Judicial Executive Assistant

Important messages

ONLY ON-LINE APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED, barring exceptional circumstances. In order for candidates to have their applications considered, all screening questions must be answered. Candidates must provide concrete examples which illustrate how they meet each qualification, including WHERE and HOW they obtained the experience, and citing the PERIODS (e.g., from Month-Year to Month-Year) in which they performed the functions of the positions they list.

For experience within the federal government, you must indicate the group and level of the position(s) occupied (e.g., AS-03). The assessment board cannot and will not make any assumptions about your experience. It is NOT sufficient to say that you have the required qualifications or to list your current or past duties.

The résumé will be a secondary source to confirm the experience described in the answers to the screening questions. Failure to provide the requested information may result in the rejection of your application. The Supreme Court of Canada will not be contacting candidates to seek clarification about information provided.

Persons who are unable to apply on-line or who require accommodation for any reason must contact prior to the closing date.

Duties

Position highlights:

• providing executive judicial support to a judge of the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC);
• managing the daily activities of an SCC judge and his or her chambers, including coordinating and tracking his or her agenda (e.g., sitting schedules, meetings, conferences), providing logistical support, making travel and hospitality arrangements, and preparing claims for expense reimbursement;
• preparing, revising and analyzing a wide range of planning, decision and other documents for review by an SCC judge;
• supervising the work of a court attendant;
• advising on the preparation and distribution of internal and external documentation; and,
• reviewing and finalizing documents related to judgments on appeals and applications for leave to appeal.

Work environment

• daily exposure to the pressure of deadlines and the changing, frequently conflicting, priorities and requirements of an SCC judge;
• working in an enhanced security environment; and
• working in often stressful situations and being required to quickly adapt to competing demands.

Intent of the process

This process will be used to staff the above-mentioned position. It may also be used to establish a pool of qualified candidates to staff similar positions at the Supreme Court of Canada with varying linguistic and security profiles, and tenures.

Positions to be filled: 1

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)

EDUCATION:

Completion of two years of post-secondary education or an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience.

Degree equivalency

EXPERIENCE:

Extensive (1) experience as a legal assistant providing a wide range of support services to a judge or senior executive (2) in a judicial or quasi-judicial (3) environment, or a law firm.

(1) Extensive: refers to the scope, complexity and diversity of work associated with the performance of a broad range of relevant activities which were primarily the candidate’s responsibility on a regular and continuous basis for a period of approximately four years.

(2) Senior executive: an official at or above the level of a senior general counsel, senior partner or equivalent.

(3) Judicial or quasi-judicial: working for a court, administrative tribunal or government officials who, in their decision-making process, are subject to the rules of natural justice.

Experience in coordinating schedules, travel arrangements and logistics for hearings, meetings or conferences in a legal, judicial or quasi-judicial environment.
Experience in interacting within a legal context with internal or external stakeholders.
Experience in proof-reading and editing legal or para-legal documents.
Experience in preparing (e.g., typing, formatting, and editing) lengthy documents within tight deadlines using Microsoft Office applications.

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

ASSET QUALIFICATIONS:

Experience in supervising employees.
Experience in using database management systems.
Experience in transcribing information from voice recordings, handwritten notes or electronically transmitted legal texts.

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

Bilingual - Imperative (CCC/CCC)

Information on language requirements

Second Language Writing Skills Self-Assessment
In order to help you decide if you should apply to a bilingual position, an optional self-assessment of your writing skills in your second official language is available for you to take before completing your application.

For more information, please consult:
Unsupervised Internet Test of Second Language Writing Skills

KNOWLEDGE:

Knowledge of legal terminology.
Knowledge of legal practices and procedures.

ABILITIES:

Ability to communicate effectively orally.
Ability to communicate effectively in writing.
Ability to proof-read and edit legal or para-legal documents.
Ability to effectively plan, establish priorities, meet deadlines and work under pressure.

PERSONAL SUITABILITY:

Attention to detail
Judgment
Effective interpersonal skills
Discretion
Flexibility
Initiative
Reliability

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 group: visible minorities

Information on employment equity

OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

Willingness to work overtime from time to time on short notice.

Conditions of employment

Secret security clearance

Other information

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

Reference checks will be sought.

An interview will be administered.

A written test will be administered.

You must be prepared to provide the original or a certified true copy of your educational credentials. Candidates with foreign credentials must provide proof of Canadian equivalency. Consult the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials for further information at www.cicic.ca/indexe.stm.

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

All communication and information obtained throughout the selection process, from the time of application to the close of process, may be used in the assessment of qualifications.

Our intention is to communicate with candidates via e-mail. Candidates who apply on this selection process must include in their application a valid e-mail address and make sure that this address is functional at all times and accepts messages from unknown users (some email systems block these types of email). It is the candidate's responsibility to provide any changes to their personal information to the contact indicated on this job advertisement.

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.