Director of Communications

Important messages

If you are passionate about communications and want to make a difference leading a team in a small organization with an exciting mandate, this could be the perfect job for you.

The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency is looking for a Director of Communications to provide executive leadership for the development and implementation of all aspects of the Agency’s communications.

In this position, you and your team of five employees located in Iqaluit, Yellowknife, Whitehorse and Ottawa, would develop and roll-out communications on multiple platforms to promote an understanding of the Agency’s mandate, services and policies. You would be part of a team that is dedicated to economic development across the North, building partnerships to leverage investments in the North and advocating for the interests of northerners and Indigenous peoples.

You would be an executive in a small organization reporting directly to the Vice-President. You would have frequent interactions with the President, the Minister’s Office and other senior executives at CanNor and provide them with expert communications advice and recommendations.

Your office would be located at CanNor’s headquarters in Iqaluit, Nunavut, one of Canada’s most interesting growing northern communities. Due to the unique nature of life in the North, we ask that candidates from outside the North, reflect on this requirement before submitting their application; this location is not the right fit for everyone. We invite you to visit this Nunavut Tourism link for more information about Iqaluit: http://destinationnunavut.ca/en/content/welcome-destination-nunavut If you really enjoy nature and wildlife and appreciate the beauty and climate of the northern landscape and want to live in a close-knit community, you will thrive in this environment. This position does qualify for northern allowances for you and your family. Please refer to the information at the end of the poster for more information.

The salary range for this position is: $106,900 to $125,700 plus applicable northern allowances (approximately $18,000 to $32,000/year), as well as vacation travel assistance (approximately $2,000-$3,000 per person, twice per year (for the employee and eligible dependents, including spouse/common-law partner). Rates and conditions are subject to change.

This position is located at CanNor headquarters in Iqaluit, Nunavut. Candidates applying from outside of Iqaluit must be willing to relocate to Iqaluit for this position. Relocation assistance is available.

Federal government housing is available for this position.

Duties

The Director, Communications reports to the Vice-President of Policy, Planning, Communications and Northern Projects Management Office and leads the development and implementation of all aspects of the Agency’s communications in order to promote understanding and awareness of the Agency’s mandate, programs, services and policies.
The Director is responsible for:
• Managing a virtual team of five employees across three time zones;
• Providing expert communications advice and recommendations to the Minister’s office, President, and other senior executives of CanNor;
• Managing ministerial visits, events and initiatives;
• Planning and developing strategic communications plans and policies;
• Implementing an effective public affairs program to ensure the Agency is visible, accessible and answerable to the public; and
• Managing the development and implementation of the full range of communications products including digital communications (social media, web content), strategic communications (plans, external handouts, 1-800#, email), media relations (media lines, speeches, news releases), and internal communications (intranet, newsletter, communiqués).

Intent of the process

The intent of this process is to fill 1 permanent position in Iqaluit, Nunavut.

Inuit enrolled under the Nunavut Agreement (e.g. Beneficiaries of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement) who are found qualified in this staffing process will be appointed ahead of other qualified applicants.

Applicants will be considered in the following order:
(1) Those who identify themselves as Inuit enrolled under the Nunavut Agreement (e.g. Beneficiaries of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement);
(2) If there are no qualified Inuit enrolled under the Nunavut Agreement, all other applicants will be considered for the position.

Positions to be filled: 1

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

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)

EDUCATION

ED: Graduation with a degree from a recognized post-secondary institution with a specialization in communications, marketing, public relations, journalism or other discipline relevant to the position. Equivalencies that consist of an acceptable combination* of education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities may be considered.

*Acceptable combination refers to completion of secondary school with post-secondary studies/courses in a relevant field and progressive experience in a leadership role.

Degree equivalency

EXPERIENCE

E1: Recent* experience in managing the development and execution of communications strategies, plans and activities.

E2: Experience in writing and editing a variety of communications products such as news releases, media lines, questions and answer documents, speeches, web site content or social media content. (Please describe your experience with all that apply.)

E3: Experience in providing strategic communications advice and support to senior officials**

E4: Experience liaising with the media and external stakeholders.

E5: Experience in human resources.

*Recent experience is defined as experience acquired within the last five (5) years.

** Senior officials are defined as officials whose position are equivalent to, or higher than, Assistant Deputy Minister, Vice-President, Board Chair, Executive Director or Chief Operating Officer.

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

Bilingual - Non Imperative (CBC/CBC)
A non-imperative appointment means that the position can be staffed with a person who agrees to become bilingual through language training at government expense.

Information on language requirements

KNOWLEDGE

K1: Knowledge of strategic communications tools and techniques for communicating with various audiences.
K2: Knowledge of Government of Canada communications policies and directives for communicating with internal and external audiences.

ABILITIES

A1: Ability to communicate effectively orally.
A2: Ability to communicate effectively in writing.

KEY LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES

LC1: Create Vision and Strategy.
LC2: Mobilize People.
LC3: Uphold Integrity and Respect.
LC4: Collaborate with Partners and Stakeholders.
LC5: Promote Innovation and Guide Change.
LC6: Achieve Results.

For further information on key leadership competency profiles and examples of effective and ineffective behaviours relating to this position, please refer to the following link: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/psm-fpfm/learning-apprentissage/pdps-ppfp/klc-ccl/klcp-pccl-eng.asp

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

EXPERIENCE

AE1: Experience in working directly with First Nations, Métis or Inuit organizations.

AE2: Experience working on projects or initiatives involving northern communities.

AE3: Experience in working in a northern, cross-cultural environment.

AE4: Experience providing advice directly to a Minister’s office, Deputy Minister’s Office or central agencies on sensitive or horizontal issues or activities.

AE5: Experience planning and coordinating special events and promoting regional visits by ministers or senior officials.

AE6: Experience in managing financial resources.

KNOWLEDGE

AK1: Knowledge of Government of Canada priorities and their relationship to CanNor.
AK2: Knowledge of Indigenous culture, society or economy in northern Canada.

ABILITIES

AK1: Ability to communicate in an Indigenous language of northern Canada.

ORGANIZATIONAL NEEDS

The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency is committed to having a skilled and diversified workforce representative of the population we serve. In support of our strategy to achieve a representative workforce, selection may be limited to candidates self-identifying as belonging to one of the following groups: Inuit enrolled under the Nunavut Agreement, Indigenous, women, visible minorities, and persons with disabilities.

OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Willingness and availability to work overtime.
Willingness and availability to travel.

Conditions of employment

Secret security clearance

Medical clearance: the incumbent and their dependents (including spouse or common-law partner and children) may be required to obtain Health Canada medical clearance in accordance with the Isolated Posts and Government Housing Directive.

Other information

When submitting an application to this selection process, you will be prompted to answer some questions regarding your qualifications for this position (e.g. education and experience). It is your responsibility to provide clear and concrete examples in your response to each question. Your responses to these questions will be used to validate the information in your resumé.

All information obtained throughout the selection process, from time of application to close of process, may be used to evaluate candidates.

Reference checks may be sought.

An interview will be administered.

A written examination may be administered.

Various assessment tools may be used.

You will be required to provide proof of your education credentials at a later date. Foreign educational credentials must be assessed by a recognized credential assessment service; guidance may be found at the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC) at http://www.cicic.ca.

The Relocation Directive is available at:
http://www.njc-cnm.gc.ca/directive/nrd-drc/index-eng.php

The Isolated Posts and Government Housing Directive is available at:
http://www.njc-cnm.gc.ca/directive/ipgh-pile/index-eng.php

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.