Aquatic Environmental Scientist

Important messages

We are committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free work environment, starting with the hiring process. If you need to be accommodated during any phase of the evaluation process, please use the Contact information below to request special accommodation. All information received in relation to accommodation will be kept confidential.

Information on accommodation for persons with disabilities

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 both lab and tank scale 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 type, 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

This is an Anticipatory process. The intent of this process is to create a pool to staff one PC-02 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 PC-02 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.

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

Graduation with a Master’s degree from a recognized post-secondary institution, with acceptable specialization in chemistry, engineering, or some other science relevant to the position.

Degree equivalency

Experience with data gathering, analyzing and processing in the field of water or hydrocarbon chemistry.
Experience in analyses, modification or making suggestions as necessary to improve research methods.
Experience ordering supplies and basic equipment as required for laboratory testing.

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

English essential

Information on language requirements

Knowledge of Oil sands mining and in situ operations.
Knowledge of diluted bitumen and crude oils transported in a pipelines.
Knowledge of word-processing and spreadsheet software such as Word and Excel.
Knowledge of lab procedures and housekeeping to maintain high standard of lab safety.

Ability to communicate effectively orally.
Ability to communicate effectively in writing.
Ability to collect and organize data.
Ability to plan and organize work.
Ability to set up experimental apparatus, conduct experiments, prepare samples and analyse results.

Self-sufficiency
Effective interpersonal skills
Good judgement
Initiative

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

Experience using an autoclave in a pilot plant.
Experience with hydrocarbon extraction from water samples.
Experience coordinating with other team members, pilot plant and analytical lab staff in preparing samples and retrieving results.

Knowledge of data gathering, data synthesis and statistical analysis.

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.

Conditions of employment

Reliability Status security clearance - This factor is not used at the screening stage. The hiring department is responsible for the security clearance process.

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

An interview will be conducted.

References 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 GC Jobs 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.

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.