Communications 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 screening committee will use your answers to the screening questions to assess how you meet the essential and asset qualifications (education and experiences). No other documents, such as cover letter, will be considered at this phase. To reinforce this procedure, the option to attach a cover letter has been deactivated in the system.

All screening questions must be answered. It is NOT sufficient to only state that the qualifications are met or to provide a listing of current or past responsibilities. Rather you must clearly demonstrate HOW, WHEN and WHERE the qualification was met.

You will not have further opportunity to provide additional information.

Note: Your resume may be used as a secondary source for the pre-screening phase of the evaluation

It is important to note that in order to manage the volume of applications, the selection committee may at any time decide to use various strategies such as the application of one or more assets, the top-down selection or other strategies. For example, the selection committee may decide to invite to the interview the top 10 candidates on a specific knowledge. In this case, candidates who are not in the top 10 but who received the pass mark for this knowledge would be placed in a partially assessed pool of candidates. The selection committee may, when it deems appropriate, return to this pool in order to continue the assessment of those candidates.

Work environment

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) leads the management of Canada’s fisheries and the safeguarding of Canadian waters. The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG), a Special Operating Agency within DFO, is responsible for services and programs that contribute to the safety, security, and accessibility of Canada’s waterways

ABOUT THE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTORATE
Headquartered in Ottawa, the Communications Directorate plays a vital role in supporting DFO’s strategic outcomes and priorities through a wide range of external and internal communications activities that respond to the information needs of the Department and the Canadian public.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The Communications Directorate contributes to the Department’s policy and program development by understanding and interpreting the public environment and by communicating fisheries, oceans, and Coast Guard issues, programs, and priorities to Canadians and employees.

We ensure that communications are effectively managed, well-coordinated, and reflect the government’s key priorities. The communications management function ensures not only that the public receives Government of Canada information but also that their views and concerns are considered in the planning, management, and evaluation of policies, programs, and services.

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS
We showcase DFO and CCG’s work in making oceans cleaner, healthier and safer, and help Canadians to engage with our experts so they can learn more.
•Twitter: @FishOceansCAN and @CoastGuardCAN
•LinkedIn: Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Canadian Coast Guard
•Facebook: @FisheriesOceansCanada and @CanadianCoastGuard
•Instagram: @fisheriesoceancan and @coastguardcan

Intent of the process

Immediate need: The immediate need is to staff 1 Bilingual Imperative position at the BBB/BBB level, on an indeterminate basis in Ottawa, Ontario.

A pool of qualified candidates will be established and may be used to fill similar positions with various tenures, security profiles and linguistic requirements within Fisheries and Oceans Canada across Canada.

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:
A degree from a recognized post-secondary institution.

Notes:
1.Based on their education, training and/or experience, indeterminate incumbents of positions in the IS classification are deemed to meet the minimum education standard whenever a bachelor’s degree without specialization is called for in a position classified as IS.

2.At the manager’s discretion, an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience, may serve as an alternative to the minimum education standard.

Degree equivalency

Experience:
Ex1 – Experience working in more than one of the following fields: issues management and proactive communications*, internal communications, media relations, event planning, advertising, public and/or stakeholder engagement, public opinion research, web, creative services/multimedia or social media.
Ex2 – Experience in providing communications advice on internal or external communications issues.
Ex3 – Experience in developing collaborative relationships.

* This experience should include drafting related products, such as news releases, media lines or fact sheets.

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

Asset Qualifications

Education:
A degree from a recognized post-secondary institution with specialization in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism or in a field relevant to the position.

Degree equivalency

Experience:
AEx1 – Experience working in Strategic Communications.
AEx2 – Experience working on internal communications and related products.
AEx3 – Experience working on a media relations team and media monitoring.
AEx4 – Experience working on event planning such as coordinating approval of products and coordinating or providing on the ground or virtual logistics for event management with stakeholders.
AEx5 – Experience working in advertising
AEx6 – Experience working in public opinion research
AEx7 – Experience working on Social media communications and campaigns.
AEx8 – Experience working in web publishing/coding, web strategy and development, and/or web writing and advising
AEx9 – Experience working in creative services (graphic design, animation, video production, photography, and/or copyright/publications).

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

Various language requirements
English Essential
French Essential
Bilingual - Imperative (BBB/BBB)
Bilingual - Imperative (CBC/CBC)

Information on language requirements

Knowledge:
K1 – Knowledge of trends in communications

Abilities:
Ab1 – Ability to communicate effectively orally
Ab2 – Ability to communicate effectively in writing
Ab3 – Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously while working under pressure
Ab4 – Ability to pay attention to detail

Personal Suitability:
Co1 – Demonstrating integrity and respect
Co2 – Thinking things through
Co3 – Working effectively with others
Co4 – Showing initiative and being action-oriented

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

Organizational Needs
At Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard, diversity is our strength. If you are 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. Selection for this position may be made from among qualified candidates who self-declare as belonging to one of the following Employment Equity (EE) groups. Appointments of members of these EE groups could be made to ensure our workforce is inclusive and representative of the Canadian public we serve. We strongly encourage candidates to self-declare if they belong to one of these designated Employment Equity groups.

Conditions of employment

Reliability Status security clearance - You don’t need to have security clearance to apply. The security screening will be performed at the end of the process if you are selected for a position. Security clearance is a condition of employment.

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.

Operational Requirements
Willingness and ability to work overtime with short notice.
Depending on the position to staff, the following condition of employment could apply :
•Willingness and ability to travel

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

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.