach out to us.

While we welcome applications from candidates around the world, applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK.

Further information

For any queries about the job description or the salary and benefits on offer, please email recruitment@seafish.co.uk.

See more open positions at Seafish