FOREST FIRE RESEARCH 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 specialized accommodation. All information received in relation to accommodation will be kept confidential.

Assessment accommodation

Persons residing abroad may also apply.

We will only accept on-line applications received via the GC Jobs site at: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-service-commission/jobs/services/gc-jobs.html. 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.

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

The Pacific Forestry Centre is an internationally-recognized forest science laboratory specializing in forest disturbances, economics, carbon science, and remote sensing. A vibrant group of researchers, technical staff and administrative staff work to maintain a creative and stimulating work environment. The research centre is located in Victoria, a dynamic coastal city on southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

Challenge

Wildland urban interface fires are an important fire and emergency management challenge and a threat to public safety. Research is needed to better define wildland urban interface fire risk, model fire behavior in the interface between wildlands and communities, understand community and structure susceptibility, and develop and test the effectiveness of mitigation techniques to enhance the resilience of Canadian communities and fire management systems to wildland fire.

Working with a multidisciplinary team of scientists, technicians, and economists, as well as with fire managers and stakeholders in different areas of the country, the successful candidate will develop a research program on wildland-urban interface fire, covering topics in fire behaviour prediction, fire management operations, or fire risk assessment and mitigation, depending on their expertise. A combination of field, laboratory, and simulation approaches are expected.

Intent of the process

A pool of (fully or partially qualified) candidates may be established through this process to staff identical or similar positions within Natural Resources Canada with various tenures (determinate period or permanent), various language requirements (English Essential, French Essential, English or French Essential, or Bilingual), linguistic requirements (imperative and/or non-imperative) and profile(s) (BBB/BBB, CBC/CBC, CCC/CCC, etc.), various security requirements (Reliability status or Secret clearance), 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 an acceptable doctoral degree from a recognized Post-Secondary Institute in a field of the natural or physical sciences, engineering or statistics/mathematics.

Productivity/Recognition:

Productivity or recognition refers to recognized achievement in the form of authorship and editorship of published or unpublished reports, books, papers, or other communications in wildfire science or fire management resulting from:
• Research, experimental development, or tasking associated with operational equipment and problems;
• Operational research and scientific analysis;
• Planning, analysis and evaluation of Canadian and foreign programs in research and development.

It also includes developmental work leading to the issue of patents, copyrights, or the creation of improved varieties, functions, or designs, and/or recognition by the professional community of the research environment.

Degree equivalency

Experience in designing or leading research studies.
Experience in conducting research directly related to at least one of the following: forest fire danger, fire behaviour, fire risk analysis, fire management systems, fire safety engineering, or combustion physics.
Experience working with analytical packages and tools such as R, SAS, MatLab, Python or similar.
Significant experience (at least 4 manuscripts and first author of a minimum of one) in the publication of peer-reviewed articles in the field of fire research.

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

In support of achieving a diversified workforce, consideration may be given to candidates self-identifying as belonging to one of the following Employment Equity Groups: Aboriginal peoples, Persons with a Disability, Visible Minorities, and Women.

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

Various language requirements
The position to be staffed immediately require the following language requirement: English Essential.

Information on language requirements

Knowledge of the physical fire environment (e.g., processes by which forest fires ignite, spread, extinguish).
Knowledge of quantitative risk assessment and management principles.
Knowledge of systems of forest fire management.

Ability to prepare research proposals and manage projects.
Ability to communicate effectively in English orally
Ability to communicate effectively in English in writing.

Leadership;
Strong organization skills;
Integrity;
Effective interpersonal relationships.

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

Experience with either field survey, field sampling, or environmental monitoring methods.
Experience with one or more of analytics, data science, or statistical methods.
Experience supervising scientific staff.
Experience participating in multidisciplinary research projects.
Experience in communicating and applying research results in the end-user community, including writing technical reports for field managers and other stakeholders

Conditions of employment

Reliability Status security clearance

National and International travel is required.
Some field work is required.
Valid Driver’s License.
Medical Assessment.

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 designated groups when you apply.

Information on employment equity

You must provide proof of your education credentials. 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/.

An interview may be conducted.

A written examination may be administered.

Reference checks may be requested.

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.

Candidates must meet the essential qualifications to be appointed to a position.

Candidates must meet the conditions of employment and continue to meet these same conditions during their employment.

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.

Random selection and/or top-down selection may be used at any time during the process to identify which applicants will be further assessed.

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.

Preference

Preference will be given to veterans and to Canadian citizens, in that order, with the exception of a job located in Nunavut, where Nunavut Inuit will be appointed first.

Information on the preference to veterans

We thank all those who apply. Only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.