Program Support Officer

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

At Employment and Social Development Canada, we encourage and value the inclusion of all people including members of the LGBTQ2+ community. We therefore encourage you to apply for this opportunity should you believe you are qualified.

We want to make it quick and simple for our candidates. When applying to this selection process, you simply have to complete two steps.

1- Submit your application online on www.jobs.gc.ca;
2- Answer the screening questions

Work environment

This is your chance to join one of the TOP 100 EMPLOYERS OF CANADA IN 2021!

Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) is the fourth-largest federal government department, responsible for improving the standard of living and quality of life for all Canadians through programs such as the Child Care Benefit, Employment Insurance, and Passport Services. You could work in a forward thinking, transformative service delivery Department that includes Service Canada, and the Labour Program, which continuously strives on innovation and supporting Canadians.

The Program Support Officers provide services to the general public, verbally or in writing, with respect to the Canada Student Financial Assistance (CSFA) Program . These positions are located in an inbound call center located in Gatineau, Québec. (Note: due to COVID-19, the work will be conducted via telework until further notice). Extensive training and development opportunities will allow you to acquire a comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge of this program.

If you are highly motivated, quick learner, quality oriented, customer focused, and able to thrive in a fast paced, high volume environment this work is for you!

If you possess strong communication skills, excellent customer service skills, problem-solving skills, and information-gathering and computer-keyboarding skills, we want you in our team!

These positions may require the use of a headset for prolonged periods, working in an environment that contains background noise and constant exposure to a computer screen. Work conditions require adapting to change, dealing with stress, and dealing with potentially angry clients. This is where your strong communication skills and problem-solving skills will come handy!

Intent of the process

A pool of qualified candidates may be established through this process to staff identical or similar positions at Employment and Social Development Canada with various tenures, linguistic requirements and security requirements according to the position being staffed.

ABOUT THIS SELECTION PROCESS

We are looking for the best candidates. Show us that you are one of them!

In order for your application to be retained for the next steps of the evaluation, you must provide complete answers to the preselection questions. Your résumé will only be used as a secondary source of information. The answers provided to the screening questions will be one of the main source of information used to evaluate your candidacy. Applicants will not be solicited for incomplete or possible missing information.

When you are invited to demonstrate that you have the required qualifications and experience in the screening questions, please proceed as follows:

----> Read the questions carefully
----> Clearly explain where, when and how you acquired the qualifications and experience by providing ----> concrete examples <---- of tasks you accomplished.
----> IMPORTANT - It is not enough to simply mention that you acquired the qualifications and experiences, to list your current and past duties, nor to refer us to your résumé. If you do not clearly demonstrate that you have the required qualifications with concrete examples, your application will be rejected.
----> Please note that your application will be used to assess the ability to communicate effectively in writing.

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)

EDUCATION

Secondary school diploma or an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience

Degree equivalency

EXPERIENCE

Experience in using technology (e.g. e-mail, Internet and word processing)

Experience in delivering services or programs to the general public involving obtaining and providing information requiring explanation or clarification

ABILITIES

Ability to manage and prioritize workload

Ability to analyze and solve problems

Ability to communicate effectively in writing

PERSONAL SUITABILITIES

Dependability

Client focus

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

ASSET QUALIFICATIONS

EXPERIENCE

Recent* experience working in a high volume in-bound** call centre.

Experience in preparing written correspondence such as written replies to inquiries from the public.

*Recent experience is defined as experience that would normally be associated with the performance of these duties within the last year.

**An inbound call centre is a central service or group of people whose almost exclusive function is to provide an appropriate response to a large number of enquiries for information and advice initiated by clients.

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

Bilingual - Imperative (BBC/BBC)

Information on language requirements

KNOWLEDGE

Knowledge of the Privacy Act

ABILITY

Ability to communicate effectively orally

PERSONAL SUITABILITIES

Judgment

Effective interpersonal skills

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

ORGANIZATIONAL NEEDS

At Employment and Social Development Canada, diversity is our strength. If you’re a woman, an Aboriginal person, a person with a disability or a visible minority and are interested in bringing in different perspectives and insights, let us know by completing the Employment Equity (EE) section in your application. Appointments of members of these EE groups could be made to ensure our workforce is inclusive and representative of the Canadian public we serve.

Conditions of employment

Reliability Status security clearance

A workday consists of 7.5 hours a day, and the call center is open from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Employees must be available to work between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM: rotation of work hours within the call center opening hours may be required.

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

EVALUATION

Note that all assessment will be done virtually.

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.

Please note that asset qualifications, top-down and/or random selection and a cut-off score may be used to identify which applications will be given further consideration.

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

COMMUNICATION

We will communicate with applicants by e-mail. It is your responsibility to verify your e-mails regularly to ensure that you do not miss out on any opportunities. Failure to respond in the prescribed timeframe will result in your application not being further considered. The applicant shall ensure that the e-mail address provided is valid and make sure this address is functional at all times and accepts messages from unknown users.

Acknowledgment of receipt of applications will not be sent; only candidates that pass the screening process will be contacted.

Candidates may be eliminated at any point during the selection process if they fail to demonstrate any of the essential criteria through their behavior, for example, through communications with Human Resources, with management, other informal communications.

Preference

Preference will be given to veterans first and then to Canadian citizens and permanent residents, 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.