Bilingual Administrative Positions and more...

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

AAFC is committed to diversity and inclusion and is proud to be recognized as one of Canada’s best diversity employers. We welcome all applicants and strongly encourage candidates to self-declare if they belong to an Employment Equity designated group (i.e. Aboriginal Peoples, Persons with Disabilities, Visible Minorities or Women).

Please keep reading to find out what we are looking for, what is great about Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and what to expect when applying to this inventory.

Duties

Why did we name this advertisement "Administrative Positions and more..."?

We believe the duties these employees perform are more than routine administrative requirements, and our employees feel the same way. How do we know? We asked them! Employees have told us they enjoy the work they do, the variety of their tasks, the everyday challenges, and the people that surround them.

Work environment

At AAFC, we take pride in what we do.

We believe that the work we do is defined by more than just a position title. We encourage our employees to be creative, motivated, inspired and innovative, regardless of their level. We promote opportunities for growth because we support employee development.

We believe life is about more than just your job. We support our employees by encouraging work-life balance and employee wellness. We offer our employees a competitive salary, generous vacation, paid leave for family and health, comprehensive benefits, and an attractive pension plan.

We are committed to delivering high quality service because we understand the importance of agriculture to our economy, communities, environment, and health. We feel lucky to work in fulfilling jobs that allow us to serve Canadians and ...

We want YOU to join us!

Note: As part of our response to the Covid-19 pandemic, most of our staff are teleworking while the department plans for a safe reintegration into the workplace. If you are hired before our staff in Ottawa are reintegrated into our physical workplaces, you may be on boarded virtually.

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 opportunities. Our plan is to select submitted applications from the inventory occasionally until the poster closes. To increase your chances of being successful, we suggest you submit or update your application by the following date:

⇨ December 9th, 2020

You should also know this inventory is anticipatory, which means you are not applying to a specific job, but to an inventory for future vacancies. Examples of positions we may staff from this process include: Human Resources Coordinator, Administrative Specialist, Program Assistant, and more.

Additional qualifications 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.

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: 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)

The positions we are looking to staff are tasked with providing support to both our clients and colleagues. As such, the following are qualifications we would need you to have.

For the EDUCATION requirements, we are looking for:
✔ A secondary school diploma or an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience.

Degree equivalency

For the EXPERIENCE requirements, we are looking for experience:
✔ Experience using word processing and spreadsheet software

✔ Experience* providing service to clients

* Defined as working in a client service role on a full time (or equivalent) basis for a cumulative period of at least four months

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

Bilingual - Imperative (BBB/BBB)
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

The following COMPETENCIES are also required for these positions and you will be assessed for them at a later date:

Demonstrating integrity and respect
Thinking things through
Working effectively with others
Showing initiative and being action-oriented
Attention to detail
Written Communication
Oral Communication

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

Successfully completed post-secondary studies in secretarial, office management, administrative support or other training relative to the position.

Degree equivalency

Experience providing administrative support services* in an office environment

Administrative support services is defined as, but not limited to: managing agendas, scheduling and organizing meetings and teleconferences, preparing and collating meeting file folders and background materials, procuring office equipment and supplies, maintaining a filing system as well as other related duties.

Experience providing human resources support services.

Experience using a Human Resources information management system (eg. PeopleSoft 8.9 or greater).

Experience providing financial support services

Experience in procurement/purchasing

Experience using a financial management system (for example SAP)

Experience coordinating travel arrangements and travel claims

Experience tracking a budget, expenditures and invoices, and financial contracts

Experience in preparing reports (such as financial, committee meetings, etc.)

Experience in liaising directly with senior executives, both internally and interdepartmentally and handling of confidential, protected and sensitive material

Experience in document or information management

Experience using a correspondence tracking system such as ECMS or CCM Mercury (TRECS)

Experience using advanced features in Microsoft Excel such as formatting, formulas, data analysis (filtering, sorting, and analyzing data) and pivot tables.

Experience using an information management system (e.g. GCDocs, SharePoint, Agridocs, RDIMS)

Experience designing, developing, maintaining, and/or managing databases for the tracking of various types of information

Experience in drafting correspondence materials such as template letters or meeting minutes

Experience using various Microsoft suite of products (such as: Word, Excel, MSOffice 365/MS Teams, Sharepoint, Outlook/email, etc.)

Selection may be limited to members of the following Employment Equity groups: Aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities, visible minorities, women

Information on employment equity

Ability and willingness to work virtually
Ability and willingness to work overtime

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

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

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU APPLY

► Once you click "Apply Now," the first step of the process will involve completing what we call screening questions and attaching your resume. The screening question responses you provide as well as your resume will help us determine whether you meet the EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE requirements.

Depending on the volume of applications received, the assessment board may limit the amount of candidates proceeding to stage 2. Factors considered at this stage include: depth and breadth of experience, and qualifications identified in the "May be required" section of the advertisement, etc.

You do not need to apply to this process if you have been found qualified in any of the following processes: 19-AGR-NCR-EA-CM-536 or 18-AGR-NCR-EA-CM-726.

WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS?

Below we've outlined what you can expect for the assessment phase. It may seem like a lot, but keep in mind, we want to make sure that this position is the right fit for you. This is important for your job satisfaction as well as the success of our organization.

►STEP ONE: EXAM

If you meet the EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE requirements, you will be asked to complete an exam assessing certain COMPETENCIES. It will be sent to you by e-mail and can be completed from the comfort of your home. You will have an established period of time to complete the exam at a time that works best for you

We will be administering the same exam as these processes: 20-AGR-MBSK-EA-CM-75, 19-AGR-NCR-IA-CM-294, 19-AGR-NCR-EA-CM-536, and 18-AGR-NCR-EA-CM-726. If you have already accessed or completed the exam as part of one of these processes and you would like to rewrite it, note there is a mandatory waiting period of 180 days before you can write the test again. The waiting period must be completed in order to be eligible to rewrite the test. If you rewrite or access a test before the waiting period has elapsed, your new result will not be valid and a new waiting period will be imposed from the most recent test date. If you choose to write an exam again after the waiting period has expired, please note that your new result will replace the previous result, regardless of the new result.

►STEP TWO: INTERVIEW

Candidates who succeed on the exam will be invited to a virtual interview where we will assess other COMPETENCIES. This will be the final step to be found qualified!

►STEP THREE: ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE QUESTIONNAIRE

To wrap up the assessment, you may be asked to fill out an additional experience questionnaire. These additional qualifications are “nice-to-haves” and can be used by hiring managers to identify the best candidate for their specific position.

►OTHER

Second language evaluation (SLE) tests will be administered, as these positions all have a Bilingual LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT.
• If you have valid results, you will be asked to provide them to us.
• If you need to be retested (reading, writing or oral) you will be contacted to make arrangements.
• If you have never had a SLE you will be scheduled for the reading and writing tests. If you are successful on the reading and writing AND meet all other essential criteria for the process, you will then be scheduled for an oral evaluation.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Applications submitted by email will not be accepted. You must apply through the "Apply online" link below. Should you have any questions about the application process, feel free to contact us at the Contact Information listed below.

Applicants with disabilities:

• If you have disabilities preventing you from applying on-line please contact 1-800-645-5605 .
• If you require special accommodation at any stage in the selection process, including technical aid or an alternative method of assessment to ensure an equitable assessment of your qualifications, please inform us as soon as possible.

We will contact you by e-mail and/or via your Public Service jobs account. Please ensure that your e-mail address is valid and accepts messages from unknown users. It is your responsibility to regularly check your e-mail and jobs account for communications regarding this selection process. Should we contact you and you fail to reply within the designated time frames, your application may not be considered further.

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

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.