Scientific Evaluator II, Scientific Project Coordinator II

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Request accommodation if you have a temporary or permanent functional limitation that may impact your performance during an assessment, such as a test or an interview. Your request will be treated confidentially. Changes could be made to the assessment procedure, format or content of an assessment tool. Supporting documentation regarding your limitation(s) may be needed to identify what measures would be required to fully demonstrate your abilities.

For more information about assessment accommodation: canada.ca/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.

// What is an inventory? //

When you apply to this selection process, you are not applying for a specific job, but to an inventory to fill upcoming employment opportunities at the BI-02 group and level within the Public Health Agency of Canada. Applicants who apply to an inventory process may be referred for one or more opportunities if they meet the needs of the position identified for staffing. Management can decide to access applications at any point so please ensure you submit your application as soon as possible.

// How can you apply? //

To apply for this process:
• provide your resume (no cover letter needed)
• answer a questionnaire online

When you apply you will be asked a series of screening questions based on the education and experience criteria below. When answering the screening questions, please provide:
• Concrete and detailed examples to demonstrate how you meet the qualifications;
• Where, when and how the experience was acquired.

We can’t make any assumptions about your experience. Simply saying you have the required qualifications or listing your current duties is not enough. We’ll only use your résumé as a secondary source of information. The depth and breadth of experience of an applicant may be considered as part of screening or selection of a candidate, which is why it is recommended you quantify your experience. The screening questions are the primary source of information the screening board may use and your resume may only be used as a secondary source to verify information.

More information about maintaining your application, screening & assessment can be found at the bottom of this advertisement

Duties

This inventory is a joint effort between the Centre for Biosecurity and the Centre for Immunization and Respiratory Infectious Diseases.

In the Centre for Biosecurity, duties for certain positions may include:
• Performing pathogen or toxin risk assessments and containment level assessments.
• Developing and supporting the implementation of biosafety, biosecurity, and biocontainment standards, guidelines, directives, and advisories.
• Verifying and promoting compliance of laboratories through on-site inspections, document reviews, and audits.
• Carrying out compliance monitoring and verification activities.
• Conducting regulatory enforcement activities.
• Travelling within Canada (by train, plane, and rental car) to conduct compliance and enforcement activities.
• Communicating with stakeholders and responding to inquiries.
• Participating in meetings and working groups on operational and program issues.
• Creating, maintaining, and using standard operating procedures and tools.
• Contributing to the development of policy documents.
• Completing training as required by department or program.

In the Centre for Immunization and Respiratory Infectious Diseases, duties for certain positions may include:
• Gathering, analyzing, reviewing, and interpreting scientific data from a variety of sources
• Providing advice on review protocols, analyses, and scientific projects
• Presenting to external advisory bodies and associated working groups
• Conducting evidence reviews and quality appraisals of scientific literature
• Contributing to the development of guidance documents
• Liaising with stakeholders, including expert organizations and industry
• Participating on various working groups and committees
• Contributing to the development of briefing documents

Work environment

Who are we?

The Public Health Agency of Canada has been created to deliver on the Government of Canada's commitment to help protect the health and safety of all Canadians. Its activities focus on preventing chronic diseases, like cancer and heart disease, preventing injuries and responding to public health emergencies and infectious disease outbreaks.

Why should you consider the Public Health Agency of Canada as your next career stepping-stone?

The Public Health Agency of Canada provides its employees with an exceptional workplace, opportunities for professional development, access to continued learning throughout their careers and flexible work schedules. You will have the opportunity to work in a fast-paced organization with engaged individuals. You will also enjoy your salary, as well as, benefits (dental and health care) for you and your family, an appealing pension plan and access to our Family and Employee Assistance Program.

Intent of the process

You may have noticed this inventory doesn’t close for quite some time… That is because our organization is constantly growing which means we always have job opportunities. This inventory is anticipatory, which means you are not applying to a specific job, but to an inventory for future vacancies. Our plan is to retrieve applications on an as needed basis and assess the applicants. Please note that each hiring manager may have specific criteria to assess for their respective positions. You only need to apply once to be considered for many opportunities. Don’t worry, once your application is in our inventory, even if your application is not retrieved for one job, it remains in the inventory and can be retrieved later for other opportunities. As an applicant, you can go back and update your résumé or respond to the pre-screening questions at any time.

This inventory may be used to staff immediate and future vacant positions within the Public Health Agency of Canada:
* various tenures,
* various language requirements and linguistic profiles,
* various security requirements,
* various operational requirements, and/or
* various conditions of employment.

This inventory can also be used by Health Canada after six (6) months of being active.

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.

Positions to be filled: 10

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

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

Essential Education:
Graduation with a degree from a recognized post-secondary institution with specialization in a biological science relevant to the duties of the position (e.g. microbiology, immunology, biotechnology, molecular biology, cell biology, biochemistry, biomedical science, or other related discipline); or

For multidisciplinary positions classified as BI, the minimum standard is:
Graduation with a degree from a recognized post-secondary institution in a natural, physical or applied science with specialization in a field relevant to the duties of the position (e.g. public health, epidemiology, immunology, or other related discipline).

Note: The courses for the specialization must be acceptable and must have been taken at a recognized post-secondary institution, but not necessarily within a degree program in the required specialization.

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/.

Degree equivalency

Essential Experience:
• Experience analysing and summarizing scientific or regulatory information.
• Experience writing documents or reports with technical, regulatory, or scientific content.
• Experience executing projects and prioritizing multiple tasks with minimal supervision.

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

Various language requirements
English Essential
Bilingual Imperative (BBB/BBB, CBC/CBC, CCC/CCC)

Information on language requirements

Essential Abilities:
• Ability to analyze and summarize scientific information.
• Ability to work effectively both individually and in a team.
• Ability to communicate effectively orally.
• Ability to communicate effectively in writing.

Essential Personal Suitability:
• Judgment: You know when to tackle a challenge yourself by considering/deliberating a situation to reach a rational conclusion. You make well-thought, appropriate, logical, and practical decisions by weighing the pros and cons.
• Dependability: When it’s crunch time, you can be counted on to pitch in where needed to get things done. You are reliable and punctual and perform work consistently and competently.
• Effective Interpersonal Skills: You’re a pleasant people-person; you establish positive working relationships and actively listen to and respect the views of others. You don’t hog the ball; you recognize the contributions and celebrate the successes of others, you work collaboratively with others and you aid in the balancing of your own needs with those of other team members.
• Thoroughness: You’re an expert at the nitty-gritty, you ensure that your work is done accurately and fully, you correct errors when necessary and you pay attention to detail.

NOTE:
▪ Based on the hiring division’s needs, additional essential qualifications, asset qualifications, organizational needs, operational requirements and/or conditions of employment maybe identified and applied during the assessment and/or selection of candidates.

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

Candidates MAY be required to meet ONE OR MORE of the following qualifications, depending on the requirements of the specific position being staffed as they may be deemed as either an Essential or Asset qualification.

Asset or Essential Experience:
• Experience working in a biological science laboratory relevant to the duties of the position.
• Experience conducting scientific evidence reviews.
• Experience conducting clinical research studies.
• Experience with critical appraisal of studies in epidemiology and public health.

Asset or Essential Knowledge:
• Knowledge of risk assessment process.
• Knowledge of human or animal pathogens or toxins.
• Knowledge of current biosafety, biosecurity, and biocontainment principles, practices, and regulations.
• Knowledge of the theories, principles and methods in biological science relevant to immunization and vaccines.
• Knowledge of the systematic review process.
• Knowledge of scientific methodology and research.

Asset or Essential Abilities:
• Ability to perform a variety of physical tasks during inspections, for example, these tasks include but are not limited to, standing up and walking for a long period of time, climbing, bending, carrying tools and equipment, and taking notes.
• Ability to use a variety of senses and physical ability during inspections, for example, this includes but is not limited to, hearing (e.g. audible alarms, conversations), seeing (e.g. visible alarms, laboratory features), and speaking.

Asset or Essential Personal Suitability:
• Adaptability: You adapt easily and positively to change and new situations or ways of doing things. You’re open to the ideas of others and accept suggestions, comments, and feedback. You adjust to different individuals or groups and adapt well to uncertainty and operational stress.

Organizational Needs:
The Public Health Agency of Canada is committed to Employment Equity. In order to ensure a diversified workforce, preference may be given to candidates self-identifying as belonging to one of the four designated Employment Equity groups provided the candidate meets all essential qualifications listed on the job poster and any applicable asset qualification(s): Indigenous Peoples, Persons with a Disability, Visible Minorities, and Women.

Information on employment equity

NOTE: Based on the hiring needs, additional essential qualifications, asset qualifications, organizational needs,operational requirements and/or conditions of employment may be identified and applied during the assessment and/or selection of candidates.

Operational Requirements
Operational requirements vary by position; candidates MAY be required to meet ONE OR MORE of the following operational requirements depending on the requirements of the specific position being staffed:
• Willingness and ability to work overtime, as required.
• Willingness and ability to travel for government business several times per year for periods up to 5 days at a time.
• Willingness and ability to perform a variety of physical tasks during inspections, for example, these tasks include but are not limited to, standing up and walking for a long period of time, climbing, bending, carrying tools and equipment, and taking notes.
• Willingness and ability to use a variety of senses and physical ability during inspections, for example, this includes but is not limited to, hearing (e.g. audible alarms, conversations), seeing (e.g. visible alarms, laboratory features), and speaking.

Conditions of employment

Secret or Reliability security clearance (depending on the position being staffed).

Conditions of employment vary by positions; therefore, not all of the following conditions of employment may apply to positions being staffed. We encourage everyone to apply even if you may not be able or willing to meet one or more of the following conditions of employment:

• Possession of a valid driver’s license.
• Willingness and ability to successfully complete the training required to obtain and maintain inspector designations under the Human Pathogens and Toxins Act (HPTA) and the Health of Animals Act (HAA).
• Willingness and ability to obtain and retain a Human Pathogens and Toxins Act Security Clearance.
• Willingness and ability to meet the medical requirements to conduct inspections, including but not limited to, obtaining vaccinations and performing tests (e.g. antibody titre tests, tuberculin skin test).

NOTE: Candidates must meet and maintain the above conditions of employment throughout their employment for the positions to which they apply.

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

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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◦ How will you communicate with me?
We will contact you by email or through your GC Jobs account.
Please ensure that your email is valid and accepts messages from unknown users. It is your responsibility to regularly check your email, junk mail and your GC Jobs account to find out about all the information regarding this inventory.

◦ How does an inventory work?
An inventory is a selection process that can be used by various hiring managers to meet their current and future needs. As a result, you will apply only once to be considered for multiple job opportunities at the BI-02 level.

◦ Why was my application automatically rejected when I submitted it?
In order to be placed in the inventory, you must meet the essential education qualification at the time you submit your application. If you receive a message "Application rejected at screening" immediately after submitting your application, you probably answered "No" to the screening question assessing the essential qualification of education. If you have incorrectly indicated "No" for this qualification, simply retrieve your application and update your answer to the screening question.

◦ Can I update my application to reflect any gained experience or to make any other changes to better my application?
Yes, we will be assessing candidates in batches throughout the year, therefore, you have the opportunity to gain more experience and update your application. In order to update your application, you need to sign into your account, click “Job applications” and then “retrieve” your application. This will remove your application from the inventory and then you will need to resubmit your application to be placed back into the inventory.

◦ What does "Registered in the inventory" mean?
Once your application has been successfully submitted to the inventory, your status may be: "Date of disclosure of results: Listed in the inventory". This automatically generated message by the system means that your application can be considered. You will be informed in the event that your application is considered as part of a process generated from this inventory.

◦ What happens if my application expires?
Your application will be kept in the inventory for 90 days. A notice will be posted in the "My Job File" menu of your account 12 days before your application expires. If you do not take this into account, your application will be deactivated and it will no longer be considered for submissions from this inventory. In the event that your application expires during the effective period of this inventory, a notice will be posted in your account. If you wish to confirm your interest and reactivate your application, select the "Renewal of my application" link.

◦ My personal information has changed, what should I do?
Simply update them in the "Personal Information" section, in the "My Job File" menu of your account. This will allow us to have your current contact information and ensure adequate follow-up in the event that your application is considered as part of a process issued from this inventory.

◦ I have a disability that does not allow me to apply online, who do I contact to help me with the submission of my job application?
You can contact an Officer at the Federal Public Service Job Advertisement Information Line by calling 1-800-645-5605.

◦ Who can I contact if I have technical difficulties with the GC Jobs website ?
You can contact the Public Service Commission of Canada's support centre by selecting the "Contact Us" link below, in the left corner of this window, or by calling 1-888-780-4444.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST:

PSRS will automatically disconnect candidates without warning after 60 minutes if there is no activity. You need to save or move to a new screen to maintain your connection. Typing information without saving does not prevent you from being disconnected. Applicants may find it helpful to first use a word processing software to complete their responses using concrete and detailed examples, then copy and paste the responses into PSRS afterwards.

All communications related to this selection process, including emails, may be used to evaluate the candidates.

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.

Persons with disabilities preventing them from applying online are asked to contact us toll free at 1-800-645-5605 and press '0' for assistance.

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.