Research Scientist - Climate Extremes

Important messages

* Sliding area of selection: Should an insufficient number of applicants be identified, within the above "who can apply" section, then persons residing outside Canada will be eligible for consideration in this process. Therefore, we encourage all candidates to apply.

*Definition of sliding area of selection: When it is uncertain where the pool of potential applicants is, a geographic area of selection may be established with an indication that a larger geographic area of selection may be used if there is an insufficient number of applicants from the smaller geographic area.

If you live outside Canada and are not a Canadian citizen, please note that you must possess at a minimum, a valid work permit to temporarily work in Canada. Permanent resident status is required for full-time permanent work in Canada. Therefore, if you are interested in working in Canada, it would be best to visit the Citizenship and Immigration Coming to Canada document. You may also contact your local Canadian embassy for more information on immigration.

** The classification level and rate of pay on appointment is commensurate with the successful candidate's qualifications.

Duties

Carry out original research at the Climate Research Division (CRD) of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) in Toronto to enhance understanding of variability and change of the climate system on all temporal and spatial scales, with particular emphasis on observed and projected changes in climate/weather extremes supporting Canada’s adaptation to climate change. The successful candidate will be part of a team of Research Scientists and other researchers who study Canadian and global climate to document and understand climate trends and variations. The specific objective is to provide science support for climate services to different sectors including health, transportation, utility, agriculture, forestry, infrastructure, marine engineering and transportation, by using both observed and climate model data to characterize, analyze, and understand changes and variability of extremes in the past and in the future. The work will involve analyses of large volumes of observed and climate model data, as well as development and use of advanced statistical and mathematical methods to analyze data, to detect past changes and to understand and attribute the causes of the changes, to project possible future changes. The positions will focus on one of the three sub-areas including 1) compound extreme events, respectively , 2) processes and drivers affecting climate extremes, and 3) marine winds and waves, storm surge and coastal inundation and coastal erosion. Research in this area is done in close collaboration with scientists at CRD, universities, and national and international institutions. The incumbents will be expected to foster and expand this kind of collaboration, as well as to represent ECCC at national and international fora. Results will be communicated through publications in scientific journals, book chapters, and reports, invited and contributed lectures at workshops, symposia, conferences, and the like.

Intent of the process

The immediate need is to staff up to three indeterminate positions in Toronto, Ontario. A pool of qualified candidates may be created and may be used to staff similar term or indeterminate positions within Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Positions to be filled: 3

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

A covering letter in 8,000 words (maximum) "You must provide a list of your publications"

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)

Education:

Graduation with an acceptable doctoral degree from a recognized post-secondary institution in a field of the natural sciences related to the duties of the position, or the employer-approved alternative for the SE classification. (See Note 1).

Productivity/Recognition:

Contributions to the scientific literature in the form of authorship of published research articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals, books, or reports.

Note 1: The employer-approved alternative for the SE classification is an acceptable master’s or bachelor’s degree coupled with acceptable research, training and experience. The degree must be from a recognized post-secondary institution and in scientific fields and specialties related to the duties of the position. The training and experience must clearly demonstrate the ability to do personal research of doctoral degree calibre.

Degree equivalency

Experience:

Experience in planning, and conducting in-depth, original, and productive research related to the analysis of climate model output and/or climate observations, focusing particularly on analysis of climate extremes as demonstrated by the quality and quantity of peer-reviewed publications.

Experience in developing and applying advanced statistical or mathematical methods for climate research.

Experience in working with a team of researchers and support staff who are jointly focused on climate research with evidence of impact.

If you possess any of the following, your application must also clearly explain how you meet it (other qualifications)

Experience in the study of climate conditions associated with drought or wildfire research.

Experience in the analysis of marine wind and waves.

Experience in the development and/or application of multivariate extreme value models.

Experience in applying the analysis of climate extremes to engineering applications or climate change detection and attribution studies.

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

English essential

Information on language requirements

Knowledge :

Knowledge of Canada’s climate priorities for adaptation and mitigation.

Knowledge of climate change, including the causes of climate change and anticipated impacts.

Knowledge of statistical and mathematical methods for climate research.

Ability:

Ability to plan, lead and conduct novel climate research

Ability to communicate, to convey ideas, concepts, and results effectively, both orally and in writing

Ability to write and use computer programs/codes to conduct climate research

Personal suitability:

Effective interpersonal relationships
Judgment
Innovative
Dependability

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

Environment and Climate Change Canada is committed to having a skilled and diversified workforce representative of the population we serve. In support of our Engagement Strategy to achieve employment equity goals, selection may be limited to candidates self-identifying as belonging to one of the following Employment Equity groups: Women, Aboriginals, Persons with a Disability or visible minority.

Conditions of employment

Reliability Status security clearance

Other information

The client organization will accept applications on-line only.

Persons with disabilities preventing them from applying on-line are asked to contact 1-800-645-5605 and press '0' for assistance.

To submit an application on-line, please select the button "Apply Online" below.

Successful candidate(s) must meet and maintain the Conditions of Employment throughout their employment.

The onus is on candidates to demonstrate that they meet all of the above qualifications in order to receive further consideration.

A written exam may be administered.

Interviews may be conducted.

Reference checks may be conducted.

Our intention is to communicate with the candidates by email. Candidates who apply to this selection process must include in their application a valid email address and make sure that this address is functional at all times and accepts messages from unknown users (some email systems block these types of email).

Candidates with foreign educational credentials are required to provide proof of Canadian equivalency. You may consult The Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials at http://www.cicic.ca for further information.

Candidates invited to an interview will be required to bring proof of their education credentials, in the form of a diploma or official transcript (original documents only).

Depending on the requirements of the position(s) being staffed from this process, for current or future vacancies, any or all of the asset qualifications, operational requirements, and organizational needs may be applied at the time of staffing. Candidates may be contacted and assessed against these criteria at any time during this process.

Please identify clearly your substantive group and level and your employment status on your resume and/or application form.

Please ensure that your Personal Record Identifier (PRI) is included in your application if you are currently employed by the Government of Canada.

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 Federal Public Service may be required to pay for their own travel and relocation expenses.

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.