Chief, Communications (various positions)

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

TRACK RECORD
A track record is an assessment instrument that asks you to describe your work-related accomplishments in terms of observable behaviours exhibited on the job. This consists of a structured template for you to record situations where you demonstrated behaviours associated with each qualification.
Candidates must clearly demonstrate how they meet each of the essential education and experience and the core and functional competencies. For each qualification, you will be asked to provide one or more examples from your own experience that you feel demonstrates your proficiency in each qualification. Your example must also reflect your typical work performance that you demonstrate on an ongoing or regular basis.
You must provide sufficient details in your track record to demonstrate:
1) That you possess the “essential qualification” (e.g. possess the experience or meet the competency);
AND,
2) That the quality of your work demonstrates sufficient mastery of that “essential qualification” to suggest readiness for the position to be staffed. Each essential qualification will be assessed taking into consideration both the candidates’ track record (self-evaluation) as well as an evaluation done by management.
Your supervisor will be asked to validate the provided information for accuracy and confirm your readiness for the position to be staffed. Please include the contact information of the supervisor that can validate the information, when providing your answer.
NOTE: The section named "other information" at the end has questions and answers which could be useful to candidates.

Work environment

Are you looking for a new challenge in an organization that encourages innovation and new ideas? Statistics Canada is the place to be! We are looking for energetic candidates who are eager to learn and grow in our department.
Why join Statistics Canada? Statistics Canada was a winner of the National Capital Region’s Top Employers Award for 2019 and is one of the Canada’s Top Employers for Young Professionals. Employees are proud to work at Statistics Canada, a reputable statistical agency recognized worldwide for maintaining high quality data and information for Canadians.

Intent of the process

A partially qualified referral list of candidates will be established to staff similar or identical positions within the National Capital Region with various tenures and security requirements.

Positions to be filled: 3

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

Contact information for 2 references.

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

Education

A degree* from a recognized post-secondary institution relevant to communications.

*Proof of education will be required prior to appointment.

Notes:
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:

Ex 1 – *Significant experience in the analysis and management of internal or external communications issues.
Ex2 – *Significant experience in developing communications, engagement, media relations or social media strategies and relevant products.
Ex3 – **Recent experience in developing internal and external relationships or multiple player projects
Ex4 – *Significant experience in providing strategic communications, engagement, media relations or social media advice to internal clients, external partners or to ***senior management.
Ex5 – **Recent experience in leading a team and managing financial resources.

*Significant experience is understood to mean the depth and breadth of experience normally associated with having performed a broad range of complex activities related to this task, which are normally acquired over a period of three (3) years.
**Recent experience is understood to mean within the last five (5) years.
***Senior officials/senior management is defined as Director or above.

Competencies

C1-Demonstrating integrity and respect
C2-Thinking things through
C3-Working effectively with others
C4-Showing initiative and being action-oriented

If you possess any of the following, your application must also clearly explain how you meet it (other qualifications)

Assets experiences:

*Note: only elaborate on asset qualifications for those positions in which you have an interest in applying.

Creative Services

- Experience managing creative services, including graphic design and video production.
- Experience in managing partnership agreements, memoranda of understanding, or transfer payment agreements.
- Experience in managing contracts, including deliverables from suppliers.

Social Media

- Experience managing social media in the Government of Canada.
- Experience in writing for social media and applying best practices.
- Experience in providing value-added metrics
- Experience in managing contracts, including deliverables from suppliers.

Media Relations

- Experience in developing media responses to departmental inquiries.
- Experience in providing advice to senior officials*** on responding to media.
- Experience in managing contracts, including deliverables from suppliers.

Strategic Communications

- Experience in providing strategic advice to senior officials*** regarding communications, including digital communications.
- Experience in writing or coordinating communications products or services that support senior officials*** for public events.
- Experience in communications issues management or crisis communications.
- Experience in providing strategic advice to senior officials on speechwriting.

Engagement and Stakeholder and Client relations

- Experience coordinating inter-governmental or multi-departmental communications initiatives, projects or strategies.
- Experience in managing and planning high-profile events
- Experience in providing strategic advice to senior officials*** on advertising and public opinion research.
- Experience in leading marketing teams or projects
- Experience in managing contracts, including deliverables from suppliers.

***Senior officials/senior management is defined as Director or above.

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

Various language requirements
Bilingual imperative CCC/CCC
Bilingual imperative CBC/CBC

Information on language requirements

Conditions of employment

Reliability Status security clearance

The candidate may be called upon to work overtime, with very little prior notice.

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

Resumes will be used as a secondary source to validate the information described in the online questions. Do not assume that the screening board has any previous knowledge of your background, qualifications or work history.

Reference contacts are not restricted to the list of names given by the candidate. The Selection Committee reserves the right to contact other references.

Candidates must meet the essential qualifications to be appointed to a position.

A candidate may be appointed to a position even though he/she does not meet any or all of the asset qualifications, operational requirements or organizational needs. However, meeting these criteria is desirable and may be a deciding factor in choosing the person to be appointed.

Our intention is to communicate with candidates via email. Those who apply for this selection process must include a valid email address in their application.

Any submitted documents may be used at any phase of the process - screening, assessment and selection from among qualified candidates.
Persons are entitled to participate in the appointment process in the official language of their choice.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS CONCERNING THE TRACK RECORD

Q1. What are some guidelines that could help me prepare my track record?
• Ensure your response addresses the qualification being assessed.
• Provide concrete, specific examples of behaviours that illustrate the required qualification.
• Choose examples with sufficient complexity, impact, and degree of difficulty to allow you to illustrate the extent to which you demonstrated the qualification.
• Focus on what you did, and make clear what your role was, apart from others. Avoid phrases such as “we decided to”, “we organized a..”. When discussing what others did,
do so only as part of the context in which you took action. For example, “ I organized a…”.
• Describe the example in the past tense. This will ensure that you are providing concrete examples, rather than general statements.
• Do not use acronyms, as assessors may not be familiar with them.
• Please be sure to provide clear examples with approximately 2-3 paragraphs
• Use action verbs.
• Assistance to complete the track record will not be provided by management (at any level).
• You are invited to complete the track record in the official language of your choice.

Q2. Can my supervisor or Director or any other members of management help me
complete my track record?
- No, supervisors and managers should not assist employees with the completion of their track record, as such help might be perceived as favoritism and fraud.

Q3. Can employees use the same example for more than one qualification?
- Yes, as long as the example provided answers the questions and illustrates the qualifications evaluated.

Q4. I am currently on an assignment or secondment. Can I use examples of that work
assignment?
- Yes, as long as the examples provided are relevant to the qualifications being assessed.

Q5. Who do I identify as a supervisor if I am on an assignment or secondment?
- You must provide the name of your supervisor that can validate your examples.

Q6. How will the evaluation and rating work? Will there be a passing mark for each qualification or will it be an overall score?
- A PASS/FAIL will be assigned for each of the essential qualifications.

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.