Communications Director

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

ACOA prioritizes an inclusive, equitable and safe work environment. This means that ACOA highlights equity and inclusion in all steps of the selection process. Our aim is to have a workplace that welcomes visible and invisible forms of diversity.

Duties

We are looking for ingenious, astute and savvy communicators who are ready to take their career to a level of management excellence.

With the necessary vision, respect and integrity, you will:

• follow the Government of Canada Communications policy, and ensure that government and ACOA priorities are reflected in communications material;
• plan for and supervise a work team, as well as manage financial resources related to your area of responsibility;
• supervise, coach and track employee performances;
• critically evaluate your own work and that of others for accuracy, fairness, clarity, appropriate style, grammatical correctness, as well as cross-cultural and cross-gender sensitivity;
• manage conflicting priorities facing tight and multiple deadlines;
• plan, oversee and approve deliverables to maximize effectiveness, efficiency and timely delivery of creative, meaningful and powerful products and services;
• exercise strong critical judgment to plan for and handle potential issues and crisis communications; and
• mobilize and negotiate with internal and external partners and stakeholders to effectively represent ACOA, while participating in joint projects, in order to build consensus on communications initiatives.

Work environment

For more than a decade, ACOA has consistently ranked among the best organizations in the federal public service.

ACOA promotes local success stories. Our team delivers work and solutions on time, on budget and in a work environment that build trust, effectiveness and efficiency.

ACOA’s communicators are storytellers at heart, truly inspired by the impact our actions have in our communities. The team engages with entrepreneurs to understand their beginning, their evolution and their aspirations.

We have offices in each of the four Atlantic Provinces, where our communicators envision and organize, each year, hundreds of events that show how we support businesses and communities in Atlantic Canada; where the focus is all about the meaningful and measurable impact of an investment in a business, the surrounding community and, ultimately, on the overall Atlantic region’s economy.

At ACOA, we strongly believe that inclusive, diverse teams foster creativity and lead to better products and services. We want to attract and retain a workforce that represents the diverse communities we serve. Reflecting our communities and the people of Atlantic Canada also helps us find the right tone and the right words to consistently develop the most relevant and effective communication strategies.

We are constantly engaged in succession planning, looking for resourceful and astute communicators. People who are adaptable to multi-tasking, able to manage sometimes conflicting priorities, and able to switch their focus quickly and effectively to a completely different goal. As importantly, we are looking for people who value work-life balance.

ACOA is, of course, making it easier to work from home, maximizing the use of virtual tools to maintain close contact between co-workers.

Intent of the process

If you apply to this selection process, you are applying for potential vacancies at the IS-06 level (Director). By submitting your application, you confirm that, if offered a position, you are willing to live and work in Atlantic Canada.

This recruitment process will serve to fill specifically an upcoming IS-06 (Director) vacancy at the ACOA Nova Scotia Office. The incumbent of this position will be expected to work out of ACOA’s Nova Scotia office, downtown Halifax, NS. Applicants to this specific position, who self-declare as belonging to the following Employment Equity designated groups, ─ Aboriginal peoples, visible minorities, persons with disabilities ─ may be given priority consideration.

In addition, a pool of candidates will be created for future vacancies at the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. Incumbents could have the opportunity to work either at our Head Office in Moncton, New Brunswick, or in one of our Regional Offices in the four Atlantic capitals, or in the community where you currently reside in the Atlantic Region. In either of the latter cases, you will be asked to travel to Moncton for face-to-face meetings a few times a year.

Candidates must clearly indicate, in their online application form, if they want to be considered for the Atlantic region inventory and/or specifically for the Nova Scotia Office Director position.

Please note: the pool may be shared with other federal organizations seeking to fill similar IS-06 (Director) positions.

Positions to be filled: Number to be determined

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

A covering letter "In no more than 1000 words, describe yourself, your management approach and style; and how you would use the below mentioned experiences to excel in your role as Director."

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

EXPERIENCES (recent*)
1. supervising staff or leading a team,
2. overseeing the development of creative services, such as graphic design and video production or similar communications products to tell a story,
3. planning and executing innovative and impactful social media campaigns,
4. planning and executing public or media events,
5. providing effective media relations or issues management advice,
6. providing strategic advice to senior officials** on communications issues and initiatives, and
7. leading the development and execution of impactful communications products such as communications or marketing plans and related implementation strategies; briefing notes, reports; news release, backgrounder, media lines, Q&As; digital content (internet, intranet and social media); infographics, presentation; speaking notes / speeches; and articles and other promotional material.

The fact that you authored such products must be attested by at least one of your references.

In your cover letter, please provide concrete examples of your experience in these areas and tell us how you would use those experiences to excel in your role as Director.

*Recent is understood to mean within the last three (3) years.
**Senior officials /senior management is defined as Director (IS-06) or above.

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

Various language requirements
All positions require a bilingual (French and English) imperative profile. The levels of proficiency will vary depending on the position to be staffed.

BBB/BBB
CBC/CBC
CCC/CCC

Information on language requirements

Second Language Writing Skills Self-Assessment
In order to help you decide if you should apply to a bilingual position, an optional self-assessment of your writing skills in your second official language is available for you to take before completing your application.

For more information, please consult:
Unsupervised Internet Test of Second Language Writing Skills

KNOWLEDGE
• Communications directives, theories, principles, practices and delivery mechanisms,
• Practices, technologies and trends related to effective digital communications, and
• Principles and practices of People Management.

KEY LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES
• Create vision and strategy,
• Mobilize people,
• Uphold integrity and respect,
• Collaborate with partners and stakeholders,
• Promote innovation and guide change, and
• Achieve results.

For definition – you are encourage to visit the following link: https://www.canada.ca/en/treasury-board-secretariat/services/professional-development/key-leadership-competency-profile/examples-effective-ineffective-behaviours.html

ABILITIES
• Ability to communicate effectively orally (spoken or through adaptive technology)
• Ability to communicate effectively in writing,
• Ability to work effectively under pressure, and
• Ability to manage (planning, directing, analyzing, empowering, organizing)***

***For definition, you are encouraged to visit the following link: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-service-commission/services/staffing-assessment-tools-resources/human-resources-specialists-hiring-managers/human-resources-toolbox/personnel-psychology-centre/consultation-test-services/public-service-commission-tests/managerial-basket-exercise-810.html

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

ORGANIZATIONAL NEEDS
In support of achieving a representative workforce, current or future organizational needs may require consideration be given to candidates self-identifying as belonging to members of the following Employment Equity groups: Aboriginal persons, visible minorities, persons with disabilities.

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.

OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
• Willingness and availability to work overtime on short notice.
• Willingness and ability to monitor a government-issued mobile device during and after working hours, including weekends.
• Willingness and availability to travel on short notice.

Conditions of employment

Security level clearance required: Reliability or Secret

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

• 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.
• Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their application online through the jobs.gc.ca website.
• Please note that, if you are currently employed by the federal public service, you must clearly identify your substantive group and level, as well as your employment status, in your online application form, your resume and your cover letter.
• Applicants who are currently incumbents of an IS-06 (or equivalent) position are encouraged to self-identify in the online application form and their cover letter.
• Applicants from a federal organization who are currently qualified or partially qualified in a valid selection process for the above-noted group/level (IS-06), or at an equivalent occupational groups, are also encouraged to self-identify in their online application form and their cover letter. In this instance, the applicant must provide the name of the federal organization leading the selection process, as well as the Selection Process Number.
• You will be required to provide proof of educational qualifications later in this process.
• Persons are entitled to participate in the appointment process in the official language(s) of their choice.
• Our intention is to communicate with candidates via email. Applicants to this selection process must include a valid email address in their application and make sure that this address is functional at all times and accepts messages from unknown users (some email systems block these types of emails and classified these as spams).
• We thank all those who apply. Acknowledgment of receipt of applications will not be sent; we will only contact screened-in candidates when this initial process is completed. Therefore, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.

ASSESSMENT:
Applicants will be screened-in based on the content of their initial submission (online application form, resume, and cover letter). Afterwards, the performance of screened-in candidates will be assessed through an exam (in-basket exercise), an interview and at least three (3) references. All written and verbal communication obtained throughout the selection process, from the time of application to close of process, may be used to evaluate your application.

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.