Reseach 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 specialized accommodation. All information received in relation to accommodation will be kept confidential.

Assessment accommodation

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 research focus could include topics such as the development of climate information and the computation of historical and future projections of climate indices, tailored for specific stakeholders. The duties of the student may include reviews of scientific literature, quantitative research, computation of climate indices, data analysis, 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 has been established by the federal government to provide climate information and innovative decision-support tools to help build resilience to climate change in Canada. As a whole-of-government initiative, the CCCS 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) "You must meet all ELIGIBILITY and 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 the eligibility, education and experience criteria as headers. Under each corresponding header, you must provide appropriate examples that illustrates how you meet the eligibility, education and experience factors. You must state clearly, if you are a Canadian citizen or have a valid working permit for Canada, if you are a Master's or PhD student having full-time student status for the entire period of the position, and where and when you obtained the education and the work experiences 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."

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:
At least one year of experience analyzing climate or meteorological datasets.
Experience with scientific programming (e.g. Python, R, or shell scripting, etc.).
Experience with data-visualization

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

English or French

Information on language requirements

KNOWLEDGE:
A thorough understanding of climate change impacts in Canada, climate change scenarios, and climate modeling.

ABILITY:
Ability to communicate through reports, papers, and oral presentations to a wide range of audiences.

PERSONAL SUITABILITY:
Team work
Initiative
Multitasking

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

EXPERIENCE:
Experience working with Linux/Unix
Experience in statistical analysis of outputs of global or regional climate models (GCMs or RCMs).
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 designated groups when you apply.

Information on employment equity

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.

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

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.

Preference

Preference will be given to Canadian citizens.

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