Director, Research & Innovation

Important messages

The NEB is a federal regulatory tribunal that regulates, among other things, the construction, operation and abandonment of pipelines that cross provincial or international borders, international power lines and designated interprovincial power lines, imports of natural gas and exports of crude oil, natural gas liquids, natural gas, refined petroleum products, and electricity, and oil and gas exploration and production activities in certain areas. The NEB is also charged with providing timely, accurate and objective information and advice on energy matters. Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta with Regional Offices in Montréal, and Vancouver, the NEB has a staff of approximately 450 employees and an annual budget of over $70 million.

The National Energy Board is recognized as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers. This is an annual competition that recognizes the country's best places to work by Mediacorp Canada.

Duties

Reporting to the Vice President System Operations, the Director, Research and innovation is committed to the mandate, core responsibilities and results of the System Operations Business Unit and the National Energy Board (NEB). As a member of the System Operations Business Unit, the Director is responsible for working in a management system environment and delivering results associated with Research and Innovation functions of the National Energy Board. The activities of the team providing advice and decision support to management and Board Members, planning and executing improvement projects and providing information and analysis to internal and external stakeholders of the Board.

The Director, Research and Innovation is accountable for the success of the Team and for the performance of the team members. The Team consists of approximately 10 employees. The Director ensures that Team Members are aligned with, and work toward, the core responsibilities and programs of the Business Unit and the NEB as a whole and that internal measures of quality are met.

The NEB’s core responsibility of Safety and Environment Oversight drives company and industry performance. The Research and Innovation Team is part of the delivery of this core responsibility within the broader System Operations Business Unit. The NEB requires companies to continually evaluate and improve the effectiveness of their management system and to implement corrective actions to prevent incidents.

The Director is responsible for the Research and Innovation function which includes risk-informed identification of focus areas for research and collaboration that will improve the Departmental Results Framework (DRF) and our commitment to zero harm. The Director, Research and Innovation, through their team and other experts, is responsible for the execution of the processes, including the Safety Advisory process, and collaborative workshops process as required to carry out this work including continual improvement of those processes in a way that improves the safety and environmental performance of the regulated companies.

The Director achieves team excellence through:

o delivery on performance expectations, service standards and competency requirements that are aligned with the NEB’s Performance Framework;
o applying the management system to drive improvements in results;
o providing high quality & expert advice that supports decisions, application assessment and engagement on technical matters;
o coaching and guiding Team Members;
o fostering Team development, cohesion and morale; and
o building partnerships and encouraging communication with other teams, within and beyond the Business Unit.
o Building and maintaining relationships with other regulators and regulator forums, standards setting groups, research organizations and industry.

The Director manages financial resources to accomplish Team results and manages the human resources activities of the Team including recruitment, development, managing team schedules and workload priorities, and external contracts.

Intent of the process

Qualified candidates may be used to staff other similar positions at an equivalent or lower level on a term, indeterminate or acting basis. Appointment of qualified candidates will be based on the assessment results of the essential or essential and asset qualifications and with regard to breadth and depth of experience.

Positions to be filled: 1

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

A covering letter in 1,000 words (maximum)

Contact information for 3 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)

Graduation with a degree from a recognized University in Engineering, Environmental Sciences, or a related field relevant to the duties of the position (e.g. economics, business or law).

Degree equivalency

E1 Significant*and recent** experience in directly managing financial and human resources, including for complex projects and initiatives that demonstrate project management strength and importance to organizational outcomes and risk.

E2 Significant* experience in leading the development and/or implementation of operational areas such as compliance oversight, physical operations and/or regulatory matters within the energy sector.

E3 Progressive experience with developing and maintaining collaborative working relationships with government, industry, or the public.

* Significant is defined as several years of substantively more progressive and complex responsibilities
**Recent is defined as within the last 5 years

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

English essential

Information on language requirements

Leadership Competencies:

LC1 Strategic Thinking (Apply/Guide Level)
 Anticipates immediate and longer-term issues and opportunities, resolves problems/issues as they arise, and acts on opportunities.
 Systems thinking to make the connections between initiatives to improve the whole over the parts

LC2 Management Excellence (Apply/Guide Level)
• Monitors progress and holds employees accountable for delivering on commitments and responsibilities.

LC3 Engagement (Apply/Guide Level)
 Builds relationships across the organization and with external stakeholders such as other government departments and energy industry representatives

LC4 Valuing People (Apply/Guide Level)
 Creates opportunities for employee development (coaching, mentoring, formal learning, and developmental opportunities).
 Builds a culture of risk-taking and learning from mistakes


Organization-wide and Business Competencies:

OC1 Communication Verbal: (Guide Level)
• Communicates clearly, concisely and effectively with co-workers and clients verbally.

OC2 Communication Written: (Guide Level)
• Communicates clearly, concisely and effectively in writing.
• Interprets complex and possibly contradictory messages and optimizes communications to achieve desired results.
• Clearly articulates technical matters to senior level audiences in writing.


Competency Level Definitions

Apply: Demonstrating sound understanding of the competency and ability to apply and contribute.
Guide: Thorough knowledge and capability of the competency; able to influence and guide others in its application

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

AQ1 Experience with Management Systems.

AQ2 Experience in the development and/or assessment of leading and lagging operational performance indicators.

AQ3 Experience in development of federal, provincial or territorial regulations or in providing regulatory policy advice.

AQ4 Experience in leading portfolio management for the prioritization and selection of initiatives aligned to organizational outcomes.

Conditions of employment

1) Willingness to undergo, successfully pass and maintain a Reliability Status Check

2) Compliance with the National Energy Board’s Code of Conduct is required.
Note: It is strongly recommended that potential applicants read and consider the NEB’s Code of Conduct prior to applying. This document is available on the NEB Website http://www.neb-one.gc.ca/code-of-conduct.

3) Must be willing and able to travel and to work overtime when required.

4) Must be willing to move within and between business units and teams, based on operational requirements and/or as individual development needs are identified.

Other information

Other Information:

1. The National Energy Board has a classification system that differs from the greater public service. This NEB-12 position is similar to an EX-01 in terms of salary range only. The benefits offered, including relocation assistance, may be significantly different than those offered in the greater public service. This position is subject to NEB’s Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada Collective Agreement (proposed for exclusion).

2. Application Requirements: Applicants must submit, by the closing date, a resume and cover letter clearly demonstrating how they meet the essential qualifications of education and experience. Applicants are strongly encouraged to demonstrate how they also meet the asset qualifications. Failure to provide sufficient information will result in applicants being screened out. The NEB requires applicants to submit their application online. Applications received via email will be rejected.

PLEASE NOTE: Applicants who apply to this selection process must include in their application a valid e-mail address and make sure this address is functional at all times and accepts messages from unknown users. Our intention is to communicate with applicants by e mail for assessment purposes including, sending invitations for written tests, interviews and issuing selection process results.

3. Assessment: You may be assessed using one or more of the following tools: written examination, oral presentation, interview(s), role play scenarios, reference checks and interactions with internal staff during the process and personal knowledge. Top down selection may be used during any stage of the selection process.

4. Appointment Requirements: Candidates must meet each essential qualification and the conditions of employment to be appointed to the position. A person may be appointed to the position even though he/she does not meet any or all of the asset qualifications, organizational needs or operational requirements; however, meeting these criteria is desirable and may be a deciding factor in choosing right fit for appointment.

5. Salary: Effective 1 November 2013 NEB-12, $104,526 to $127,174 (under review)
The National Energy Board has the following forms of additional compensation that are separate from base salary, the eligibility for which is determined, in accordance with the provisions in the collective agreement or terms and conditions of employment for the duration period specified:
• a Calgary Allowance in the amount of 4.95% of base salary, paid on a bi-weekly payroll basis
• annual performance pay which includes elements of individual performance (60% of payout) and corporate performance (40% of payout)
• annual market allowance which applies only to specified operational positions applies to this position; the allowance is paid in two semi-annualized payments.
• The Collective Agreement between the NEB and PIPSC expired on 1 November 2014. Please note that in the absence of a new Collective Agreement, all provisions – including the allowances remain in place until a new agreement has been signed.


6. Terms of Employment: This position has been allocated to the bargaining unit represented by the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada.(proposed for exclusion).

7. Proof of Education: Proof of education is required prior to appointment. If you were educated outside of Canada, you must have your certificates and/or diplomas assessed against Canadian education standards. Please contact the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC) for more information www.cicic.ca.
Equivalencies granted by the Canadian provincial authorities with respect to Applied (Bachelor's) Degrees by colleges and technical institutes (i.e. in Ontario, British-Columbia, Alberta & Manitoba) must always be accepted as equivalent to Bachelor Degrees granted by universities in the provinces concerned.

8. Organization Future Needs: The National Energy Board is committed to having a skilled and diversified workforce representative of the population we serve. In support of our strategy to achieve our employment equity goals, selection may be limited to candidates self-identifying as belonging to one of the following Employment Equity groups: Women, Aboriginal Persons, Visible Minorities and Persons with Disability.

9. Head Office Location – Calgary, AB: Suite 210, 517, 10th Avenue SW

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.