Counsel

Duties

Prosecutors play a key role in the Canadian criminal justice system. As Counsel at the PPSC, you will conduct criminal prosecutions on behalf of the Director of Public Prosecutions on prosecutions under the Criminal Code and other Federal statutes including the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. You will quickly gain a breadth of knowledge and experience as you work on a variety of prosecutions. Unlike in private practice, where little time is spent in court, prosecutors can go to court every day. You can acquire immediate trial experience that many private litigators must wait years to get.

As a LP-01 you will participate in the Federal Prosecutor Development Program which is an organization-wide program designed to ensure that new federal prosecutors gain the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to be an effective working-level prosecutors. The program offers a standardized framework for learning and career progression, ensuring transparency and consistency in the development of prosecutors.

The program provides a diversity of experiences and activities, including learning, training, work activities, on-the-job training, and mentoring, to ensure prosecutors have the competencies necessary to fulfill the PPSC's mandate.

Joining the Public Prosecution Service of Canada will be a transformative experience, both professionally and personally.

Work environment

The Northwest Territories Regional Office of the Public Prosecution Service of Canada is located in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. The office is responsible for prosecutions of matters under all Federal statutes, including the Criminal Code, throughout the communities of the Northwest Territories.

Yellowknife sits on the shore of Great Slave Lake, the tenth largest lake in the world. There are many attractions, seasonal festivities and plenty of activities to take part in year round for everybody to enjoy.

We are seeking focused, friendly, forward-thinking professionals. If you want to make a difference working as part of a tight-knit team, come and join us!

Intent of the process

Anticipatory - A pool of qualified candidates will be established from this process and may be used to staff similar positions at Public Prosecution Service of Canada in Northwest Territories, with various tenures and various security requirements (such as Reliability, Secret, Top Secret), according to the position to be staffed.

In the event that an employee of the public service is qualified through this process, and there is a temporary need, he/she may be considered for acting or assignment/secondment opportunities. The approval of his/her substantive supervisor will be required before acting/assignment/secondment is offered.

Positions to be filled: Number to be determined

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

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)

Occupational Certification:
- Eligibility for membership in the Bar of the Northwest Territories.

Experience:
- Experience in making appearances in court as counsel, articling student or law student.

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

Asset Experience:
- Experience that demonstrates an interest in criminal law.
- Experience working with Aboriginal peoples/clients.
- Experience working in northern and isolated communities, particularly in Aboriginal communities.
- Experience working as Crown Prosecutor or criminal defence counsel.

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

English essential

Information on language requirements

Knowledge:
- Basic* knowledge of criminal law and procedures including knowledge of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

* Basic is defined as fundamental and developmental constituting the basis or starting point.

Abilities/Skills and Personal Suitability:
- Specialized Skills and Knowledge (such as understanding one's role, legal skills and legal knowledge)
- Professionalism (such as professional conduct, professional fortitude, service orientation and self assessment)
- Judgement (such as decision making, critical thinking, and adaptability)
- Practice Management (such as file management)
- Communicating effectively (such as verbally, in writing and by listening attentively)
- Interpersonal Relationships (such as building relationships and emotion management)
- Leadership (such as coaching and mentoring, influencing others and teamwork)

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

Organizational Needs:
The organization is committed to establishing and maintaining a representative workforce. Qualified applicants who self-declare as members of a visible minority group, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and/or women may be selected for appointment to fulfill organizational needs.

Conditions of employment

- Various security clearances, depending on the position being staffed: Reliability, Secret, Top Secret.
- Member in good standing in the Bar of one of the provinces or territories of Canada.
- Must be a member, in good standing, of the Law Society of the Northwest Territories within 100 days of appointment.
- Applicants must be willing to be assigned to other types of work at the same group, level and tenure within the Public Prosecution Service of Canada. Assignment of work may be made within or between the various teams of counsel within the office and will be based on operational considerations and will not require relocation of residence.
- Medical clearance
- Possession of a valid driver’s licence. Note: the licence class must, at a minimum, authorize the driver to drive a car, van or small truck, on all roads and highways without an accompanying driver.
- Requirement to travel which may include assignments on short notice and for extended periods.
- Requirement to work overtime, including weekends and holidays.
- Ability and willingness to work outside normal working hours which may include working evenings, nights and weekends based on operational needs.

Other information

A written examination may be administered.

An interview may be administered.

A simulation/situational exercise/role play may be used for assessment.

Reference checks may be sought.

Other sources of information (such as performance agreements, work samples, board member knowledge, etc.) may be used to assess the criteria identified on the Statement of Merit Criteria.

Selection board members may consider any information obtained throughout the selection process to assess the criteria identified on the Statement of Merit Criteria.

Acknowledgment of receipt of applications will not be sent; we will contact candidates when the screening process is completed.

Please ensure that your Personal Record Identifier (PRI) is included in your application if you have one.

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 MUST meet each ESSENTIAL qualification and conditions of employment to be appointed to a position.

Candidates MAY be required to meet any/all ASSET qualifications, operational requirements and/or organizational needs, depending on the requirements of the specific position being staffed. Management may choose to apply one or more of these merit criteria at any stage of the process to determine the number of applicants who will advance to the following stage of the selection process.

Appointment decisions may be based on organizational needs. We therefore encourage candidates to self-declare their membership to any of the following employment equity groups: visible minority, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities or women should the organizational need be invoked during the appointment process.

You will be required to provide proof of your education credentials and, if applicable, occupational certification, at the time of assessment. Foreign educational credentials must be assessed by a recognized credential assessment service (http://www.cicic.ca/415/credential-assessment-services.canada).

Candidates must include in their application a VALID E-MAIL ADDRESS, and are responsible that it is functional at all times and accepts messages from unknown users.

Employees within the Public Service at the same group and level or equivalent may be considered first for deployment. If no deployment is made, the other applicants will be considered in the advertised appointment process.

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.