Storyteller and Team Lead

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

WORK FROM WHERE YOU ARE
Our team has been working remotely since March. While we don’t know what our “office of the future” will look like, we do know that remote work works. That means you don’t need to be in the National Capital Region to be considered for a role on this team.

EVERYONE IS WELCOME
The Privy Council Office (PCO) is dedicated to building an inclusive workforce with a diversity of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds that represents Canada now and in the future. We are passionate about fostering a workplace where all people feel welcome, can reach their full potential, and contribute their unique perspectives and experience to the success of the team.

BRING YOUR WHOLE SELF TO WORK
We encourage all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of race, colour, religion, sex (including gender identity and/or expression), national origin, sexual orientation, civil union or relationship status, disability, age, parental status, military service, or other status protected under federal law.

PICK YOUR STREAM
We’re hiring for two “streams”: our PM Products team (Stream 1) and our Social Media team (Stream 2). In your application, let us know which team you’re interested in, or if you’d like to be considered for both teams.

GROW YOUR LEADERSHIP SKILLS
In addition to being a senior member of the team, you will also be a team lead. Supported by your manager, this means you’ll supervise a small number of employees. It’s a great opportunity to help you figure out if you’d like to be a manager one day and get you the experience you need to get there.

IN ORDER TO SUBMIT A COMPLETE APPLICATION, YOU MUST:
1. Submit your résumé
2. Identify which stream(s) you are applying to
3. Answer the pre-screening questions, which are part of the online application process
4. Provide a writing sample, which will be used to assess your ability to write high quality communications products in English. This is also part of the online application process

When answering the pre-screening questions, you must provide concrete and detailed examples to clearly demonstrate when, where, and how you gained the experience needed to meet the qualifications. 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. If you don’t clearly demonstrate you have the required experience and education, we won’t ask for additional information and you may be screened out.

In order for your application to be complete, you must provide a writing sample of up to 250 words answering one of the three questions below:
• If you could only have one superpower, what would it be and what would you use it for?
• What have you learned about yourself since the beginning of the pandemic that surprised you the most?
• If you could time travel, where and when would you go, and why?

Priority will be given to candidates who are able to translate short passages from English to French, and review and edit texts in French.

Duties

We’re looking for talented writers who can draft high-quality communications products and messages that tell a story about what the government is doing and why. Ideally, we are looking for people who can meticulously edit and parallel review in English and French.

A keen interest in history and a hunger for current events and breaking news will help drive you as you write about high-profile domestic and world events. Within a supportive team environment, you will:

• Write non-partisan communications products to support the activities and announcements of the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. The Social Media team also supports the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs.
• Play a leadership role by mentoring and coaching analysts.
• Provide strategic advice directly to senior officials.
• Work with other federal organizations and colleagues to research, review, and finalize high-quality products, and to develop and coordinate social media campaigns for major government initiatives.
• Work on highly sensitive files that require discretion, tact, and attention to detail.

You will also be expected to work stand-by on a rotating basis with other team members to ensure somebody is always available to write and coordinate communications products as needed after hours and on weekends.

As a senior member of the team, you will also work as a team lead. This means you’ll gain experience coaching and mentoring analysts, identifying and assigning work priorities, and supporting your manager with staffing and assessing performance.

Work environment

PCO is like no other organization in the Government of Canada. Working here, you will get first-hand experience providing non-partisan communications advice to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and Deputy Prime Minister’s Office (DPMO), working directly with their chief advisors on some of the most high-profile issues facing the country.

The Prime Minister and Visual Communications team works in a fast-paced, 24/7 environment that requires the team to be available to support PMO and DPMO at a moment’s notice. As a member of the team, you will write high-quality communications products on a wide variety of topics, often on tight deadlines.

STREAM 1: On the PM Products team, you may begin your day writing a news release to announce a new state-of-the-art research laboratory, find yourself working on a congratulatory message for the new president of a foreign country before lunch, and end your day drafting an urgent statement from the Prime Minister to respond to a fire that has displaced hundreds of Canadians.

STREAM 2: On the Social Media team, you may start by prepping the daily content plan for the Prime Minister and writing tweets for a meeting between the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Canada’s premiers before livestreaming a speech by the Deputy Prime Minister. You may be called on to develop a whole-of-government social media strategy for a major initiative and, through it all, you will work closely with colleagues to coordinate visual products to accompany each product.

In both roles, you will work on a team where peer support and feedback is viewed as an integral part of the writing process. We consider advice from all team members – regardless of level – on each product we write to help make sure that all of our work reflects the diversity of the Canadian public we serve.

Through daily interactions, you will also develop strong relationships with communications colleagues across the Public Service and advisors in PMO, DPMO, and Ministers' Offices. You will be challenged to think through the complexities and nuances of any given topic so you can write products and prepare content that reaches and engages Canadians.

The broad range of subjects will give you the chance to build a wide network and work with a variety departments and agencies. If you’re looking to develop new skills and be pushed beyond your comfort zone, PCO will help you grow and propel your career forward.

Intent of the process

On the PM Products team, we have one vacancy for a Team Lead who will work 1 to 9 pm Eastern Time. We plan to fill the position on a permanent (indeterminate) basis. If you’re in another time zone, we encourage you to apply—you can work these same hours adjusted to your local time. See Operational Requirements below for more information.

On the Social Media team, we have one vacancy for a Team Lead to primarily support the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. We plan to fill the position on a permanent (indeterminate) basis. This individual will also work closely with the Team Lead for the Prime Minister’s channels and support those channels while on-call and for special projects.

For both teams, we will create a pool of qualified or partially qualified candidates for future needs that could be used to staff similar positions within PCO with various tenures (term, indeterminate), security requirements, and linguistic requirements.

We may appoint candidates by applying one or more of the following criteria:

• Breadth, depth and/or type of specific work experience
• Matching individual experience or qualifications to the strengths and/or weaknesses of the team
• Matching individual experience or qualifications to the specific duties of the position being staffed

Positions to be filled: 2

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

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

EDUCATION

ED1: A degree from a recognized post-secondary institution OR an acceptable combination of education, training and/or related experience.

Degree equivalency

EXPERIENCE
BOTH STREAMS (PM Products and Social Media)

EX1: Significant* experience in writing and coordinating communications products that support ministers or senior officials** for public events.
EX2: Significant* experience in providing communications advice directly to executives regarding communications activities.

* Significant experience is defined as the breadth and depth of experience normally associated with full-time performance of duties for a period of approximately 2 years.
** Senior officials include top ranking members of an organization who are responsible for overall operations and performance within the organization. For those working in the Government of Canada, this definition includes officials at the Director General level or above.

ABILITIES
BOTH STREAMS

AB1: Ability to write high quality communications products or content in English within short deadlines.
AB2: Ability to prioritize and work effectively under pressure and under tight deadlines.
AB3: Ability to provide strategic advice.
AB4: Ability to communicate effectively orally.
AB5: Ability to conduct research and accurately synthesize information.

STREAM 2 ONLY (Social media)

AB6: Ability to develop an effective social media strategy.
AB7: Ability to stay up-to-date with current social media trends and tactics.

PERSONAL SUITABILITY
BOTH STREAMS

PS1: Judgement
PS2: Initiative
PS3: Effective interpersonal skills
PS4: Attention to detail

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

Bilingual - Imperative
Various bilingual requirements

Information on language requirements

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

EDUCATION

AED1: A degree from a recognized post-secondary institution in translation or French.

Degree equivalency

EXPERIENCE

AEX1: Experience performing comparative revision between English and French products, and reviewing and editing texts in French.

STREAM 2 ONLY (Social Media)

AEX2: Experience leading social media activities, including developing and implementing social media strategies, for an organization.
AEX3: Experience using social media analytics.
AEX4: Experience writing social media content for a variety of platforms.

ABILITIES
BOTH STREAMS

AAB1: Ability to translate short passages from English to French.
AAB2: Ability to edit texts in French, and to quality control texts translated from English to French.

Conditions of employment

Secret security clearance

BOTH STREAMS

-Willingness and ability to work long hours and overtime on short notice.
-Willingness and ability to be included in a roster for scheduled stand-by and on-call duties. This includes taking turns covering statutory holidays.

STREAM 1 ONLY (PM Products)

-Willingness to work from Monday to Friday from 1:00 pm - 9:00 pm Eastern Time. If you’re in another time zone, we encourage you to apply as well.

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

As part of this process, you can expect to:
• provide proof of your education credentials
• write an exam
• take part in an interview
• have your references checked

Please note that we will not acknowledge receipt of your application. We will only contact the candidates who meet the essential qualifications at the screening stage.

All communications related to this process, including email, may be used to assess your qualifications. We will send all communication through email or the Public Service Resourcing System. Please ensure your email address can receive email from unknown users (some email systems block these types of email) and that you check your junk mail just in case. It’s your responsibility to keep your contact information up-to-date.

You are entitled to participate in the appointment process in the official language of your choice.

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 departmental official (contact information below) in a timely fashion of the accommodation measures that 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.