Laboratory Chemist III (4 streams)

Important messages

Stream 1: Laboratory Specialist
Stream 2: Quality Coordinator
Stream 3: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Research Scientist
Stream 4: Clandestine Laboratories Specialist

Applications submitted by email will not be accepted. You must apply on-line. To submit an application on-line, please click on the button "Apply online" below. Persons with disabilities preventing them from applying on-line are asked to contact 1-800-645-5605.

You must clearly demonstrate in your answers to the text and screening questions HOW you meet the essential education and experience and any applicable asset education and experience factors listed. You must include the length of time (month/year) that you performed each function and where you obtained the qualification. It is NOT sufficient to only state that the qualifications are met or to provide a listing of current or past responsibilities. The answers to the text and screening questions will be the main source of information used by the assessment board to determine whether you meet the essential and asset education and experience factors. Your answers to the text and screening questions should be supported by your résumé. CANDIDATES WILL NOT BE SOLICITED FOR INCOMPLETE OR MISSING INFORMATION. Failure to provide the above information in the format required may result in the rejection of your application.

Work environment

Health Canada is the Federal department responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health, while respecting individual choices and circumstances. Regulatory Operations and Regions Branch (RORB) effectively delivers Health Canada's programs and services across the country. RORB has laboratories located in Scarborough (Ontario), Burnaby (British Columbia) and Longueuil (Quebec). These laboratories conduct chemical and microbiological analyses in support of Health Canada's mandate with respect to food, pharmaceuticals, natural health products, and controlled substances.

Intent of the process

This process will be used to establish a partially assessed pool of candidates to staff Laboratory Chemist III positions with various tenures and various language requirements within the Regulatory Operations and Regions Branch - Laboratories Directorate. As positions become available, applicants will be contacted for further assessment based on the needs of the hiring manager.

These positions could be staffed temporarily (casual, term) or permanently. Acting appointments, secondments/assignments, and deployments may be offered to qualified employees of the public service.

Positions to be filled: Number to be determined

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:
All streams: Graduation with a degree from a recognized post-secondary institution with specialization in chemistry.

Note: If you have not completed a chemistry degree program, courses in general chemistry and the five traditional sub-disciplines of chemistry (Organic, Inorganic, Analytical, Physical and Biochemistry) will be considered in determining whether you have a sufficient specialization in chemistry.

Candidates should be prepared to provide proof of education (copy of transcript). If you have obtained education outside Canada, you will be required to submit proof of evaluation of Canadian equivalency. Consult the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials for further information at http://www.cicic.ca/.

Degree equivalency

EXPERIENCE:
All Streams:
E1: Recent and significant* experience working in an analytical chemistry laboratory.

Stream 2:
E2: Recent and significant** experience working in an analytical chemistry laboratory that is accredited or meets the Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) or other recognized standards.

Stream 3:
E3: Recent and significant** experience in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) analysis of Small Organic Molecules, including drugs, through either working in an NMR laboratory or a synthetic organic laboratory and having used the NMR spectrometer.

*Recent and significant is defined as at least two (2) years of cumulative experience acquired within the last five (5) years.

**Recent and significant is defined as six (6) months of cumulative experience acquired within the last two (2) years.

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

ASSET QUALIFICATIONS
Qualifications that are not essential to perform the work, but that would benefit the organization or enhance the work to be performed currently or in the future. These qualifications could be used to select a candidate.

ASSET EDUCATION:
All streams:
Postgraduate degree from a recognized post-secondary institution with specialization in chemistry.

Degree equivalency

ASSET EXPERIENCE:
All streams:
AE1. Recent and significant*** experience working in a forensic drug laboratory;

AE2. Recent and significant*** experience in the analyses of nutritional components and/or chemical contaminants in food;

AE3. Recent and significant**** experience working in a health products laboratory (pharmaceuticals or natural health products);

AE4. Experience working in a Health Canada Laboratory.

***Recent and significant is defined as six (6) months of cumulative experience acquired within the last two (2) years.
****Recent and significant is defined as at least two (2) years of cumulative experience acquired within the last five (5) years.

Stream 2:
AE5. Experience conducting audits under ISO/IEC 17025;

AE6. Experience leading quality assurance programs in a laboratory;

AE7. Experience in auditing a laboratory, as technical or lead auditor.

Stream 3:
AE8. Significant experience***** setting up and running experiments on a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectrometer;

AE9. Recent experience****** in the maintenance or troubleshooting of an NMR spectrometer such as Helium and Nitrogen fills, changing probes, troubleshooting shimming or analysis problems;

AE10. Recent and significant experience******* with coding macros (or other executable routines) to optimize or make routine manual repetitive functions automatic or to simplify a complex series of commands for non-programmer users.

*****Significant is defined as at least one (1) year of cumulative experience.
****** Recent is defined as experience acquired within the last two (2) years.
*******Recent and significant is defined as at least six (6) months of cumulative experience acquired within the last two (2) years.

Stream 4:
AE11. Experience in clandestine laboratories investigations.

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

Various language requirements
English Essential (Scarborough, Burnaby) and Bilingual Imperative B-B/B-B or Bilingual Imperative BBB/BBB (Longueuil).

Information on language requirements

KNOWLEDGE:
All streams:
K1. Knowledge of principles and practices of analytical chemistry, including instrumentation, for the analysis of controlled drugs, health products and food.

Stream 2:
K2. Knowledge of Quality Assurance Practices, ISO/IEC 17025.

Stream 3:
K3. Knowledge of the NMR theory and its application in conducting an NMR analytical experiment.

Streams 3 & 4:
K4. Knowledge of organic chemistry and organic synthesis.

ABILITIES:
All streams:
A1. Ability to set priorities and meet deadlines when assigned multiple tasks;
A2. Ability to design, validate, and troubleshoot analytical methods;
A3. Ability to communicate effectively in writing;
A4. Ability to communicate effectively orally.

Stream 3:
A5. Ability to identify small organic molecules, such as novel abused drugs, through the interpretation of NMR and Mass Spectral Data;
A6. Ability to effectively conduct research.

PERSONAL SUITABILITY:
All streams:
PS1. Respectful of diversity;
PS2. Effective interpersonal skills;
PS3. Working effectively with others;
PS4. Thinking things through / Judgment;
PS5. Attention to detail (thoroughness);
PS6. Initiative.

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 groups: Aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities, visible minorities, women

Information on employment equity

Conditions of employment

Requirements that a person must meet or comply with for as long as they occupy the position.

All streams:
Reliability Status security clearance;
Willingness to travel occasionally;
Willingness to work overtime and weekends as required;
Willingness to be assigned work in any Regulatory Operations and Regions Branch (RORB) Laboratory within the employee’s respective region;
Exposure to chemical smells and/or other noxious odours;
Potential exposure to chemical and microbiological agents, dusts, pollens and moulds.

Stream 4:
Willingness to be on call;
Must have medical clearance to wear a full facial respirator;
When necessary, will be required to wear full protective clothing with either a full facial respirator with cartridges, and/or a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA);
Will occasionally be required to be on standby to respond to police requests for clandestine laboratory dismantling on a rotational basis;
Possession of a valid driver’s license may be required for some positions.

Other information

A written examination may be administered.

A situational exercise may be administered.

Reference checks may be sought.

An interview may be administered.

Candidates must meet the essential qualifications to be appointed to a position.

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.

Applicants with disabilities: Should you require a technical aid or an alternative method of assessment to ensure an equitable assessment of your qualifications, please indicate so in your application.

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

Communication for this process will be sent via email. It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure accurate contact information is provided and updated as required and to update their personal information when it changes.

Candidates who apply to this appointment process should include an email address that accepts email from unknown users (some email systems block these types of email).

Time sensitive correspondence may be transmitted via e-mail and it will be the candidate's responsibility to ensure they check their e-mail regularly. Failure to respond to communications may result in elimination from this 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.