Research Assistant - Climate Services - Research Affiliate Program

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

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Duties

The selected student will have the opportunity to be a member of a fast-paced, motivated team to support the Canadian Centre for Climate Services (CCCS) in the provision of climate services. The specific research focus could include topics such as: statistical downscaling of climate information; the development of climate information tailored for specific stakeholders; communicating climate change impacts to the public; or innovative data visualization. The duties of the student may include: reviews of scientific literature; quantitative research, data analysis, and visualization of results; writing summary reports for managers; and presenting results to a wide variety of audiences.

Work environment

The CCCS is an exciting new organization within Environment and Climate Change Canada that aims to provide user-driven climate services based on authoritative climate data, with the ultimate goal of allowing Canadians to make climate-smart adaptation decisions leading to a more resilient Canada.

The student will also have the unique opportunity to participate in a collaborative effort between multiple federal government departments, other levels of government, and regional climate expert organizations.

Positions to be filled: 1

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

A covering letter in 2,000 words (maximum) "Please submit a COVER LETTER with your application. It is your responsibility, as a candidate, to submit a cover letter which clearly demonstrates how you meet each of the essential and asset screening criteria for education and experience. Please note that it is not sufficient to only state that the qualification is met or to provide a listing of current or past responsibilities. Rather you must provide a minimum of two concrete examples with dates as to when these experiences were gained for each experience criterion. Please apply the following approach: use each screening qualification as a heading, and provide a description outlining how that qualification is met. The same approach should be used to demonstrate asset qualification for experience."

Contact information for 2 references.

A list of the courses you have taken as well as any courses that you are taking now, or that you will be taking this academic year

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

EDUCATION

Must be enrolled in a Master’s or PhD program in atmospheric science, climate science, or other related discipline in a Canadian University.

Degree equivalency

EXPERIENCE

Experience analyzing climatological and/or meteorological datasets.

Experience performing literature reviews.

Experience programming with scientific tools such as R, Python or Shell scripting.

KNOWLEDGE

A good understanding of climate change impacts in Canada.

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

English or French

Information on language requirements

ABILITIES

Ability to communicate through reports, papers, and presentation to a wide range of audiences.

Ability to multitask.

PERSONAL SUITABILITIES

Team work
Initiative

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

ASSET QUALIFICATIONS

Experience with mapping software such as ArcGIS or QGIS.

Experience working with Linux/Unix.

Experience with data-visualization (interactive web maps, interactive charts, etc).

Experience using climate projections to generate climate change impact information for stakeholders.

Conditions of employment

Reliability Status security clearance

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

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. Candidates must use each of the education and experience criteria as a header. Under each corresponding header you must provide appropriate examples that illustrates how you meet the education and experience factors. You must state clearly where and when you obtained the education and experiences, including the educational institution, and by identifying the employer(s) or organization(s) where you obtained the required experience factors, as well as concrete examples demonstrating your experiences. Failure to follow these instructions may result in your application being rejected.

Candidates must also demonstrate how they meet the ASSET (OTHER QUALIFICATIONS) by using the same format. For this part of the screening process, resumes will only be used as a secondary source to validate the essential experience listed in the cover letter.

Reference checks may be sought.

An interview may be administered.

A test may be administered.

A situational exercise may be administered.

You must provide proof of your education credentials.

Persons are entitled to participate in the appointment process in the official language of their choice.

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

Candidates from outside the public service may be required to pay for travel and relocation costs associated with this selection process.

Successful completion of both a RAP work assignment and your educational program may lead to a temporary or permanent federal public service position for which you meet the merit criteria and conditions of employment.

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.

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.
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.