Science Director

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

In order to have your application considered, all screening/text questions must be answered. Candidates must provide CONCRETE EXAMPLES WHICH DEMONSTRATE, how they meet the education requirement and the experience factors listed in the essential qualifications. Please note that it is not sufficient to only state that the requirement is met or to provide a listing of current responsibilities.

If you do not clearly demonstrate how you meet all screening criteria, your application will be rejected. Your application may also be rejected if it has incomplete information. We will not contact you to request information that is missing from your application. Résumés will be used as a secondary source to validate the education and/or experience described in the screening/text questions.

Intent of the process

The intent of this process is initially to staff the positions of Director, Entomology & Phytosanitary Research & Programs in Victoria, BC and Director, Wildland Fire Research in Edmonton, Alberta.

A pool of candidates will be established in anticipation of staffing the position of Director, Wildland Fire Research in Edmonton, AB. The language profile for this position is bilingual BBB. This position provides national leadership on wildland fire science and research within the Canadian Forest Service, and with provinces, territories, and other partners. It also leads the fire research team at the Northern Forestry Centre, which includes the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System.

In addition, this process will also serve to create a broader pool of Science Directors that could be drawn upon to fill vacancies by other NRCan centres from across the country with various locations, tenures (determinate period or permanent), various language requirements (English Essential, French Essential, English or French Essential, or Bilingual), linguistic requirements (imperative and/or non-imperative) and profile(s) (BBB/BBB, CBC/CBC, CCC/CCC, etc.), various security requirements (Reliability status or Secret clearance), and various conditions of employment.

Positions to be filled: Number to be determined

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 an acceptable doctoral degree from a recognised post-secondary institution in a field of natural sciences related to the duties of the position, or the employer-approved alternative for the SE classification.

The employer-approved alternative for the SE classification is an acceptable master’s or bachelor’s degree coupled with acceptable research, training, publications (minimum 3 peer-reviewed), and experience. The degree must be from a recognized post-secondary institution and in scientific fields and specialities related to the duties of the position. The training and experience must clearly demonstrate the ability to do personal research of doctoral degree calibre.

Degree equivalency

Experience
Extensive experience* in managing a range of scientific research activities related to climate change, forestry, biology, ecology or other scientific field relevant to the position.
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Extensive experience* in providing strategic advice to senior management, such as related to policy options or program development.

Experience in the planning and managing of human** and financial*** resources

Experience in developing and delivering collaborative research initiatives with various partners or stakeholders

*Extensive experience is defined as three (3) years of experience acquired in the last seven (7) years.
**Managing human resources is defined as applicants must clearly demonstrate that they have supervised staff, assigned work, managed and assessed performance and ensured development and training needs of employees are met.
***Managing financial resources is defined, as applicants must show evidence of managing and being accountable for a budget. This experience is defined as being responsible for sound financial planning, forecasting and reporting.

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

English essential

Information on language requirements

Knowledge
Knowledge of Canada’s forest sector and its current challenges or opportunities related to environmental performance
Knowledge of forest ecosystems in a changing climate
Knowledge of Canadian policy objectives or options related to the environment and natural resources

Abilities
Ability to analyze options and present clear recommendations to senior management
Ability to lead interdisciplinary research teams
Ability to integrate diverse perspectives in a systems approach
Ability to communicate effectively in writing
Ability to communicate effectively orally

Key Leadership Competencies
Create Vision and Strategy
Mobilize People
Uphold Integrity and Respect
Collaborate with Partners and Stakeholders
Promote Innovation and Guide Change
Adaptability
Achieve Results

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

ASSET QUALIFICATIONS
Master or Doctorate degree

Degree equivalency

Experience in forest research project management
Experience in government at the management level
Experience in science-policy integration
Experience in knowledge exchange between science and practitioners
Experience with forest fire operations or research

ORGANIZATIONAL NEEDS
Natural Resources Canada is committed to establishing and maintaining a representative workforce. This organizational need may be identified as part of the appointment decision. In such cases, qualified candidates who self-declare as members of a visible minority group, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities, or women (in non-traditional occupations) could be considered in priority.

OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Willingness and ability to work flexible hours including overtime
Willingness and ability to travel when required

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

All applications must be submitted online through the GC Jobs website. DO NOT email, fax or mail in applications, as these will NOT be accepted..

Acknowledgment of receipts of applications will not be sent; we will only contact successful applicants when the screening process has been completed.

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

Applicants are required to meet the Essential Qualifications. Asset Qualifications MAY be applied at any point in the assessment process. Therefore, you are strongly encouraged to answer Asset Qualifications questions in your online application. Applicants do not need to meet any/all of the Asset Qualifications for consideration, however, possessing any/all of the Asset Qualifications may increase the likelihood of being considered for an appointment.

Natural Resources Canada is committed to establishing and maintaining a representative workforce. This organizational need may be identified as part of the appointment decision. In such cases, qualified candidates who self-declare as members of a visible minority group, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities or women (in non-traditional occupations) could be considered in priority.

An interview may be sought.

A written test may be administered.

A situational exercise may/will be administered.

Reference checks may be sought.

Random selection and/or top-down selection may be used at any time during the process to identify which applicants will be further assessed.

Candidates should be prepared to provide proof of education (copy of degree/diploma) and citizenship or permanent resident status. If you have obtained education outside Canada, you will be required to submit proof of evaluation of Canadian equivalency.

Candidates from outside the public service may be required to pay for travel and relocation costs associated with this selection process.

If you are selected for further consideration, please advise the person who will contact you of any accommodations you may require during the selection process.

Applicants are asked to indicate their preferred official language in their application.

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