Research Technician

Duties

Duties included (but not limited to):
• Participate in multidisciplinary research projects;
• Conduct experiments in microbiology, molecular and cellular biology;
• Prepare and maintain records of experimental protocols, safe work and standard operating procedures and data files;
• Organize and coordinate research activities;
• Collect and analyze research data along with comprehensive statistical analysis;
• Prepare scientific reports and posters;
• Train graduate, co-op and FSWEP students;
• Order supplies and equipment and maintain equipment (which includes lifting and moving heavy items), software, and data banks;
• Maintain culture collection and tissue cultures.

Work environment

The Guelph Research and Development Centre is one of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)'s network of 20 research centers. Located in Guelph, Ontario, the Centre specializes in food safety, quality and nutrition, and is committed to ensuring that food produced in Canada continues to be among the safest and of the highest quality in the world.

The Guelph Research and Development Centre was established in 1997, with the intent to put in place a federal capacity in food research at the heart of the largest Canadian concentration of expertise and infrastructures dedicated to food research and development. The Guelph Research and Development Centre supports a sustainable and profitable agri-food sector in Canada by carrying out world class research in food safety and quality, proactively mitigating food safety threats as well as generating fundamental and applied knowledge that enable the Canadian agri-food sector to develop health promoting food that respond to consumer needs, whereby generating added value throughout the food chain.

Research covers all aspects of food production, from the field to the fork. In addition to its focus on food quality and safety, much of the centre's work is exploring the potential for conventional foods to offer nutritional and other therapeutic benefits. Scientists are also developing innovative methods to reduce food-borne biological and chemical hazards that may be present in farm commodities, fresh market and processed foods.

In line with the food research vocation of the Guelph Research and Development Centre, the focus of the work will remain unchanged for the next 10 years and will include three main areas:
•Mitigation of food safety risks in food production systems
•Development of food with enhanced health benefits
•Structure and functional characteristics of food and food ingredients

Intent of the process

A pool of qualified candidates may be established and may be used for similar permanent and temporary employment for the location indicated for this process.

Positions to be filled: 2

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

Contact information for 2 references.

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)

FOR ALL STREAMS
Graduation with a degree from a recognized post-secondary institution with acceptable specialization in microbiology or molecular biology or a related field
Or
An acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience

Degree equivalency

FOR ALL STREAMS
Experience planning and conducting laboratory or field experiments and contributing to experimental design related to microbiology.
Experience using scientific instruments and tools and to apply and to adapt scientific techniques and methodologies.
Experience with DNA manipulation, nucleic acid amplification techniques and protein expression and characterization.

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

FOR ALL STREAMS
Experience in conducting experiments with bacterial pathogens in a Containment Level II microbiology laboratory.

STREAM 1 – Bacteriophage:
Experience in bacterial transcriptome analysis or metagenomics studies.
Experience performing microbial challenge testing studies.

STREAM 2 - Food Microbiology:
Experience performing isolation and detection of pathogenic bacteria from foods.
Experience with preparing and performing validation and microbial challenge studies with ready to eat foods.

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

English essential

Information on language requirements

STREAM 1 – Bacteriophage
Experience with RNA isolation and purification.
Experience with bacterial and/or bacteriophage genomics.

FOR ALL STREAMS
Knowledge of laboratory safety procedure and directives.
Knowledge of the principles of microbiological and molecular biology techniques.

STREAM 1 - Bacteriophage:
Knowledge of viruses and bacteriophages

STREAM 2 - Food Microbiology:
Knowledge of food processing technologies

FOR ALL STREAMS
Adaptability
Initiative
Teamwork
Problem solving

FOR ALL STREAMS
Ability to make observations, collect and record data accurately, perform statistical analysis and interpret and analyze results.
Ability to create draft reports and contribute to the preparation of research communication, publications in peer-reviewed journals or posters presentation.

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

Selection may be limited to members of the following Employment Equity groups: Aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities, visible minorities, women

Information on employment equity

Placement of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) employees affected by workforce adjustment.

Conditions of employment

Reliability Status security clearance

FOR ALL STREAMS
Valid driver’s license
Ability and willingness to travel on occasion
Ability and willingness to do repetitive tasks
Known allergies must be controlled through the use of personal protective equipment and/or medication and must not impinge upon the duties to be performed
With appropriate safety precautions in place, must be able and willing to work in laboratory for extended periods at a time, and able and willing to work with infectious agents and hazardous materials
Ability and willingness to work in level II containment facility.
Ability and willingness to follow required training to work in level II containment facility, with infectious agents and hazardous materials.
Ability and willingness to maintain and handle heavy equipment (~20 kg)
Ability and willingness to work flexible hours when required.

Other information

Applications submitted by email will not be accepted. You must apply on-line through www.jobs.gc.ca.

Persons with disabilities preventing them from applying on-line are asked to contact 1-800-645-5605.

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.

Communication for this process will be sent via email. It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure accurate contact information is provided and updated as required. Candidates who apply to this selection process should include an email address that accepts email from unknown users (some email systems block these types of email).

All communication relating to this process, including email correspondence, may be used in the assessment of qualifications.

Appointment decisions may be based on one or more of the following criteria:
- Matching of the individual's experience or qualifications to the strengths and weaknesses of the work team.
- Matching of the individual's experience or qualifications to the specific duties of the position being staffed.
- Depth, breadth, type of work-specific experience.
- Level/degree of one or more competencies/qualifications.

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.