(Aquaculture-)Technician for European Oyster Breeeding Facility (Helgoland Oyster Hatchery) in Helgoland bei Alfred Wegener Institut für Polar und Meeresforschung

(Aquaculture-)Technician for European Oyster Breeeding Facility (Helgoland Oyster Hatchery) (m/f/d) in Helgoland bei Alfred Wegener Institut für Polar und Meeresforschung

Alfred-Wegener-Institut für Polar- und Meeresforschung

The Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) is a member of the Helmholtz Association (HGF) and funded by federal and state government. AWI focuses on polar and marine research in a variety of disciplines such as biology, oceanography, geology, geochemistry and geophysics thus allowing multidisciplinary approaches to scientific goals.

(Aquaculture-)Technician for European Oyster Breeeding Facility (Helgoland Oyster Hatchery) (m/f/d)

Background
Because of their high ecological value, native oyster beds are a focus of European conservation efforts. Against the background of ongoing and future restoration measures, the PROCEED project establishes an innovative and sustainable seed oyster production of the European oyster Ostrea edulis to support long-term restoration measures in the North Sea. The hatchery facility was installed within the existing AWI infrastructure on Helgoland in 2019. The associated research supports the technical optimization of oyster production and includes topics such as genetic diversity and the effects/control of pathogens.

The successful candidate will oversee and work in the production of small and large-scale microalgae for feeding all oyster stages in the hatchery. The candidate will also perform tasks related to the daily production and maintenance of processes within the oyster hatchery, with broodstock conditioning and/or larval rearing.

Tasks
The main duties include developing, technical management, and supervising of individual components involved in the Helgoland oyster hatchery. The job includes involvement in all steps of microalgae production, execution of routine processes for regulation, maintenance and operation of the facility and successful production.
The successful candidate will be included in the rotation of weekend services during the production season and support all processes within the hatchery production as needed, e.g., by cleaning and optimizing the aquaculture system inside the hatchery.

Technical facilities

Cleaning and maintenance of the Helgoland Oyster Hatchery infrastructure (e.g. tank systems, offshore nursery structures)
Support in the design, installation and management of additional structures e.g., field landers for oyster baskets
During hatchery production: operation, cleaning and maintenance of microalgae cultures (small and large scale), feeding of all oyster stages
Supervision of algae cultures, including the organization of the algae culture rooms and related tasks

Oyster husbandry

Culture and monitoring of seed oysters (support of outdoor nursery)
During hatchery production: e.g., oversee feeding of broodstock oysters and oyster spat, maintaining broodstock conditioning and/or larval rearing (standard hatchery production protocols)

General

Deputy tasks within the multidisciplinary team

Requirements
We are looking for a motivated (aquaculture) technician or laboratory assistant, ideally with experience in the field of microalgae cultivation. The position requires an education as a biological-technical or marine-technical assistant or a comparable education. The tasks within the hatchery team can, to some extent be adapted to the background of the successful candidate.

The applicant should have good English language skills. The ability to speak or the willingness to learn the German language is mandatory, as a lot of the coordination is only possible in German. The readiness to work & communicate in an international team, as well as good coordination skills, are required. The position includes on-call and weekend duty at the hatchery.

Further Information

For any questions you may have, you are very welcome to get in touch with Dr. Bérenger Colsoul (berenger.colsoul@awi.de; +49 (0)151-6335-142) or visit the homepage of the Helgoland Oyster Hatchery (https://www.awi.de/en/science/biosciences/shelf-sea-system-ecology/main-research-focus/european-oyster/proceed/translate-to-english-hatchery.html).

This is a full-time position, limited until the end of September 2025. It is also suitable for part-time employment. The salary will be paid in accordance with the Collective Agreement for the Public Service of the Federation (Tarifvertrag des öffentlichen Dienstes, TVöD Bund), up to salary level XX. The place of employment will be Helgoland.

The AWI is characterized by

our scientific success - excellent research
collaboration and cooperation - intra-institute, national and international, interdisciplinary
opportunities to develop – on the job and towards other positions
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