Physical Scientist

Duties

Under the general direction of the Project Leader of the Induced Seismicity Research Project (ISR), Environmental Geoscience Program, duties may include the following tasks:

To work with and support ISR teams in induced seismicity analysis;
To undertake field and analytical studies on earthquakes in urban, rural and wilderness environments related to the ISR research objectives;
To conduct analyses of seismic data to inform and improve earthquake hazard models for induced seismicity in Canada;
To develop, organize, and test software for induced seismicity studies;
To develop, organize, plan and help maintain a computer database of ISR parameters;
To prepare earthquake catalogues, reports and scientific papers on topics related to induced seismicity research;
To help research staff in responding to client enquiries concerning induced seismicity and the associated earthquake hazard;
To give public presentations and conduct tours of GSC facilities;
To give presentations at national and international scientific meeting, workshops, and conferences.

Work environment

At Natural Resources Canada, a Federal government job means developing leadership skills, fostering teamwork, and supporting creativity and innovation. We know it takes people from diverse pools of talent to make this happen. That is why we are looking for people like you. As an employee at Natural Resources Canada you can enjoy diverse employment opportunities, a range of career development programs, and a learning culture that supports you to learn on an ongoing basis. We support balancing your work and private life by offering the benefits of flexible work arrangements.

Intent of the process

A pool of qualified candidates may be established through this process to staff identical or similar positions at Natural Resources Canada with various tenures, various linguistic requirements, language requirements and profile(s), various security requirements, various conditions of employment and for various locations.

Positions to be filled: 1

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

A covering letter in 5,000 words (maximum) "NOTE: You MUST provide a cover letter. In this document, you must provide concrete and detailed examples to clearly demonstrate how you meet the education and experience requirements listed in the essential qualifications and other qualifications section. The screening board cannot make any assumptions about your experience. It is not sufficient to say that you have the required qualifications or to list your current duties. One effective approach would be to use the wording of each experience criterion as a heading and then write one or two paragraphs demonstrating that you have the required experience and ensure that clear and accurate details are provided. The curriculum vitae will be or may be used as a secondary source to confirm the experience described in the cover letter. APPLICATIONS THAT DO NOT CLEARLY DEMONSTRATE THAT THE CANDIDATE MEETS THE SCREENING CRITERIA WILL/ MAY NOT BE GIVEN FURTHER CONSIDERATION."

You must meet all essential qualifications in order to be appointed to the position. Other qualifications may be a deciding factor in choosing the person to be appointed. Some essential and other qualifications will be assessed through your application. It is your responsibility to provide appropriate examples that illustrate how you meet each qualification. Failing to do so could result in your application being rejected.

In order to be considered, your application must clearly explain how you meet the following (essential qualifications)

Graduation with a degree from a recognized post-secondary institution with acceptable specialization in physics, geology, chemistry, geophysics or seismology.

Degree equivalency

Experience in the acquisition, processing and interpretation of local and regional earthquake seismic data;
Experience in independently conducting assigned research projects (i.e. project management);
Experience in writing scientific reports and articles;
Experience with interactive computer analysis of earthquake data;
Experience in writing computer programs for geophysical data analyses.

The following will be applied / assessed at a later date (essential for the job)

English essential

Information on language requirements

Knowledge of seismological theory;
Significant* knowledge of earthquake source process;
Knowledge of collecting and processing earthquake data;
Knowledge of digital signal processing;
Knowledge of software packages commonly used for earthquake studies (e.g., Antelope, ObsPy, SAC, GMT).

*Significant is defined as completion of courses on the topics of earthquakes at the senior undergraduate or graduate levels, or publication of scientific reports on the topics of earthquake source characteristics or rupture processes.

Ability to prepare reports of analysis and results;
Ability to carry out assigned projects with a minimum of supervision;
Ability to plan and carry out field operations such as deployment of digital seismometers;
Capable of effective public speaking;
Ability to confidently handle media interviews;
Ability to communicate effectively in writing;
Ability to communicate effectively orally;
Ability to prioritize assignments.

Effective interpersonal relationships;
Effective decision making;
Initiative;
Team player;
Judgement;
Dependability.

The following may be applied / assessed at a later date (may be needed for the job)

A M.Sc. or Ph.D. from a recognized university with specialization in geophysics or seismology.

Degree equivalency

Research experience in earthquake source studies;
Research experience in inversion of velocity structures;
Experience in collecting, processing, and analysing strong-motion data;
Experience in scripting/coding for seismic data processing and analysis;
Experience of working in UNIX, Windows, and MacOS environments;
Experience of teaching or supervising students and casual employees.

Natural Resources Canada is committed to establishing and maintaining a representative workforce. This organizational need may be identified as part of the appointment decision. In such cases, qualified candidates who self-declare as members of a visible minority group, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities or women (in non-traditional occupations) could be considered in priority.

Conditions of employment

Reliability Status security clearance

Pre-employment Health Canada medical;
Valid driver’s licence;
Valid Passport;
Willingness and ability to undertake extensive travel;
Willingness and ability to perform geoscientific analysis and fieldwork.

Other information

All information obtained throughout the selection process, from the time of application to close of process, may/will be used to evaluate the candidates.

If you are selected for further consideration, please advise the person who will contact you of any accommodations you may require during the selection process.

Persons are entitled to participate in the appointment process in the official language of their choice. Applicants are asked to indicate their preferred official language in their application.

Candidates from outside the public service may be required to pay for travel and relocation costs associated with this selection process.

The hiring organization will accept applications on-line only. All job applications must therefore be submitted through the Public Service Resourcing System. To submit an application on-line, please select the button “Apply Online” below. Persons with disabilities preventing them from applying on-line are asked to contact 1-800-645-5605.

We thank all applicants for their interest in our position(s). For the purpose of this staffing process, only candidates selected for further assessment will be contacted.

The Public Service of Canada is committed to building a skilled, diverse workforce reflective of Canadian society. As a result, it promotes employment equity and encourages candidates to indicate voluntarily on their application if they are a woman, an Aboriginal person, a person with a disability or a member of a visible minority group.

The Public Service of Canada is also committed to developing inclusive, barrier-free selection processes and work environments. If contacted in relation to a job opportunity or testing, you should advise the Public Service Commission or the departmental official in a timely fashion of the accommodation measures which must be taken to enable you to be assessed in a fair and equitable manner. Information received relating to accommodation measures will be addressed confidentially.

Preference

Preference will be given to veterans and to Canadian citizens, in that order.

Information on the preference to veterans

We thank all those who apply. Only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.