Job vacancies @SAMS

Our employees are the heart of our business. Recruiting and retaining the right people is the key to our success. Rewarding our employees is therefore an important component of our employment package and we have a wide range of benefits on offer to staff. These can enhance your personal and professional development, your health and well-being and your finances. Additionally, SAMS encourages and recognises excellence among staff through various recognition and reward arrangements. We constantly develop and expand the benefits and offers for our colleagues. 

SAMS offers a generous salary and pension as well as employee benefits package.  We also have supportive policies to assist absence, family and other leave types. 

Employee benefits

- Flexible working arrangements (up to 2 days working from home) – will depend on role dynamic.

- 25 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 days after 4 years' service

- Annual leave purchasing scheme (up to 20 days per annum)

- 6 months full sick pay followed by 6 months at half pay (over a 4 year period)

- Family feel atmosphere

- Active, social work environment

- Access to a number of health portals to support staff wellbeing and work/life balance

- Sabbatical scheme

- Loan scheme

- On-site café

- Bike storage

- Cycle 2 work scheme

- Shower facilities

- Free on-site parking with access to electric charge points

- Access to discounted shopping vouchers

- Pensions plus salary sacrifice

- Payroll Giving

- Technology savings on NI

- A number of training and development courses to assist you with your career development – leadership, coaching and mentoring.

- Fantastic location – did you know, Oban was voted Scottish town of the year in 2024 - Oban is Scotland's Town of the Year - Scotland’s Town Centre Recovery Campaign - Home of the Scotland Loves Local campaign.

SAMS Group wants to meet the aims and commitments set out in its Equality, Diversity & Inclusivity and Dignity & Respect policies. This includes not discriminating under the Equality Act 2010 and building an accurate picture of the make-up of our recruitment and workforce in encouraging equality and diversity.

We collect equal opportunities monitoring data on applicants and staff to monitor our progress in promoting equality and to inform any changes that may be needed to our policies, practices and services as well as for any statutory monitoring purposes required. 

All information will be treated in accordance with the UK GDPR regulations and our GDPR policy and the data used for statistical monitoring will be anonymised and published in a way that does not allow individuals to be identified. 

Your equal opportunities information will not form part of any selection process and will not be disclosed to the selection panel.

The organisation needs your help and co-operation to enable it to do this but filling in the form below is voluntary.

SAMS Equality and Diversity Monitoring Form

Our Vision  

We strive to be a world-class marine science organisation that underpins regional, national and international policy, and societal action to secure healthy and sustainable oceans. As part of the University of the Highlands and Islands, we also play an important role in the cultural life of our region and in educating the next generation. 

Our Values  

Our values underpin all that we do and include respect, responsiveness, commitment, relevance, excellence and independence.  

Our outlook is collaborative – we work with partners in academia, business, government, regulatory bodies, voluntary organisations nationally and internationally. We are diverse in our science, our people and the challenges we tackle; we are global in perspective, operations, networks and relevance; and creative in our research, education, commercial contracts, communication and internal processes.  

Check out our 2020-2025 strategy

SAMS Annual Report 2021

Oban is a great place to live, study, work and visit.  

There’s more to Oban that you might think. A small coastal university town with around 8,500 people, Oban has a thriving tourist industry, particularly in the summer months. Its growing student population and its position as a rural hub in the Scottish west Highlands means the town provides more facilities and services than its size would suggest. 

Oban is connected via trains and buses to the main Scottish population centres of Glasgow and Edinburgh (both of which have international airports). A small airport at nearby Connel and the busy ferry port connect the town to many of the diverse Hebridean islands, which is why some people call this town the Gateway to the Isles.  

The town has a hospital, a high school, numerous primary schools, nurseries, a police station, a full-time fire station, a modern leisure centre, a choice of large supermarkets (including Tesco, Lidl, Aldi, M&S), a book shop, public library and many other shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants. With its seaside location and unique access to the freshest of seafood, Oban is known as the seafood capital of Scotland with several seafood restaurants, fishmongers and seafood ‘shacks’ around the town.  

Oban is steeped in history and culture. The town is home to the world-famous Oban whisky distillery and the native Gaelic language is well represented through a dedicated civic centre and community choral singing and traditional music. The  Rockfield Centre is a cultural hub in town offering a range of arts and heritage events, workshops and activities. You’ll often stumble across a ‘session’ of local musicians playing traditional Scottish music in various pubs too. The View is a new venue, bar and function room with a stunning waterfront terrace overlooking Oban harbour across to the Isle of Kerrera. It offers ceilidhs, live music, club nights and a programme of events and functions. 

The town hall (Corran Halls) hosts touring and local cultural performances, festivals, fairs and conferences. Mossfield stadium hosts the traditional sport of shinty, as well as the annual Argyllshire Gathering, Oban’s Highland Games event, Oban Winter Festival, and has previously been home to Oban Live outdoor music concert.  

The stunning scenery offers access to many outdoor pursuits, from sailing, sea kayaking, diving, wild swimming and stand-up paddle boarding to rock-climbing and “Munro-bagging” which is climbing Scotland’s highest mountain ranges. Oban’s sandy beaches such as Ganavan, which is connected to Dunbeg near SAMS by a cycle path, and Tralee can be enjoyed year-round. But there are many more hidden beaches, rocky shores and coves to explore too!  

Just an hour’s drive north is Fort William where you will find the UK’s tallest mountain Ben Nevis and Nevis Range Mountain Resort, a family friendly destination offering skiing and snowsports, mountain gondola rides, tree adventure activities and excellent mountain biking. Fort William currently hosts the Mountain Bike World Cup every year. 

Less than an hour south is Kilmartin Glen, with ca 350 Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments and with Kilmartin Museum interpreting and conserving both the archaeological and the natural heritage of the area.

Useful links

Love Oban 

What to do in and around Oban – SAMS Student Blog  

Argyll and Bute Council  

Wee Walk Oban  

Read the what colleagues who joined us only recently have to say about relocating to and working at SAMS.

Dr Niall Burnside - Senior Lecturer in Blue Carbon/Coastal Restoration

In October 2023, after spending around 25 years at a university in England, I made the decision to take on a new role at SAMS in Oban. My expertise lies in landscape-scale ecology and biogeography, with a focus on spatial analysis, remote sensing, and UAVs, across coastal, marine, and terrestrial systems. Although it was a bold move at this stage of my career, I was quickly made to feel at home at SAMS. Many colleagues extended their friendship and were eager to collaborate on various projects.

Remarkably, on my second day at SAMS, I was taken to the Corryvreckan in a RIB to conduct aerial analysis of the internationally renowned whirlpool features. This thrilling trip led to other impactful studies, such as seagrass surveys on the Isle of Iona, fisheries enforcement work in intertidal areas, and the recent development of a new UK national capability in Green LiDAR sensing of shallow water habitats. SAMS boasts a dynamic team, and its interdisciplinary nature makes it a unique and exciting place to work. More...

Daniel Carcajona – Business Development Manager

As a Business Development Manager at SAMS, my role involves building partnerships, driving innovative projects, and identifying new opportunities that align with SAMS' mission and expertise in applying marine science to industries applications across various marine sectors. Over the past 10 months, I have found the position both challenging and deeply rewarding, requiring adaptability, creativity, and resilience.

What makes this role truly inspiring is the opportunity to engage with such a diverse network of entities, companies, countries, and research areas. The collaborative spirit within the SAMS team is remarkable; our shared effort and expertise make tackling complex challenges—from renewable energy to aquaculture and environmental monitoring—not only possible but impactful. Together, we explore solutions that benefit industries, communities, and the health of our oceans, creating meaningful change.

Chloe Brown – Business Support Assistant

I joined SAMS Enterprise as a Business Administration Assistant in June 2024 through an Argyll and Bute funded placement. My role focuses on providing general administrative support to the SAMS Enterprise team, assisting across areas such as: answering telephone calls and in-person enquiries, preparing outgoing mail, distributing incoming mail, provide support for meetings, maintaining spreadsheets/databases.

It has been by far the best experience I could have hoped for and more. Not only do I get to further develop the skills I have but I have been given opportunities to learn new skills with the support of the most genuine, hardworking, incredible people. I have felt valued, supported and part of the team since the start and I’ll forever be grateful for the experience.

Dr Tim Szewczyk - Ecological Modeller

The staff at SAMS worked hard to make my family’s international move to Oban smooth, from beginning the visa application process to finding housing and childcare. Once I arrived, my colleagues helped me get acquainted with the projects I joined and introduced me to the ecosystems I would be working in. I’m currently working on ecological and statistical models related to kelp population dynamics, sea lice dispersal, harmful algal bloom prediction, and fish health. I find myself motivated and refreshed by the degree of direct applicability in the research at SAMS and impressed by the extent of local and international partnerships with private, governmental, and academic organizations. The atmosphere at SAMS is extremely positive and collaborative, and I appreciate the effort put into leveraging disparate skills and knowledge to produce more insightful, comprehensive, and relevant research.  More...

Dr Laura Castro de la Guardia - Physical and Biological Polar Oceanographer

In May 2024, I moved from Norway to Scotland for a permanent position with the oceanography team at SAMS. From the start, everything was well organized: training and meetings were efficiently planned to help me meet others and understand work policies, my office was fully set up and open to accommodate changes for my well-being and comfort.

It is my opinion that SAMS has a positive and friendly atmosphere where colleagues celebrate each other's success. Everyone is easy to talk to and the social side of SAMS is inclusive and welcoming.

One of my favourite aspects of living in Oban and working at SAMS is my daily commute. The breathtakingly beautiful running and cycling trails provide a daily dose of relaxation and connection with nature, making the journey to and from work a highlight of the day. 

Aidan Jackson – Graduate Marine Environmental Consultant

I began working for SAMS Enterprise in April 2024, which was a big step for me as it meant moving far from my home in North Lincolnshire. Fortunately, the support from the team and the friendly atmosphere made this transition much easier. One of the standout aspects of working here at SAMS is the encouragement from other staff members who genuinely want to see you succeed, it's a great feeling knowing that those around you are invested in your progress.

As a Graduate Marine Environmental Consultant, I contribute to various commercial environmental contracts, including report writing, data handling, and data analysis. This role has enabled me to broaden my skill set across many areas of marine science, which is a key part of what I enjoy about my work. Knowing that our efforts contribute to a healthier, better-managed marine environment is very fulfilling.