Advisor, Foreign Language Testing

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

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: Candidates must clearly demonstrate, by responding to the preselection questionnaire, how they meet the education and experience factors listed in the essential and asset qualifications.

YOU MUST APPLY ONLINE. No application via e-mail will be accepted.

BENEFITS OF APPLYING ON-LINE:
• Candidates can create a profile and manage their account in the Public Service Resourcing System (PSRS) and apply to job opportunities.
• Candidates can retrieve stored application(s) previously submitted.
• Candidates can modify their application/resume at any time BEFORE the closing date indicated on the job advertisement.

Work environment

The Canadian Foreign Service Institute’s Foreign Language Evaluation Unit provides official foreign language proficiency evaluations to Global Affairs Canada employees and employees of partner government departments. The Evaluation Unit is composed of a dynamic, multilingual and multicultural team of language testing specialists responsible for testing operations, tester development and quality assurance.

Intent of the process

The immediate need is to staff one (1) indeterminate position with a bilingual imperative CCC/CCC linguistic profile.

This process will also be used to establish a partially assessed pool of candidates that may be used to staff similar positions at an identical or equivalent group and level and with various official language proficiencies such as : (Bilingual Imperative BBB/BBB, Bilingual Imperative CBC/CBC, Bilingual Imperative CCC/CCC), and various tenures using various staffing mechanisms such as: (Indeterminate appointment, Term appointment, Acting appointment, Deployment, Assignment or Secondment).

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)

EDUCATION:
Graduation with a degree from a recognized post-secondary institution with acceptable specialization in education, applied linguistics, social sciences, international relations, intercultural studies, psychology, adult education, literature, international development or a related discipline.

NOTE: Candidates must always have a degree. The courses for the specialization must be acceptable and may have been taken at a recognized post-secondary institution, but not necessarily within a degree program in the required specialization. The specialization may also be obtained through an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience.

Degree equivalency

EXPERIENCES:
EX1. Experience in conducting language proficiency tests to adults in a professional setting or at university level in any language modality (speaking, listening, reading or writing).
EX2. Experience researching and analyzing information from various sources.
EX3. Experience in identifying or developing testing items.
EX4. Experience in project management.
EX5. Experience reading and interpreting language proficiency rating scales.

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

Various language requirements
• Bilingual imperative CCC/CCC
• English essential

Information on language requirements

Second Language Writing Skills Self-Assessment
In order to help you decide if you should apply to a bilingual position, an optional self-assessment of your writing skills in your second official language is available for you to take before completing your application.

For more information, please consult:
Unsupervised Internet Test of Second Language Writing Skills

KNOWLEDGE:
K1. Knowledge of speaking and reading language testing design principles and practices.
K2. Knowledge of adult learning principles and practices.

ABILITIES:
AB1. Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
AB2. Ability to work on multiple projects concurrently.
AB3. Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing.
AB4. Ability to interpret the level descriptions of the Interagency Language Roundtable Scale (ILR) scale.

PERSONAL SUITABILITIES:
PS1. Judgement
PS2. Intercultural competency
PS3. Initiative
PS4. Reliability
PS5. Team work
PS6. Tact

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

ASSET EDUCATION:
AED1. Certification in the administration of language proficiency tests by a recognized organization (e.g. the Canadian Foreign Service Institute, the Public Service Commission, the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages, ETS, the British Council, FSI, etc.)
AED2. Master’s degree or PhD in education or applied linguistics from a recognized post-secondary institution.

Degree equivalency

ASSET EXPERIENCE:
AEX1. Experience using current technologies for the administration of language tests.
AEX2. Experience conducting data analysis for language testing (interrater reliability, rate of agreement, rate of accuracy, etc.).
AEX3. Experience developing e-learning tools.
AEX4. Experience in tester coaching.

ASSET SKILLS:
Professional Proficiency at minimum of level 2 (ILR)* in Japanese, Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese, Russian, German or Mandarin.

*Interagency Language Roundtable

OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
Willingness to work overtime on short notice occasionally.
Willingness and capacity to travel occasionally.

Conditions of employment

Secret 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

1. Communication for this process will be sent via email. It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure accurate contact information is provided and updated as required. Candidates who apply to this selection process should include an email address that accepts email from unknown users (some email systems block these types of email).

2. Any information provided may be verified through various sources.

3. Candidates are advised that an exam and/or interview will only be rescheduled under these exceptional circumstances:
- Medical reason with certificate;
- Pre-arranged travel with proof;
- Pre-scheduled training with proof;
- Pre-arranged exam/interview for another Government of Canada staffing process with proof;
- Death in the family with proof;
- Other exceptional reason deemed acceptable by the Selection Board (e.g. Jury Duty, etc.).

4. You will be required to 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/

5. 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.

6. 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. It is your responsibility to provide appropriate examples that illustrate how you meet each qualification. Failing to do so could result in your application being rejected.

7. The board members may retain a certain number of applicants for further assessment, based on a top-down approach or based on some of the assets qualifications.

8. Accommodations: In order to ensure that you are assessed in a fair and equitable manner in the next stages, please advise us if you require accommodation measures. Please note that the asset qualifications may be invoked at any time of the selection process including the screening stage.

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.