Research Scientist – Environmental and Reproductive Epidemiology

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

- All Research Scientist (RES) appointments are incumbent based. Therefore, the level of the position is determined by the qualifications/accomplishments of the successful candidate as determined by a committee.

- 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/.

Health Canada is responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health. Health Canada drives innovation and ingenuity to build a world-leading science and research base for the benefit of all Canadians. Good health depends on good science. Research and applied science are used to help develop the department's policies and programs. The work of our scientists and researchers helps influence decisions about diseases, hazardous substances, food and drugs, consumer products, tobacco and much more.

As a researcher in the Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, your duties will include leading a scientific research program designed to study exposure to and potential reproductive and child developmental health effects of environmental chemicals while working with a diverse team across Canada and collaborating with external partners in academia, other government departments and agencies as well as the private sector to support discovery science and innovation in the sector.

Duties

The successful candidate will engage in studies designing, implementing, and analyzing environmental chemical exposure data associated with reproductive and child health outcomes. The successful candidate will work with a diverse team of epidemiologists, statisticians, and clinicians from across Canada and the US and collaborate with external partners in academia, other government departments and agencies.

Intent of the process

We are seeking a talented and motivated epidemiologist to join a vibrant research team in the Environmental Health Science and Research Bureau at Health Canada, who are working to understand how chemicals in our environment impact pregnancy, infant, and child health outcomes.

This selection process may be used to staff similar positions with various tenures within the Health Portfolio.

Positions to be filled: Number to be determined

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

A covering letter in 3,000 words (maximum) "Please describe your productivity, professional recognition and research interests and how they might align with the duties of the position. Please note that your responses to the cover letter, screening questions and your resume will evaluate your ability to communicate effectively in writing."

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:

•Graduation with an acceptable doctoral degree from a recognized post-secondary institution in a field of the natural sciences related to the duties of the position, such as epidemiology, biostatistics, or environmental health, or the employer-approved alternative for the SE classification. (See *Note).

*Note:
The employer-approved alternative is an acceptable master's or bachelor's degree coupled with acceptable research, training and experience. The degree must be from a recognized university and in scientific fields and specialties related to the duties of the position. The training and experience must clearly demonstrate the ability to do personal research of doctoral degree calibre.

Productivity or recognition is required for all positions in the Research Scientist sub-group (SE-RES) (Revised October 1, 1999).

Productivity or recognition refers to recognized achievement in the form of authorship and/or editorship* of published or unpublished reports, books, papers, or other communications resulting from:
• Research or experimental development;
• Operational research and scientific analysis;
• Planning, analysis and evaluation of Canadian and foreign programs in research and development.
Productivity or recognition 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.

*Productivity or recognition will be screened based on 3 senior author communications.

Degree equivalency

Experience:

- Significant experience** in the planning AND execution of population-based research to study effects of environmental chemicals on human male or female fertility, or effects of environmental chemicals on the health of pregnant women, the fetus, infants or children.

- Significant experience** in the presentation of research results at scientific conferences, symposia or meetings.

- Significant experience in the publication of scientific articles*** relevant to the duties of the position in quality English peer-reviewed journals.

**Significant experience is defined as 4 or more years of experience.

***Significant experience in the publication of scientific articles is defined as 3 or more senior author (first or last author) publications.

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

English essential

Information on language requirements

Knowledge:

- Knowledge of environmental epidemiology.

- Knowledge of reproductive or perinatal epidemiology.

- Knowledge of human exposure to environmental chemicals.

- Knowledge of statistical analysis methods for complex population-based data.

Abilities:

- Ability to design and conduct original and novel population-based environmental epidemiology studies.

- Ability to develop or apply statistical approaches to analyze data from population-based pregnancy studies.

- Ability to communicate effectively orally.

- Ability to communicate effectively in writing.****

- Ability to understand and follow written instructions.

****Please note that your responses to the cover letter, screening questions and your resume will evaluate your ability to communicate effectively in writing.

Personal Suitability:

- Effective interpersonal skills

- Judgement

- Initiative

- Respectful of diversity

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

Education (Asset):

A master’s or a doctoral degree in Epidemiology

Degree equivalency

Experience (Asset):

- Experience in working with pregnancy cohort data sets with at least 300 pregnancies.

- Experience in working with cohort data sets with at least 300 participants.

- Experience in leading multi-disciplinary project teams.

- Experience in developing questionnaires for epidemiologic studies.

- Experience using SAS in analysing data.

- Experience using R in analysing data.

Ability (Asset):

- Ability to identify knowledge gaps and new areas for analysis and research.

Operational Requirements:
Willingness and available to occasionally work extended hours or on weekends.

Conditions of employment

Various - Reliability or Secret security clearance will be required depending on the position being staffed.

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

Salary on appointment will be commensurate with qualifications.

C.V. may be used as a secondary source to validate the education and experience described in your application.

Candidates must provide their proof of education credentials at a later time in the process.

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/.

Volume management strategies may be used (for example: top down approach may be used).

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

Candidates may be required to meet the asset qualifications, the operational requirements or the organizational needs, depending on the requirements of the specific position being staffed.

You may be assessed using one or more of the following tools: standardized tests, written exam, interview, simulation exercise, and reference check.

Acknowledgment of receipt of applications will not be sent; we will contact candidates when the screening process is completed.

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. As English is essential for the position, the applicant’s ability to communicate scientific information related to the position orally and in writing in English will be tested as part of the selection process.

This selection process may be used to staff similar positions with various tenures within the Health Portfolio.

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, 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, 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.