Research Scientist – Soil Conservation and Land Resilience

Update: Please note that the selection process has been amended to extend the closing date to June 18, 2021 - 23:59, Pacific Time.

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

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

Managers may choose to invoke the organizational need and appoint someone from an EE group

Placement of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) employees affected by work force adjustment.

In support of achieving a diversified workforce, consideration may be given to candidates self-identifying as belonging to one of the following Employment Equity groups: Aboriginal peoples, Persons with a Disability, Visible Minorities, and Women.

Duties

We are seeking a research scientist with expertise and experience in the field of physical soil science to develop and lead a research program. The position requires scientific innovation and leadership in the area of Soil Conservation and Land Resilience in agriculture at the farm and landscape level, including the impact and mitigation of drought or excess moisture. The research program would require cross-disciplinary research approaches and would contribute to issue-driven research. Creative thinking will be required to open new lines of investigation such as the effect of soil physical properties on carbon sequestration, and strategies to manipulate them. This leadership will contribute to achieving Canada’s 2030 greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and carbon neutrality by 2050.

The successful candidate will be part of a multidisciplinary team of scientists at the Lethbridge Research and Development Centre working on developing beneficial management practices for agricultural systems with the objectives of achieving high outcomes, of further increasing resilient soil ecosystems and carbon sequestration, and good economic returns; and will be part of a national team of experts developing knowledge, science capacity and advising AAFC management.

The incumbent will lead an established science program, will have access to state-of-the-art laboratories, research support units, and research field sites and will have the opportunity to collaborate with stakeholders in academia and industry. Research Scientists have access to competitive core and external funding opportunities, and are supported by technical and administrative staff. Research Scientists are encouraged to seek university affiliation and co-supervise graduate students.

The researcher is expected to manage multiple projects in a multidisciplinary setting requiring collaboration with other scientific teams. They will be expected to seek internal and external funding and collaborators to support the research program and to effectively manage resources to achieve the desired outcomes. The scientist will directly supervise staff, and may mentor and train post-doctoral fellows and graduate students.

Work environment

This position, located at Lethbridge, Alberta, is part of competitively-funded research programs in livestock, crop and sustainable farming research. The position is part of a research network with access to research facilities and scientific expertise across Canada, and is supported by technical staff.

Established in 1906, the Lethbridge Research and Development Centre is one of the largest facilities within Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's research network. It includes the main research Centre, located on the outskirts of the city, and the Vauxhall Research Farm, about 80 kilometres northwest of Lethbridge. Agriculture in the area consists of both rainfed and irrigated production.

The Centre conducts research in seven sector strategies:
• Agro-ecosystem Resilience
• Cereal and Pulse
• Dairy, Pork, Poultry and Other Livestock
• Forages and Beef
• Horticulture
• Oilseeds
• Clean Technology
 

Intent of the process

A pool of qualified and partially qualified candidates may be established and may be used to staff similar positions with various tenures as well as various linguistic requirements.

Positions to be filled: 1

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 recognized post-secondary institution in a field of science with a specialization related to the duties of the position, such as, but not limited to:

Physical Soil Science or other specialization in a field relevant to the duties of the position.

Applications will be accepted from candidates enrolled in their final year, but who have not yet completed a Ph.D. program. Completion of the Ph.D. thesis must occur before the date of appointment.

IF YOU HAVE FOREIGN CREDENTIALS, please follow the link below for information on how to obtain a degree equivalency. You must obtain an equivalency, at your own expense, in order to be considered for appointment into the public service.

Degree equivalency

Recognized achievement in the form of authorship and editorship of published or unpublished reports, books, papers, peer-reviewed scientific journals, or other communications resulting from:
a) Research, experimental development, or tasking associated with operational equipment and problems; OR
b) Operational research and scientific analysis; OR
c) Planning, analysis and evaluation of Canadian and foreign programs in research and development; OR
d) Developmental work leading to the issue of patents, copyrights, or the creation of improved varieties, functions, or designs, and/or recognition by the professional community of the research environment.

Experience:
Experience in the collection, analyses and interpretation of agricultural soil samples and data
Experience working at the farm and landscape level
Experience using advanced analytical tools

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

Experience:
Experience writing grant applications.
Experience working on a multi-disciplinary science team.
Experience managing multi-year projects with associated human resource, budgetary, and planning functions.

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

English essential

Information on language requirements

Knowledge:
Knowledge of agricultural soil types in the Prairie Region and most common farm management practices.
Knowledge of the effect of soil physical properties on climate change solutions.
Knowledge of methods to study physical properties of soil .
Knowledge of hydrology applied to agricultural land.

Competencies:
Teamwork
Interactive Communication
Intellectual Leadership
Initiative
Creativity

Abilities:
Ability to conceptualize, design, plan, implement, conduct, complete and report on research projects.
Ability to clearly communicate physical soil science concepts to scientists and non-scientists.
Ability to interact with industry, government and other stakeholders to garner support and research direction.

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

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

Information on employment equity

Conditions of employment

Reliability Status security clearance

Valid driver’s license
Ability and willingness to work with chemicals and pesticides
Ability and willingness to work in various environmental and weather conditions
Ability and willingness to work in laboratory, field and/or greenhouse environments for extended periods at a time
Ability and willingness to travel
Ability and willingness to work flexible hours including evenings and weekends

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

ASSESSEMENT INFORMATION

You must meet all essential qualifications in order to be appointed to the position. Other qualifications may be a deciding factor in choosing the person to be appointed. Some essential and other qualifications will be assessed through your application. It is your responsibility to provide appropriate examples that illustrate how you meet each qualification. Failing to do so could result in your application being rejected.

Various assessment tools may be used, such as, standardized tests, interviews, references, board member knowledge, etc.

All communication relating to this process, including email correspondence may be used in the assessment of qualifications.

A random and/or top down selection of candidates may be used in the determination of those to be given further consideration in the assessment process.

Appointment decisions may be based on one or more of the following criteria:
- Matching of the individual's experience or qualifications to the strengths and weaknesses of the work team.
- Matching of the individual's experience or qualifications to the specific duties of the position being staffed.
- Depth, breadth, type of work-specific experience.
- Level/degree of one or more competencies/qualifications.

You must provide proof of your education credentials.

APPLICATION & CORRESPONDENCE INFORMATION

Applications submitted by email will not be accepted. You must apply on-line through
www.canada.ca/en/public-service-commission/jobs/services/gc-jobs.html.

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

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.

Communication for this process will be sent via email. It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure accurate contact information is provided and updated as required. Candidates who apply to this selection process should include an email address that accepts email from unknown users (some email systems block these types of email).

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.