Entomologist

Duties

A Forest Entomologist is sought to join the Ecosystem Health Science Program at the Northern Forestry Centre of the Canadian Forest Service. Working within an interdisciplinary team environment, the successful candidate will develop his/her own research program as well as contribute to existing studies focused on forest health in a changing environment. The primary initial focus will be on bark beetles in the western boreal forests and in forests at high latitudes and altitudes; however, the candidate will be expected to expand their research program to other types of insect pests as needed. The successful candidate’s research program will be largely focused on field ecology, and will contribute to understanding and ameliorating the risks posed by current and emerging bark beetle threats in managed and unmanaged forests experiencing changing natural and anthropogenic disturbance regimes, including the effects of climate change. A major outcome of the research program will be the development of solutions for mitigating risks and minimizing impacts of bark beetles on forest ecosystem health. The successful candidate will have discipline-based knowledge, a capacity to integrate multiple data and information sources for problem solving at the site and landscape scales, and experience in forest ecosystem science with emphasis on the boreal region. The successful candidate will be expected to collaborate broadly within NRCan, with other research and data providers, and with other public and private sector stakeholders.

Intent of the process

A pool of qualified candidates may be established through this process to staff identical or similar SE-RES positions at Natural Resources Canada across Canada, with various tenures (determinate period or indeterminate), various language requirements (English Essential, French Essential, English or French Essential and Bilingual) and profile(s) (BBB/BBB, CBC/CBC, CCC/CCC, etc.)), various security requirements, various conditions of employment and for various locations.

Positions to be filled: 1

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

A covering letter in 2,000 words (maximum) "Please use this section to complete the following written exercise. You have been given an opportunity by NRCan and partners to develop a new project to assess whether land management decisions for Alberta’s boreal forests are interacting with a warming climate to affect the risk of bark beetle outbreaks. This work may focus on one or more bark beetle species that are either current pests or potential pests. Please submit a brief proposal of a maximum of 500 words, that addresses this issue, and provides the following information: What is your hypothesis? What are the drivers (e.g., environmental, physical) that require investigation? What is your general research approach? What kinds of data/information will you seek to obtain and over what temporal and spatial scales? What kind of team would you assemble? How do you anticipate that research outcomes might contribute to adaptive land management and reduce uncertainty in predicting future trends concerning boreal forest health."

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 the field of forest entomology, forest pest management or insect ecology relevant to the duties of the position.

Productivity/Recognition
Recognized achievement in the form of authorship or editorship of published reports, books, peer-reviewed journal articles and other written communications resulting from research, experimental or technical development, commensurate with years of experience. Minimum number of refereed journal publications is six (6). (Candidates to append (to their resume) a list of all publications as evidence of productivity).

Degree equivalency

Significant* experience, following awarding of Ph.D., in developing and conducting research relevant to forest insect population or community ecology or integrated forest pest management;
Experience in developing successful research proposals;
Experience in leading or participating in partnerships/collaborations with forest sector stakeholders.

*Significant is defined as the depth of experience that would normally be acquired with a minimum of 2 years experience.

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

Experience in the use of advanced statistical packages such as R or SAS.

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

English essential

Information on language requirements

Knowledge of the identity, ecology and population dynamics of important forest insects, particularly bark beetles;
Knowledge of insect impacts at tree and stand levels and integrated pest management options to mitigate impacts, particularly for bark beetles;
Knowledge of interactions between climate change and insects, and the implications of climate change for tree and forest health and pest management.
Knowledge of how multi-disciplinary science is integrated to solve problems and inform policy development related to forest health under a changing climate.

Ability to prepare research proposals and write scientific papers;
Ability to design and conduct field work/research within an interdisciplinary team environment, including supervision of others;
Ability to apply statistical methods for complex data analysis and inference;
Ability to effectively communicate verbally to a variety of audiences (e.g., scientists, managers, industrial and government partners, and the general public, including for the purpose of knowledge transfer and provision of advice about forest health issues and management options;
Ability to effectively engage and work collaboratively with stakeholders and clients (e.g., industry and government agencies) to identify their research needs and priorities.

Leadership;
Judgment;
Adaptability;
Reliability;
Effective Interpersonal Relationships.

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

Natural Resources Canada is committed to establishing and maintaining a representative workforce. This organizational goal may be identified as part of the appointment decision. In such cases, qualified candidates who self-declare as members of a visible minority group, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities or women (in non-traditional occupations) could be considered in priority provided that they meet all of the requirements of the position.

Conditions of employment

Reliability Status security clearance - Valid driver's license

Willing and able to travel locally, nationally and internationally

Willing and able to work in the field under a variety of weather conditions and risks, including occasionally travelling in rotary-winged and fix-winged aircraft.

Valid medical certificate as required by the Treasury Board Secretariat Occupational Health Evaluation Standard “Appendix A - Section XII Scientific Personnel – Field”.

Other information

An interview will be conducted.
Reference will be sought.
A written examination may be administered.

This is an incumbent based position. Therefore, the level and salary will be determined by the qualifications of the candidate.

If you are selected for further consideration, please advise the person who will contact you of any accommodations you may require during the selection process.

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 public service may be required to pay for travel and relocation costs associated with this selection process.

The hiring organization will accept applications on-line only. All job applications must therefore be submitted through the jobs.gc.ca website. 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.

The Government of Canada is committed to building a skilled workforce that is representative of Canada's diversity, which includes the recruitment of Canadian Veterans and releasing Canadian Armed Forces personnel.

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

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.