Stream 1: Remote Sensing Physical Scientist; Stream 2: Geospatial Scientist

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

At Natural Resources Canada, a Federal government job means developing leadership skills, fostering teamwork, and supporting creativity and innovation. We know it takes people from diverse pools of talent to make this happen. That is why we are looking for people like you. As an employee at Natural Resources Canada you can enjoy diverse employment opportunities, a range of career development programs, and a learning culture that supports you to learn on an ongoing basis. We support balancing your work and private life by offering the benefits of flexible work arrangements.

Intent of the process

A partially assessed pool of candidates resulting from this appointment process may be used to fill identical and similar positions at the PC-02 group and level within Natural Resources Canada with various linguistic requirements: English Essential, French Essential, English or French Essential and Bilingual Imperative levels: (BBB/BBB, CBC/CBC), as well as security levels (secret or reliability), conditions of employment, tenures, and locations which may vary according to the position being staffed. Please note that candidates will be assessed on some of the essential statement of merit criteria prior to being placed in the partially assessed pool. Qualified candidates will need to meet the essential merit criteria and some of the asset merit criteria prior to being appointed to a position.

Applicants must clearly demonstrate on their application that they meet all of the following essential education and experience criteria. Failure to do so may result in the rejection of your application

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)

-Graduation with a degree from a recognized post-secondary institution with acceptable specialization in: Biology, Earth Sciences, Engineering, Meteorology, Geography, Mathematics, Physics, Remote Sensing, Geology, Chemistry, or another science relevant to the position(s).

Note:
The courses for the specialization must be acceptable and must have been taken at a recognized university, but not necessarily within a degree program in the required specialization.

Degree equivalency

Stream 1:
- Minimum of two years recent* experience in analyzing and interpreting remote sensing data in at least one of the following two areas:
1) Optical remote sensing
2) Radar remote sensing

- Minimum of two years recent* experience in 2 of the following 3 areas:
1) Conducting research involving the use of at least one remote sensing image analysis software system (PCI, ENVI, GAMMA, Matlab, or others)
2) Using at least one GIS professional software package (such as ESRI/ArcGIS)
3) Programming in at least one of the following computer languages: FORTRAN, C++, C, Java, or Python

- Experience in preparing reports
- Experience in presenting scientific results.

*Recent is defined as within the past three years.

Stream 2:
• Minimum of two years recent* technical experience in geographic information systems and/or geographic data management activities.
• Experience in identifying, extracting, organizing and synthesizing information from different sources.
• Experience in preparing reports or presentations to present scientific/technology information to a wide audience.

*Recent is defined as within the past three years.

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

Different asset qualifications will be relevant for different positions, as diverse, project-related work will require different specialized skill sets. Candidates are not expected to meet all the asset qualifications listed below, but should clearly illustrate all those asset qualifications which they do meet.

EDUCATION
Successful completion of a graduate degree from a recognized University with acceptable specialization in: Biology, Earth Sciences, Engineering, Meteorology, Geography, Mathematics, Physics, Remote Sensing, Geology, Chemistry, or another science relevant to the position(s).

Degree equivalency

Stream 1:
Data Manipulation/Integration/Analysis/Extraction/Production:
-Experience in photogrammetry and/or in 3-D feature extraction
-Experience in using atmospheric radiative transfer models
-Experience with one or more advanced SAR technologies such as interferometry, polarimetry, polarimetric-interferometry, bi-static SAR or radar backscatter modelling.
-Experience in the analysis and integration of one or more of the following: panchromatic data, multi-spectral optical data, SAR data, hyperspectral data, multi-resolution data, or digital elevation models (DEM).
-Experience in producing satellite-based climate data records.
-Experience in manmade feature extraction.
- Experience in the analysis of multi-source spatial data

Mapping/Monitoring
-Experience in remote sensing for mapping and monitoring of natural hazards, or ecological/biophysical parameters, or geology, or hydrology, or the cryosphere, or land cover change

Software/Technologies
-Experience in structured computer programming and scripting (e.g. C, C++, Java, Python), for data modelling and integration with other geospatial data sets and with processing software tools (e.g. PCI, ProSDK, ArcObjects, Web mapping interfaces)
-Experience with Structured Query Language and Data-base design and development, including the use of XML
-Experience working with multi-processor and/or distributed processing software design, implementation and testing, on Unix/Linux or Windows operating systems
-Experience in the development of mathematical models of sensor characteristics and sensor platform trajectories, and/or in the development of methods for systems optimization

Stream 2:
• Experience with Software as a Service (SaaS), and/or Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), and/or Platform as a Service (PaaS)
• Experience working with one or more of the following international standards bodies; Open Geospatial Consortium and/or International Organization for Standardization - Technical Committee 211, International Hydrographic Organization, World Wide Web Consortium. Please note, experience populating metadata according to standards (e.g. ISO 19115) will not be taken into consideration to meet this criterion.

OTHER ASSETS:
-Experience planning and executing fieldwork with minimal supervision

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

Various language requirements

Information on language requirements

Stream 1:
-Knowledge of the physical principals of remote sensing for earth observation.
-Knowledge of at least 1 of the following 2 areas:
1) Optical remote sensing
2) Radar remote sensing

-Knowledge of at least 2 of the following 3 areas:
1) Knowledge of remote sensing image analysis software systems (PCI, ENVI, GAMMA, Matlab, or others)
2) Knowledge of at least one GIS professional software package (such as ESRI/ArcGIS)
3) Knowledge of programming in at least one of the following computer languages (FORTRAN, C++, C, Java, Python, or R)

ALL STREAMS
Ability to effectively solve problems
Ability to communicate effectively orally
Ability to communicate effectively in writing
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships.

Effective Interpersonal Skills
Adaptability
Initiative
Dependability

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

Stream 1:

Data Manipulation/Integration/Analysis/Extraction/Production:
-Knowledge of interferometric and/or polarimetric analysis of SAR data
-Knowledge of current SAR sensor systems
-Knowledge of pre-processing of digital SAR image data, potentially including speckle filtering and ortho-rectification
-Knowledge of the principals of atmospheric radiative transfer models
-Knowledge of manmade feature extraction.
-Knowledge of current and upcoming multi-spectral and hyperspectral sensor systems (airborne or spaceborne);
-Knowledge of current state of hyperspectral or bidirectional reflectance image processing.

Mapping/Monitoring:
-Knowledge of remote sensing for mapping and monitoring of natural hazards, or ecological/biophysical parameters, or geology, or hydrology, or the cryosphere or land cover change
-Knowledge of northern environmental changes and northern vegetation dynamics

Software/Technologies:
-Knowledge of along-track and across-track stereoscopy
-Knowledge of statistical pattern recognition methods for image classification
- Knowledge of machine learning/artificial intelligence techniques for information extraction from remote sensing data
-Knowledge of computer programming and scripting for data modelling and integration with other geospatial data sets.
-Knowledge of the design of mathematical models for optical and/or radar sensors and sensor platform trajectories, or systems optimization and least-squares processing
-Knowledge of multi-processor and distributed processing software design and implementation techniques
-Knowledge of software development tools on Unix/Linux and Windows Operating Systems
-Knowledge of Structured Query Language Data-base design and development considerations, including the use of XML.

Stream 2:
-Knowledge of Spatial Data Infrastructures

ORGANIZATIONAL NEED:
In support of achieving a diversified workforce, preference may be given to candidates self-identifying as belonging to one of the following Employment Equity groups: Aboriginals, persons with disabilities; visible minorities.

OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
Willingness and ability to travel occasionally
Willingness and ability to work occasional overtime

Conditions of employment

Pre-appointment medical required for positions involving fieldwork
Reliability and Security: Secret or Reliability (depending on requirements of position to be staffed)

Other information

*Experience gained during a Masters or PhD (or other higher education beyond a Bachelor’s degree) will be considered. Applicants must clearly demonstrate how they have gained this experience in their application

A written examination may be administered

An interview may be conducted

Reference checks may be sought

Please identify clearly for which stream(s) you are applying.

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.

The hiring organization will accept applications on-line only. All job applications must therefore be submitted through the Public Service Resourcing System. 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.

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.

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 members of a visible minority group, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities or women (in non-traditional occupations) could be considered in priority.

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.