Senior Communications Advisor (supervisor) - 1 vacancy/ Senior Communications Officer (Anticipatory)

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

It is the responsibility of the candidate to clearly outline that they meet each of the criteria in the online questionnaire, which is provided during the application process. Please note that it is not sufficient to only state that the requirement is met or to provide a listing of past or current responsibilities. Rather the candidate must provide concrete and detailed examples that illustrate how they meet the requirement. Failure to do so could result in the application being rejected from the process. The screening board cannot make any assumptions about your experience and will not contact candidates for additional or potentially missing information.

Please DO NOT send a cover letter. The screening questions replace the cover letter. We will NOT review cover letters.

Your resume may be used to validate the information provided in the screening questions.

Stream 1: IS-04, Senior Communications Officer - Salary Range from $80,274 to $86,788 (ANTICIPATORY)
Stream 2: IS-05 Senior Communications Advisor (supervisor) - 1 vacancy - $89,415 -$96,461

Candidates applying from outside of Yellowknife must be willing to relocate. Relocation assistance is available. Applicants may wish to review the Relocation Directive for information: http://www.njc-cnm.gc.ca/directive/d6/v11/en

Duties

We are looking for communications professionals who would be responsible for a variety of communications services, including support for:

• planning and implementing communications and outreach strategies, events and activities;
• media relations;
• social media;
• writing newsletters and other publications;
• and other communications activities as required.

In our Communications teams, there is great potential to expand or gain experience in a variety of areas. The ideal candidate is someone who is interested in taking their communications skills and experiences to new heights. We are looking for someone who is creative, passionate, and embraces challenges. If you want to work on a Northern file, hands-on and north of 60, join us for this unique and rewarding opportunity.

We invite you to join an organization that is committed to ensuring an inclusive workplace and respect for all!

Work environment

Why choose Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC)? Contribute to CIRNAC’s interesting and unique mandate by playing a role in supporting a renewed nation-to-nation, Inuit-Crown, and government-to-government relationship with Indigenous Peoples. Leave your mark on Canadian history, as you work with a team that is leading the government’s work in the North. Join a workplace committed to reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. You can’t find this type of experience anywhere else.

Intent of the process

This process will be used to establish a pool of qualified candidates.

It may also be used to staff similar positions with various tenures (Deployment, Assignment, Secondment, Acting, Term or Indeterminate) within Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) with various security requirements (reliability or secret).

By default, and in the interest of the greater public service, pools created as a result of staffing processes at CIRNAC will be shared with other government departments.

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:
IS-04 and IS-05:
A degree from a recognized post-secondary institution.
• Based on their education, training and/or experience, indeterminate incumbents of positions in the IS classification are deemed to meet the minimum education standard whenever a bachelor’s degree without specialization is called for in a position classified as IS.
• At the manager’s discretion, an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience, may serve as an alternative to the minimum education standard.

Degree equivalency

EXPERIENCE:
IS-04 and IS-05
• Recent* experience developing communications products (such as but not limited to media lines, news releases, web content, social media content, newsletters, or other publications).
*Recent refers to within the last three years.

• Experience providing support for special events (such as but not limited to public events, ministerial or dignitary visits or events, media tours, or engagement sessions).

• Experience developing and implementing strategic** communications plans.
**Strategic is defined as anticipating opportunities, articulating and evaluating alternative strategies, and making recommendations on strategic choices.

• Recent* experience in proactive and reactive media relations (such as but not limited to facilitating media calls, developing key messages, preparing spokespersons for interviews, coordinating media events, and coordinating response to media inquiries).
*Recent refers to within the last three years.

IS-04 ONLY:
• Experience providing strategic** communications advice to external*** and internal audiences, including senior management.
**Strategic is defined as anticipating opportunities, articulating and evaluating alternative strategies, and making recommendations on strategic choices.
***External clients consist of parties outside your federal department/region or organization.

IS-05 ONLY:
• Recent* experience providing strategic** communications advice to managers on complex and sensitive files.
*Recent refers to within the last three years.
**Strategic is defined as anticipating opportunities, articulating and evaluating alternative strategies, and making recommendations on strategic choices.

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

English essential

Information on language requirements

KNOWLEDGE:
IS-04 and IS-05
• Knowledge of the mandate of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada.

ABILITIES/COMPETENCIES:
IS-04 and IS-05
• Ability to communicate effectively orally.
• Ability to communicate effectively in writing, using plain and clear language.

IS-04 ONLY:
• Ability to multitask and meet deadlines.

IS-05 ONLY:
• Ability to coordinate the work of employees.
• Ability to apply the Government of Canada’s (GoC) Policy on Communications and Federal Identity and/or the GoC’s Directive on the Management of Communications.

PERSONAL SUITABILITY:
IS-04 and IS-05
• Effective interpersonal skills
• Judgement
• Initiative
• Dependability

IS-05 ONLY:
• Leadership
• Demonstrates Integrity
• Demonstrates Respect

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

EDUCATION:
IS-04 and IS-05
• A degree from a recognized post-secondary institution specializing in communications, public relations/public affairs, business administration, journalism, or mass media.

Degree equivalency

EXPERIENCE:
• Experience working in Canada’s North.

IS-05 ONLY:
• Experience working in a Communications unit for the Government of Canada.

• Experience having direct supervision of employees (such as assigning work; managing performance, including providing feedback and coaching; and preparing learning plans).

KNOWLEDGE:
IS-04 and IS-05
Knowledge of Northern media and media relations strategies.

CURRENT AND/OR FUTURE ORGANIZATIONAL NEEDS
(Not essential, but preference may be given to candidates who possess the organizational needs)
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada is committed to having a skilled and diverse workforce representative of the population it serves. In support of our strategy to achieve our employment equity goals, selection may be limited to candidates self-identifying as belonging to one of the following Employment Equity groups: women, Indigenous Persons, visible minorities, and persons with disabilities.

OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS
• Willing and able to travel, potentially to remote areas.
• Willing and able to work overtime, weekends and/or statutory holidays and territorial/provincial holidays.

Conditions of employment

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
• Medical Clearance, as per Treasury Board of Canada
• IS-04 - Reliability Security Clearance
• IS-05 - 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. You will be required to complete an online questionnaire when you apply. You must respond to all statements in all categories in order to proceed to the next steps. You must indicate "NO" if you do not have experience in performing a task related to a specific field.

2. All applications must be submitted online through the Public Service Resourcing System (PSRS). Do not email, fax or mail in applications, as these may not be accepted.

3. 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.

4. Candidates are strongly encouraged to indicate if they meet any of the asset qualifications or the organizational needs, depending on the requirements of the specific position being staffed. Meeting one or many of the asset qualifications may be a deciding factor in appointing a particular candidate amongst the qualified candidates. Please note that one, some or all of the asset qualifications could be used at any stage of the staffing process.

5. Communication for this process will be sent via email. It is the candidate’s responsibility 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).

6. A variety of assessment tools may be used in the assessment of candidates, such as: * written test, practical test, situational exercise, * oral interview, simulation, presentation, role-play, work samples, performance appraisals and/or * reference checks. Some assessment tools may be administered electronically, others, in-person. (* Indicates those tools that will most likely be used in this process.)

7. Online assessments may be scheduled and applicants will be invited to participate in these assessments via email. Applicants MUST make themselves available within the time span of the testing phase. The written/online exam MAY be administered outside of regular working hours including evenings and weekends.

8. If you are unavailable for the scheduled assessment session, you must inform us immediately. Applicants will be only be rescheduled on a case-by-case basis. Supporting documentation may be required at the time of your request to be re-scheduled.

9. Applicants are entitled to participate in the staffing process in the official language of their choice and are required to indicate their preferred official language in their application profile.

10. NOTE: The PSRS systemwill time out after 60 minutes which may result in your inability to save your work or loss of data. It is recommended that you draft all responses as well as your CV/résumé in another document on your PC that can be saved (e.g. in MS Word or WordPerfect) and copy/paste into the PSRS system when completed. CIRNAC is not responsible for system problems, which may result in loss or data and/or incomplete or non-submitted applications.

11. CIRNAC 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 CIRNAC 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.

12. Depending on the number of applicants, CIRNAC needs and HR plans, volume management strategies such as random selection, application of one (1) or more assets, top-down approach, and/or cut-off scores MAY be used for the purpose of managing applications/candidates.

13. Candidates invited to the assessment stage will be required to provide ORIGINAL proof of their education credentials, i.e., their degree or official transcript. Failure to do so may result in you not being considered further in the selection process.

14. 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/

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.