Research Scientist

Important messages

* Should no qualified applicants be identified among “Persons residing in Canada and Canadian citizens residing abroad”, then persons residing outside Canada will be eligible for consideration in this process. Therefore, we encourage all candidates to apply.

If you live outside Canada and are not a Canadian citizen, please note that you must gain at a minimum, a valid work permit to temporarily work in Canada. Permanent resident status would be required to accept 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 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.

For this selection process, it is our intention to communicate with candidates via email for screening and assessment purposes. This will include communication of screening results and invitations to written tests and interviews. To that end, candidates must include a valid email address in their application. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure that this address is functional and that it accepts messages from unknown users (some email systems block these types of email). It is also the candidate’s responsibility to ensure accurate information is provided and updated as required.

Duties

Duties Position 1, Earthquake Hazard Specialist, Ottawa
After brief coaching, lead Canada’s national seismic hazard mapping project to incorporate new methods and information, work with engineers to promote NRCan’s seismic hazard results for use in the National Building Code, provide advice on seismic hazards and risks to other Canadian Government Departments, provide seismic hazard expertise for Environmental Assessments, manage human and financial resources to deliver the above. As member of a roster of duty seismologists, provide rapid authoritative information after large earthquakes to clients, media and the general public.

Duties Position 2, Nuclear Test Ban Specialist, Ottawa
Conduct innovative research to improve the discrimination of seismic sources using acoustic or seismic signals of earthquakes, nuclear test explosions, or other explosions. Perform enhanced analysis using seismic or acoustic array data. Provide advice on seismic sources to other Canadian Government Departments and external clients. As member of a roster of duty seismologists, provide rapid authoritative information after large earthquakes to clients, media and the general public.

Duties Position 3, Earthquake Seismologist, Sidney
Conduct innovative earthquake seismology research to improve the understanding of earthquakes in Canada, and work with NRCan scientists and other collaborators to incorporate a variety of techniques and datasets contributing to the development of earthquake hazard models. Provide advice on seismic hazards and risks to other Canadian Government Departments and external clients, provide seismic hazard expertise for Environmental Assessments, manage human and financial resources to deliver the above. As member of a roster of duty seismologists, provide rapid authoritative information after large earthquakes to clients, media and the general public.

Intent of the process

A pool of (fully or partially qualified) candidates may be established through this process to staff identical or similar positions at the SE-RES group and level within Natural Resources Canada with various tenures (determinate period or permanent), various language requirements (English Essential, French Essential, English or French Essential, or Bilingual), linguistic requirements (imperative and/or non-imperative) and profile(s) (BBB/BBB, CBC/CBC, CCC/CCC, etc.), various security requirements (Reliability status or Secret clearance), various conditions of employment and for various locations.

Positions to be filled: 3

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)

Graduation with an acceptable doctoral degree from a recognized post-secondary institution in a field of natural sciences, physical sciences, or engineering related to the duties of the position, or the employer-approved alternative*

*The employer-approved alternative 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

PRODUCTIVITY:
Recognized achievement in the form of authorship of published research

RECOGNITION:
Articles in peer-reviewed scientific or engineering journals, scientific or engineering conference proceedings, books, papers or unpublished reports, or of other communications of high standing.

Experience in the processing and interpretation of earthquake data for scientific and engineering purposes.
Experience in conducting independent research, with minimal guidance, from design to publication and presentation of results.

Additional Essential requirements for Job # 1, Location = Ottawa
Experience contributing to earthquake hazard analyses.
Experience using either seismic hazard computational codes or seismic hazard results.
Experience in utilising and combining various and diverse scientific and engineering datasets for modern earthquake hazard analysis.

Additional Essential requirements for Job # 3, Location = Sidney
Experience in earthquake science conducting seismological studies such as earthquake source, seismotectonics, wave propagation and site effects.
Experience in utilising and combining various and diverse scientific and/or engineering datasets for modern earthquake hazard studies.

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

Various language requirements

Information on language requirements

Knowledge of seismological theory.
Knowledge of earthquakes in tectonic environments relevant to Canada.
Knowledge of methods of collecting and processing earthquake data.

Additional Essential requirements for Job # 1, Location = Ottawa
Knowledge of the principles of earthquake hazard analysis.
Knowledge of how national codes and standards are used to reduce vulnerability to damaging earthquake shaking.
Knowledge of fundamentals of earthquake-resistant engineering.

Additional Essential requirements for Job # 2, Location = Ottawa
Knowledge of the characteristics of seismic sources

Ability to communicate effectively verbally.
Ability to communicate effectively in writing.
Ability to plan, organize and carry out research projects.
Ability to work independently with minimum supervision.
Ability to manage financial resources and operations, including contracts.
Ability to use computer programs and scripts (UNIX/LINUX or WINDOWS operating systems) to assist in the processing and analysis of earthquake data.
Ability to foster collaboration with clients and partners.

Leadership
Creativity and innovation
Effective interpersonal skills
Initiative
Good judgement and effective decision making
Adaptability

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

Substantial recent experience conducting earthquake hazard analyses**.
**“Substantial recent experience” means that contemporary earthquake hazard analysis should have comprised a large part of your work for 2 of the past 5 years.

Experience in conducting research on seismic hazard, in seismic hazard modelling or in the development of seismic provisions for building codes.
Experience with urban seismology.
Experience in analyzing strong earthquake ground motions.
Experience working with earthquake seismic data from regional networks.
Experience conducting research on earthquake rapid alerting or earthquake early warning.
Experience dealing with the media and general public in an effective way.
Experience in earthquake risk and loss estimation.
Experience managing and manipulating a variety of geospatial data for hazard analysis.
Experience writing or customizing position-related software programs and applications.
Experience conducting research on acoustic or seismic signals of nuclear test explosions or other explosions, seismic discrimination, or analysis using seismic or acoustic arrays.
Experience in studies of earthquake effects such as tsunamis, landslides, liquefaction, faulting, site amplification.
Experience managing human (including students, contractors) and financial (contracts) resources.
Experience in planning and participating in field operations in various environments.

Conditions of employment

Valid Driver’s licence.
Willingness and ability to undertake extensive travel.
Willingness and ability to be available on standby during off-hours and work on-call on a rotational basis as duty-seismologist.
Medical clearance.
Reliability status to Secret status, dependent on the position.

Other information

We encourage applicants to identify any abilities, competencies, and/or experiences acquired through employment with the Canadian Armed Forces where applicable.

Reference checks may be sought.

An interview may be administered.

A test may be administered.

You must provide proof of your education credentials.

Persons are entitled to participate in the appointment process in the official language of their choice.

You must indicate on your application if you require a technical aid for testing or an alternative method of assessment.

A random and/or top down selection of candidates may be used in the determination of those to be given further consideration in the assessment 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.