Research Specialist

Update: The closing date has been extended to February 7, 2022.

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

*** NOTE: Candidates MUST submit their application through the online system available at: Jobs.gc.ca. Applications submitted in any other format will not be accepted. If there are limitations or special circumstances preventing you from submitting your application via the PSRS online portal, you must contact and receive approval to apply via an alternate means prior to the closing date.

When submitting your application to this selection process, you will be required to answer screening questions to demonstrate how you meet the Essential Qualifications (Education and all Essential Experiences) as well as any Asset Qualifications.

When answering the screening questions, remember that the assessment board cannot make assumptions about your Education and Experience. It is not sufficient to say that you have the required qualifications or to list your current or past responsibilities. Rather, you must provide concrete examples with significant details to explain WHEN, WHERE and HOW you acquired each qualification. This is similar to what would be expected of you when asked to provide a concrete example of a particular situation in the context of an interview.

**Answers to the screening questions will be used to evaluate the Written Communication criteria**

Candidates must also submit a resume with their application, which will only be used to validate the information provided in their answers to the screening questions.

Should your responses to the screening questions contain insufficient details to demonstrate that you meet the screening criteria, your application will not be given further consideration in this process. Candidates will not be solicited for incomplete or possible missing information.

Work environment

The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) is Canada's largest independent administrative tribunal. It is responsible for making well-reasoned decisions on immigration and refugee matters, efficiently, fairly and in accordance with the law. The IRB decides, among other responsibilities, who needs refugee protection among the thousands of claimants who come to Canada annually.

The Research Directorate provides country-of-origin information to decision-makers involved in Canada's refugee protection determination process. It produces, and makes publicly available, current and reliable information related to human rights and to refugee and migration issues, through documentation that supports fair refugee determination.

The IRB offers a people-centered environment that builds on excellence in management. We are working to implement innovative measures to promote the establishment and maintenance of a healthier, more inclusive and more supportive work environment. We offer a flexible work environment that allows for telework and variable work schedules. With the current COVID19 pandemic situation, IRB staff are working remotely from home until further notice. New employees will receive all the necessary equipment to do their jobs. The offices of the IRB are conveniently located in the heart of downtown Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto

If this is a work environment that interests you and you believe you have the skills needed, please apply!

Intent of the process

A pool of partially or fully qualified candidates will be established and will be used to staff similar positions with various tenures, various linguistic profiles, various locations as well as various security clearances within the Immigration and Refugee Board of 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

Graduation with a degree from a recognized post-secondary institution with acceptable specialization in economics, sociology or statistics.
Notes:

1. Candidates must always have a degree. The courses for the specialization must be acceptable and may have been taken at a recognized post-secondary institution, but not necessarily within a degree program in the required specialization. The specialization may also be obtained through an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience.

Degree equivalency

EXPERIENCE

E1: Experience writing or editing research reports.

E2: Experience in establishing and maintaining relationships with stakeholders and/or clients.

E3: Experience in completing a variety of tasks or projects simultaneously and within assigned timeframes.

E4: Experience briefing management and making recommendations.

E5: Experience reviewing reports and making recommendations for improvement.

ABILITIES

A1: Ability to communicate effectively in writing*

A2: Ability to communicate effectively orally

*Answers to the screening questions will be used to evaluate the Written Communication criteria

PERSONAL SUITABILITY

PS1: Client Service

PS2: Adaptability and flexibility

PS3: Leadership and Teamwork

PS4: Values and Ethics

PS5: Results Orientation

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

EDUCATION

Graduation with a graduate degree from a recognized post-secondary institution with acceptable specialization in social sciences or other specialty relevant to the position.

Degree equivalency

EXPERIENCE

AE1: Experience in conducting research and analysis on immigration, refugee or human rights issues.

AE2: Experience in working at the Research Directorate of the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB).

AE3: Experience in the structural, stylistic and copy editing of English or French language reports for publication.

AE4: Experience in developing communications products, products for publication or web content.

AE5: Experience conducting interviews with subject matter specialists, including developing appropriate questions to elicit, evaluate and report relevant information

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

Various language requirements
English or French Essential
Bilingual Imperative BBB/BBB
Bilingual Imperative CBB/CBB
Bilingual Imperative CBC/CBC
Bilingual Imperative CCC/CCC

Information on language requirements

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

EMPLOYMENT EQUITY

We encourage applicants to complete the self-declaration form for members of employment equity groups included in the job application considering that preference may be given to one of the following employment equity groups: visible minority and persons with a disability.

Placement of IRB employees affected by Workforce Adjustment (WFA).

To ensure placement of IRB employees affected by Workforce Adjustment (WFA), we are asking all affected employees who are interested in this position to apply. Since a pool of qualified candidates will be established from this process, we will proceed with the assessment of all candidates. However, should affected employees qualify; they will be appointed prior to other qualified candidates.

Conditions of employment

Reliability Status security clearance - Enhanced reliability

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.

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.


Due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation, the majority of employees are currently working remotely until further notice. These circumstances may change eventually depending on the changes in work environment and positions being staffed.

ASSESSMENT STRATEGY

SCREENING:
Screening will be completed via the Public Service Resourcing System (PSRS) questionnaire. When describing how you meet each of the experiences (essential and asset), we strongly suggest that you indicate where and when you gained the experience (organizations, dates, context etc.), your exact role and responsibilities, the actions you personally took and not the efforts of the team, and the impact of your actions. Remember that the relevance of your experience in relation to the position for which you are applying will be taken into consideration.
Answers to the screening questions will be used to evaluate the Written Communication criteria

ASSESSMENT:
Management may choose to invoke an asset(s) at any point of the process.

You may be assessed using one or more of the following tools: standardized tests, written exams, interview, simulation exercise, reference check, and other assessment tools.

Management may also decide to use a random and/or top-down selection of candidates in the determination of those to be given further consideration in the assessment process.

SELECTION:
Successful candidates will be placed in a pool to be used within the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada based on management needs. The final selection may be based on a variety of factors such as competencies, relevant experience, asset qualifications, and organizational needs.


OFFICIAL LANGUAGE
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Persons are entitled to participate in the selection process in the official language of their choice. Applicants are asked to indicate their preferred official language in their application.

Official language proficiency: due to its unique character, this essential qualification could be assessed and required solely upon appointment. It is therefore the candidate’s responsibility to inform the person in charge of the selection process if he/she obtains the linguistic requirements after the pool has been established. Also, a person who initially failed linguistic testing could be introduced into the pool of qualified candidates during the pool’s validity period if he/she is assessed again through another selection process or following linguistic training.

COMMUNICATION
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Communication for this process will be sent via email. Applicants MUST check their e-mail accounts frequently as there may be a deadline for responses. 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). Please note that we will have to consider that you are no longer interested in participating in the selection process and that you have withdrawn your candidacy should you not provide us with an up-to-date email address or respond to our communications.

If you need to communicate with us during any stage of this process, please indicate the selection process number in the subject field of your email.

Other information
If you are already an employee of the Public Service, please ensure that your Personal Record Identifier (PRI) is included in your application.

If you possess Public Service Commission second language evaluation results, you are required to submit a copy of your results to the email address identified in the Contact information of the poster one week following the closing date.

Proof of education credential(s) is required. If candidates were educated outside of Canada, they must have their certificates and/or diplomas assessed against Canadian educational standards. The Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials assists persons who wish to obtain an assessment of their educational, professional, and occupational credentials by referring them to the appropriate organizations.

Proof Canadian Citizenship or Permanent Resident status will be required.

Education and Canadian Citizenship/Permanent Resident status MUST have been acquired at the time of application.

Acknowledgement of receipt of applications will not be sent; we will contact candidates when the screening process is completed.

Scheduling of alternative assessment dates will only be considered for the following reasons with proof provided:

o Religious reasons;
o Death in the family;
o Medical reasons;
o Pre-approved leave;
o Conflicting exams; or
o Other exceptional circumstances.

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.