Looking to impact Canada's Agriculture and Agri-Food sector?

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

When you apply to this selection process, you are not applying for a specific job, but to an inventory for future vacancies. As positions become available, applicants who meet the qualifications may be contacted for further assessment.

Duties

We are looking for individuals interested in leading sector development and analysis within the agriculture and agri-food industry in Canada and providing support to address issues impacting the competitiveness of the food processing sector. Specifically, we are looking to staff the following positions :

► Commerce Officers in the Finance and Claims team. These individuals benefit from the exposure of direct contact with recipients to process payments, including CFO’s of large Canadian Entities; supporting significant program budgets worth over $100M per year; and having access to the inner workings of the various Agriculture and Agri-Food programs.

►Commerce Officers in Program development and delivery. These individuals are on the forefront of Canada's Agriculture and Agri-Food programs. Not only are they experts in understanding where food comes from, they play a key role in the future of the agriculture industry by assessing project proposals, traveling to sites, meeting with industry members, and attending conferences and trade shows.

►Commerce Officers in Program Policy. These individuals play an essential role in supporting government decisions. They are given the opportunity to gain experience in working on Cabinet documents and Question Period cards, therefore lending a hand in the preparation of information for all Canadians.

Other positions may be staffed using this process.

Work environment

By joining Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, you will be part of a team which provides leadership in the growth and development of a competitive, innovative and sustainable Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector.

As an employee, you will be offered a competitive salary, generous vacation, paid leave for family and health, comprehensive benefits, and an attractive pension plan.

Intent of the process

This inventory is anticipatory and names will be selected as needs arise.

If you are an employee of the Public Service of Canada and are qualified through this process, you may be considered for acting, assignment, secondment or deployment opportunities and the proper approval will be sought.

Current employees of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada can also apply on selection process 19-AGR-NCR-IA-PB-680. There is no need to apply on both processes.

Positions to be filled: 5

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

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

In order to be considered for this opportunity, you will be asked to provide concrete examples of how you meet the following EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE qualifications when you apply.

► Graduation with a degree from a recognized post-secondary institution with specialization in business administration, international trade, commerce, finance, accounting, public administration, sciences, and/or agricultural management.

Degree equivalency

►Experience interpreting and analyzing information from a variety of sources to develop recommendations for key decision makers.
►Experience playing a significant role in projects and/or working groups.
►Experience conducting business, financial and/or sector analyses to determine project viability.
►Experience developing and maintaining relationships with stakeholders as it relates to the field of work.

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

Various language requirements
This inventory will be used to staff positions with various linguistic profiles, including English essential and bilingual positions. For bilingual positions, you must be able to work in English AND in French (Reading, Writing and Oral proficiency). We are looking for a bilingual profile of BBB/BBB or higher, if you aren't sure what that means, click on the link below!

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

The following KNOWLEDGE, COMPETENCIES and ABILITIES will be assessed throughout the process and will be a requirement for any positions being staffed.

KNOWLEDGE
► Knowledge of the agriculture and agri-food sectors.

COMPETENCIES
► Demonstrating Integrity and Respect
► Working Effectively with Others
► Showing Initiative and Being Action Orientated
► Thinking Things Through (Reasoning and Judgement)
► Adaptability

ABILITIES
► Ability to communicate effectively orally
► Ability to communicate effectively in writing
► Ability to research and analyze sector information to develop strategies or options to be presented to various audiences

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

Additional qualifications, such as those listed below, may be required by the hiring manager(s). Applicants will be provided the opportunity to submit information or be assessed in relation to any additional qualifications that may be applied at a later date.

► Graduation with a Master’s degree from a recognized post-secondary institution with specialization in business administration, international trade, commerce, finance, accounting, public administration, sciences, and/or agricultural management.

Degree equivalency

►For positions in Finance and Claims, we are looking for individuals who have previous experience in delivering financial management services, such as budgeting, forecasting, tracking, and reconciliations with central systems and reporting.

►For positions in Program development and delivery, we are looking for individuals who have previous experience in:
• interpreting legislation, regulations, policies and/or guidelines;
• assessing at least two of the following: project or client-based applications, business plans, marketing plans, strategic plans or financial statements; and/or
• negotiating, coordinating and managing contracts or funding agreements.

►For positions in Program Policy, we are looking for individuals who have previous experience in policy analysis and development and in quantitative and qualitative research.

Other sought after qualifications could include the following:
► Experience participating in economic development projects or programs
► Experience in program development or delivery
► Experience in conducting in-depth financial analysis of complex business development proposals and/or reports
► Experience writing analytical reports and briefing notes to management and program staff on financial matters
► Experience participating in policy development
► Experience writing Cabinet documents
► Experience supervising a team of employees
► Experience working on issues relating to financial services and/or payments
► Experience processing financial claims under a contribution agreement or contract
► Experience evaluating the financial performance of an organization

Conditions of employment

In order to be appointed, Reliability Status security clearance OR Secret security clearance will be required, depending on the job you are being hired for. You will be expected to maintain this clearance throughout the duration of your employment.

Other information

As an equal opportunity employer, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is committed to achieving a skilled, diversified workforce that reflects the diversity of the Canadian population. We encourage members of the following employment equity groups to apply and self-identify: Women (especially in non-traditional occupational groups), members of a visible minority group, Aboriginal people, and persons with a disability.

Only on-line applications through the jobs.gc.ca website will be accepted. Applications submitted by email will not be accepted.

Persons with disabilities preventing them from applying on-line are asked to contact 1-800-645-5605.

When applying on-line applicants can:
- create a profile and resume that can be used when applying for other processes
without having to recreate a new application each time;
- update their applications at any time;
- verify the status of their application at any time;
- find important information related to the process.

If you have an enquiry about your 'Applicant Profile', please contact the Public Service Commission directly for assistance.

Please identify the following on your application: substantive group and level if applicable; employment status; Personal Record Identifier (PRI).

There is a questionnaire that is part of this application process. Most questions are in a yes/no format, however, some will require additional details. Provide as much detail as possible to avoid being screened out. Do not copy and paste your resume when answering these questions. Your resume will be used for additional support for the answers you provide.

Communication for this inventory 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 inventory should include an email address that accepts email from unknown users (some email systems block these types of email).

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.

All communication relating to this inventory, including email correspondence may be used in the assessment of qualifications.

Appointment decisions may be based on one or more of the following criteria:
- Matching of the individual's experience or qualifications to the strengths and
weaknesses of the work team;
- Matching of the individual's experience or qualifications to the specific duties of the
position being staffed;
- Depth, breadth, type of work-specific experience;
- Level/degree of one or more competencies/qualifications.

There will be a security screening process prior to being hired that will include a criminal record check (fingerprinting) and credit check.

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.