Research Technologist (Chemist)

Important messages

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:

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-service-commission/jobs/services/public-service-jobs/canadian-armed-forces-members-veterans.html

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

Work environment

Canada’s energy future depends heavily on the development of Athabasca oil sands. Aside from providing Canadians with a long-term source of petroleum, the jobs and royalties provided by the industry contribute significantly to the financial wealth of both Canadian citizens and government. Development of this resource, however, has its challenges. Crude oil produced from oil sands resources must be transported both within Canada and internationally. Bitumen, the thick oil extracted from oil sands, is normally diluted with lighter oils to meet pipeline specifications for transportation. Associated with such transportation is the risk of crude oil spilling into the environment. Concerns about the potential impacts of such spillage have raised questions related to the fate and behavior of crude oil in sensitive water environments.

At the Natural Resources Canada CanmetENERGY lab in Devon, Alberta, a program has been developed to conduct oil spill research. We have developed spill test facilities that allow us to simulate both fresh and salt water spill conditions at temperatures representative of the Canadian climate.

The successful candidate will conduct research to simulate oil spills in water environments. In particular, the candidate will assist in developing knowledge on the effects of water type, sediment, and weathering effects on oil when spilled in water. The successful candidate will be involved in both laboratory and pilot plant work.

Intent of the process

The intent of this process is to staff one EG-03 position to support the Oceans Protection Plan program, which has an end date of March 31, 2022. This is a Sunset funded program, therefore the period of employment will not count in the calculation of the three (3) year cumulative period for indeterminate employment pursuant to the Treasury Board Secretariat Term Employment Policy.

A pool of qualified candidates may be established through this process to staff identical or similar positions EG-03 positions at Natural Resources 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.

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)

Successful completion of an acceptable post-secondary educational program in Chemical Technology, Chemical Engineering Technology, Petroleum Technology, Environmental Technology or some other specialty relevant to the duties of the position.

Degree equivalency

Experience in the set-up of equipment and materials for research.

Experience in maintaining research records and operating and maintenance logs.

Experience in the tabulation, manipulation and graphical presentation of data.

Experience with Microsoft Word and Excel.

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

Experience with the analysis of water chemistry.

Experience with analytical petroleum extraction.

Experience with petroleum analyses.

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

English essential

Information on language requirements

Knowledge of standard laboratory procedures;
Knowledge of analytical quality control and quality assurance procedures;
Knowledge of laboratory health and safety policies and procedure;
Knowledge of the assembly, calibration, operation, and maintenance of basic scientific equipment.

Ability to analyze data and present results;
Ability to communicate effectively orally;
Ability to communicate effectively in writing;
Ability to follow safe operating procedures.

Teamwork;
Initiative;
Reliability;
Judgment;
Flexibility;
Effective interpersonal skills.

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

Knowledge of methods used in oil or water analysis.

Ability to drive a forklift.

Natural Resources Canada is committed to establishing and maintaining a representative workforce. This organizational need may be identified as part of the appointment decision. In such cases, qualified candidates who self-declare as Aboriginal peoples will be considered in priority.

Ability to work with large samples (greater than 20 kg);
Willingness to work overtime;
Willingness to work shift work;
Willingness to work evenings.

Conditions of employment

Reliability Status security clearance

Willingness to work in the laboratory and with pilot plants

Other information

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

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 via 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.

We thank all applicants for their interest in our position(s). For the purpose of this staffing process, only candidates selected for further assessment will be contacted.

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.

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.