Forest Inventory 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

The Government of Canada is committed to building a skilled workforce that is representative of Canada's diversity, which includes the recruitment of Canadian Veterans and releasing Canadian Armed Forces personnel:

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-service-commission/jobs/services/public-service-jobs/canadian-armed-forces-members-veterans.html

We encourage applicants to identify any abilities, competencies, and/or experiences acquired through employment with the Canadian Armed Forces where applicable.

Work environment

The Canadian Forest Service is recruiting an indeterminate Forest Inventory Officer for Canada’s National Forest Inventory (NFI), headquartered at the Pacific Forestry Centre (PFC) in Victoria, British Columbia. PFC is an internationally recognized forest science laboratory. A vibrant group of researchers, foresters, technical and administrative staff work to maintain a creative and stimulating work environment.

Canada’s NFI is a strategic-level, long term forest monitoring program. It provides statistical information on the state of Canada’s forests and trends since NFI establishment in the early 2000s (https://nfi.nfis.org). The NFI Project Office team includes foresters, technical specialists and computer science staff who deliver the NFI program in collaboration with provincial and territorial government partners.

The Forest Inventory Officer will lead the delivery of the NFI Photo Plot program. NFI Photo plots are a spatial inventory of forest and land cover, sampling Canada’s entire non-arctic land base. This national program collects and delivers data for national and international reporting on the state and change of Canada’s forests and to better inform decision-making. These data also support scientific analysis to improve the understanding of Canada’s forest resource. You will work in a team environment, working closely with provincial and territorial colleagues, forest and remote sensing researchers and government contractors to ensure the NFI produces high quality forest information that is continuously improved. For more information, visit the https://nfi.nfis.org.

Intent of the process

A pool of (fully or partially qualified) candidates may be established through this process to staff identical or similar positions within Natural Resources Canada with various tenures (determinate period or permanent), various language requirements (English Essential, French Essential, English or French Essential, or Bilingual), linguistic requirements (imperative and/or non-imperative) and profile(s) (BBB/BBB, CBC/CBC, CCC/CCC, etc.), various security requirements (Reliability status or Secret clearance), various conditions of employment and for various locations.

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)

Graduation with a degree in forestry or wood science from a recognized post-secondary institution; or
Graduation with a degree in a related science from a recognized post-secondary institution combined with acceptable experience.

Degree equivalency

Experience conducting forest inventory or monitoring projects;
Experience using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for forestry applications;
Experience analyzing and interpreting large datasets;
Experience working on projects involving multiple stakeholders

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

English essential

Information on language requirements

Knowledge of Canadian forests;
Knowledge of forest inventory terminology, techniques and technologies;
Knowledge of GIS and geospatial data management;

Ability to assess the quality of photo-interpreted forest inventory data;
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders;
Ability to manage a high workload and set priorities;
Ability to communicate effectively orally;
Ability to communicate effectively in writing (this ability will be assessed via the screening questions)

Effective interpersonal skills;
Initiative;
Judgement;
Adaptability

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

Experience managing large datasets in a relational database;
Experience using a recognized statistical program (SAS, R);

Knowledge of remote sensing of forest ecosystems;
Knowledge of forest growth and yield modelling

Indigenous cultural sensitivity and awareness

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

Information on employment equity

Natural Resources Canada is committed to establishing and maintaining a representative workforce. This organizational need may be identified as part of the appointment decision. In such cases, qualified candidates who self-declare as members of a visible minority group, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities or women (in non-traditional occupations) could be considered in priority.

Conditions of employment

Reliability Status security clearance

All employees of the core public administration are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and attest to their vaccination status unless accommodated based on a medical contraindication, religion, or another prohibited ground for discrimination as defined under the Canadian Human Rights Act.

Willing and able to work overtime occasionally;
Willing and able to travel, sometimes on 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

On October 6, 2021, the Government of Canada announced details of its plans to require vaccination across the federal public service.

As per the new Policy on COVID-19 Vaccination for the Core Public Administration Including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, federal public servants in the Core Public Administration and members of the RCMP must attest to their vaccination status. The requirement for employees to be fully vaccinated applies whether they are teleworking, working remotely or working on-site. This is a condition of employment and it applies to indeterminate (permanent), determinate (term), casual, and student hiring. Should you reach the point in the selection process where it is necessary to verify terms and conditions of employment then the hiring manager or a human resources representative will contact you in order to complete an attestation.

All applications must be submitted online through the GC Jobs website. DO NOT email, fax or mail in applications, as these will NOT be accepted..

Please note that the screening/text questions in the on-line application may be used to assess the ability to communicate effectively in writing.

In order to have your application considered, all screening/text questions must be answered. Candidates must provide CONCRETE EXAMPLES WHICH DEMONSTRATE, how they meet the education requirement and the experience factors listed in the essential qualifications. Please note that it is not sufficient to only state that the requirement is met or to provide a listing of current responsibilities.

If you do not clearly demonstrate how you meet all screening criteria, your application will be rejected. Your application may also be rejected if it has incomplete information. We will not contact you to request information that is missing from your application. Résumés will be used as a secondary source to validate the education and/or experience described in the screening/text questions.

Acknowledgment of receipts of applications will not be sent; we will only contact successful applicants when the screening process has been completed.

Applicants are required to meet the Essential Qualifications. Asset Qualifications MAY be applied at any point in the assessment process. Therefore, you are strongly encouraged to answer Asset Qualifications questions in your online application. Applicants do not need to meet any/all of the Asset Qualifications for consideration, however, possessing any/all of the Asset Qualifications may increase the likelihood of being considered for an appointment.

An interview may be sought.

A written test may be administered.

A situational exercise may/will be administered.

Reference checks may be sought.

Random selection and/or top-down selection may be used at any time during the process to identify which applicants will be further assessed.

Candidates should be prepared to provide proof of education (copy of degree/diploma) and citizenship or permanent resident status. If you have obtained education outside Canada, you will be required to submit proof of evaluation of Canadian equivalency. Consult the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials for further information at http://www.cicic.ca.

Candidates from outside the public service may be required to pay for travel and relocation costs associated with this selection process.

If you are selected for further consideration, please advise the person who will contact you of any accommodations you may require during the selection process.

Applicants are asked to indicate their preferred official language in their application.

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