Enforcement Officer (Environmental Stream)

Important messages

1) This staffing process is being run in conjunction with the following Environment Officer (Wildlife stream) staffing process:18-DOE-NCR-EA-316498.

If you want to be considered for both streams (Wildlife stream and Environmental stream), you will need to apply to both selection processes.



2) Please note that when applying, these three locations are not listed in the “Selected Work Locations”, however, they are possible work locations.
- St. John's (Newfoundland)
- Quebec City (Quebec)
- Iqaluit (Nunavut)

You will need to select a location from the available choices in order to complete your application. We will request your preferred work location at a later date.

Duties

Enforcement Officers are hired in either of two Directorates; Wildlife Enforcement or Environmental Enforcement. Wildlife Officers enforce the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and International and International Trade Act, the Species at Risk Act, the Migratory Birds Convention Act and the Canada Wildlife Act. Environmental Enforcement Officers enforce the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and the pollution provisions of the Fisheries Act. All Enforcement Officers are designated and trained Peace Officers for their respective Acts and their duties include:

• Conducting inspections to ensure compliance with federal environmental laws: Inspections will take place in a variety of circumstances depending on the Act being enforced and the location of the officer, and can vary from an office or lab environment to remote locations involving access by plane, helicopter or All Terrain Vehicle;
• Conducting investigations into alleged violations of federal environmental laws, including taking statements from witness or subjects, preparing and executing search warrants, reviewing and assessing evidence, and writing reports to Crown Counsel.
• Working with regulatory partners, the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, and various law enforcement agencies when conducting enforcement activities.

Work environment

Enforcement Officers must be skilled communicators capable of working effectively with partners and clients, sometimes in stressful situations. They must be capable of gathering and synthesizing information quickly and using sound judgement to make and communicate clear decisions. Officers often work in outdoor environments in all climates and must be comfortable with taking environmental samples, and transition to office environments when conducting data analysis or evidence review. They must sometimes take rapid, decisive action and must be able to facilitate behaviour change in a fair, transparent and respectable manner, particularly when issuing an enforcement action. Officers must also be prepared to protect themselves or others in the course of their duties, and are afforded Peace Officer powers and a variety of tools and training in order to deal with hostility. In the course of ensuring that laws and regulations are respected, Enforcement Officers carry significant responsibility and accountability, their decisions have a direct impact on the health and diversity of the Canadian environment and indirectly the safety of Canadians.

Intent of the process

The intent of this selection process is to permanently staff GT-04 positions as a part of the Enforcement Officer Development Program in various locations across Canada.

A pool of qualified candidates may be created and may be used to staff identical or similar positions at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) with various linguistic profiles and requirements (English essential, French essential, English or French essential, bilingual imperative BBB/BBB or CBC/CBC) in various locations across Canada.

Positions to be filled: Number to be determined

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

In order to be considered, your application must clearly explain how you meet the following (essential qualifications)

Education:
Successful completion of a post-secondary program of at least two years in biology, environmental studies, police sciences, law, natural resources law enforcement, criminology, psychology, chemistry or in any other field related to the duties of the position.

Canadian veterans may demonstrate an acceptable level of training and experience.

Degree equivalency

EX1: Experience* in planning and conducting inspections or investigations in environmental enforcement or regulatory*** fields.

EX2: Experience* collecting and interpreting environmental or regulatory*** field data.

* Experience is defined as having had associated continuous and recent** duties for a period of one year or more.
** Recent is defined as within the past 2 years.
***Regulatory means data collected under the auspices of a law enforcement or regulatory program.

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

Various language requirements

Information on language requirements

K1: Knowledge of inspection and investigation techniques and procedures related to regulatory or law enforcement.

K2: Knowledge of enforcement responses to non-compliance with federal environmental law as outlined in the Compliance and Enforcement Policies of Environment and Climate Change Canada.

K3: Knowledge of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, and the pollution prevention provisions of Fisheries Act.

AB1: Ability to communicate effectively orally.
AB2: Ability to communicate effectively in writing.

PS1: Judgement
PS2: Result Orientation
PS3: Teamwork
PS4: Initiative
PS5: Integrity and Respect

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

Asset Qualifications:

Graduation with a degree from a recognized post-secondary institution related to the duties of the position (e.g. biology, environmental studies, police sciences, natural resource law enforcement or criminology).

Degree equivalency

EX1: Experience in environmental sampling techniques.

EX2: Experience working in remote locations and in extreme northern environments.

EX3: Experience working with Indigenous communities.

EX4: Experience working in an industrial setting.

EX5: Experience in investigative techniques such as interviewing, statement taking, completion of search warrants and preparing court briefs.

EX6: Experience in environmental law enforcement.

EX7: Experience in planning, leading and/or managing complex enforcement files, including those that may involve other departments or external agencies.

EX8: Experience in law enforcement intelligence activities.

Ability to communicate orally and/or in writing in a Canadian Indigenous language, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, or other language.

Organizational Needs:
Environment and Climate Change Canada's commitment is to the creation of an inclusive organization wherein diversity is integrated throughout the organization. In support of achieving a representative workforce and our employment equity goals, consideration may be given to qualified candidates self-identifying as belonging to one of the following Employment Equity groups: Women, Indigenous persons, or Visible minorities.

Conditions of employment

Secret security clearance

Other Conditions of Employment:

• Enforcement Officers are required to carry restricted weapons such as oleocapsicin spray, handcuffs and defensive telescopic baton as well as must be able to pass initial training and annual recertification. *
• Enforcement Officers must successfully complete Branch-mandated designation training. *
• Willing to obtain and maintain First-Aid/CPR training. *
• Must hold and maintain a valid driver’s licence.
• Successfully complete and maintain an occupational health assessment, including both physical and psychological evaluations.
• Willingness to wear departmental uniform, body armour, officer safety equipment including restricted weapons.
• Requirement to travel by small vessel, aircraft, off-road vehicle and travel over rough terrain and water.
• May be required to be on call, work weekends, and/or statutory holidays and provincial/territorial holidays, irregular hours, shift work, and overtime as required and be available to do so.
• Must provide a full set of fingerprints.
• Must submit to systematic checks of criminal record.
• Willingness and ability to travel.
• Participate in the Enforcement Officer Development Program of ECCC Enforcement Branch. *

* The Enforcement Officer Development Program and required training are held during the GT-04 employment period. The successful completion of the program and the training is a preliminary condition of employment to be promoted at the GT-05 level.

For candidates hired from outside of the federal government, the probationary period ends when the candidate achieves promotion at the GT-05 level.

Other information

The Public Service of Canada is committed to building a skilled and diverse workforce that reflects the Canadians we serve. We promote employment equity and encourage you to indicate if you belong to one of the targeted groups when you apply.

Information on employment equity

Candidacies must be submitted online otherwise they will not be considered. Persons with disabilities preventing them from applying on-line are asked to contact 1-800-645-5605. Also, when applying online, you will be asked to provide an answer to pre-screening questions assessing your education and experience. Failure to provide an answer to each pre-screening question will result in your candidacy being eliminated from this selection process. Furthermore, please note that your ability to communicate effectively in writing may also be assessed by the pre-screening questions. It is therefore important to ensure you provide complete answers to each pre-screening question.

Candidates may also be assessed using the following tools: written exam, interview and reference check.

A pass mark will be established for each qualification. However, achieving the pass mark is not guarantee of an appointment or that candidates will be put through the next stages of the assessment process. A cut-off score and a top-down approach may be used at any step if there is a sufficient number of candidates to meet immediate and anticipated staffing needs.

Depending on the requirements of the position(s) being staffed from this process, for current or future vacancies, any or all of the asset qualifications, operational requirements, and organizational needs may be applied at the time of staffing. Candidates may be contacted and assessed against these criteria at any time during this process.

Asset qualifications may be used in the screening process. Therefore candidates must clearly demonstrate in their application how they meet the asset criteria for education and experience.

All communication relating to this process, including email correspondence may be used in the assessment of qualifications.

For this process, we find that email is the most efficient way to communicate with you. Candidates who apply to this selection process should include an email address that accepts emails from unknown users (some email systems block these types of email). If you do not wish to receive results by email, or if you change your email address during the process, it is your responsibility to inform us.

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:
http://www.cfp-psc.gc.ca/ppc-cpp/psc-tests-cfp/uit-telns/uit-telns-lang/uit-telns-lang-eng.htm

Candidates with foreign credentials must provide proof of Canadian equivalency. Consult the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials for further information at http://www.cicic.ca/.

You must provide proof of your education credentials.

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 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 Indigenous person, 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.