Senior Communications Advisor

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

OUR COMMITMENT

We are focused on building a workplace that has at its heart people from a diversity of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds. We want to make sure that all people have the support to reach their full potential, and can actively contribute to the success of the team.

We encourage all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of race, colour, religion, sex (including gender identity and/or expression), national origin, sexual orientation, civil union or relationship status, disability, age, parental status, military service, or other status protected under federal law.

Our Department’s commitment to anti-racism recognizes the presence of racism in Canada and our own organization, and outlines our resolve to advance racial equity for our employees and our clients. We know that we need to do more to build a workforce that represents Canada’s diversity, at all levels, because that will lead to better decisions and policies, improved outcomes for newcomers, and a stronger country for all Canadians.

►To help us build a diverse team, we strongly encourage you to tell us if you identify as an Indigenous person, a Black or other racialized individual, someone with a disability, a woman, or a member of one of the LGBTQ2+ communities.

NOTE: We understand the phrasing above is not perfect and doesn't speak to the individual attention that each group deserves. As we focus on the big picture of addressing racism, we are following the language used by the Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat.

To read more: www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/anti-racism-engagement/anti-racism-strategy.html.

Duties

We’re looking for senior communications advisors with a variety of different skill sets, including in both internal and external communications, issues management, public opinion research, media relations, ministerial events, editing and translation, publishing and graphic design, and stakeholder consultations and engagement. Three of our teams—Internal Communications, Strategic Communications, and the Editing Unit—currently have vacant positions, and we anticipate additional openings in the next few months.

While specific duties will vary from team to team, we are looking for people who are curious and eager to learn, who enjoy taking initiative and thinking through situations from all sides, who can provide constructive feedback to team members of all levels, and who appreciate the value of working with others to improve the quality of their work.

You will be called on to advise senior management, analyze complex issues, and think of how your work relates to the work of others, at IRCC and across the Government of Canada. You may also be called on to work stand-by on a rotating basis with other team members to manage files and issues after hours or on the weekend.

On all teams, you will use inclusive language and images in the content you develop to support the Government of Canada’s and IRCC’s anti-racism and inclusion goals. You will also seek opinions and advice from equity-seeking groups or organizations to enrich how you work and what you produce.

On some teams, you will also have the opportunity to gain valuable management experience by leading other members of your team. This means you will get experience coaching and mentoring other advisors, identifying and assigning work priorities, and supporting your manager or director with staffing processes and performance assessments.

Work environment

OUR WORK AND WHY IMMIGRATION MATTERS

When you start working at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, one of the first things you will notice is how passionate people are about their work. We are passionate because what we do—each and every day—matters.

We help reunite families. We help protect displaced and persecuted people around the world. We also help attract top international talent that will strengthen our country’s economy and competitiveness for decades to come. Our work matters because #ImmigrationMatters. From health care to food services, from science and technology to arts and culture, immigrants grow and strengthen our major industries for the benefit of all Canadians. Welcoming newcomers to Canada enriches our communities and will be essential to getting through COVID-19, Canada’s short-term economic recovery, and our country’s long-term economic growth.

As a senior communications advisor at IRCC, you will have a direct role in supporting this important work that makes a difference to Canadians and people around the world.

► IN ORDER TO SUBMIT A COMPLETE APPLICATION, YOU MUST:

1. Submit your résumé
2. Answer the pre-screening questions, which are part of the online application process

When answering the pre-screening questions, you must provide concrete and detailed examples to clearly demonstrate when, where, and how you gained the experience needed to meet the qualifications. We can’t make any assumptions about your experience and will only use your résumé as a secondary source of information, so use these pre-screening questions as your chance to tell us about what skills and experience you bring.

Please include the timeline in which you gained this experience, as well as specific examples of what you did and how you did it, including who you briefed, which clients you served, and which partners you worked with to what end result. Simply saying you have the required qualifications or listing your current duties is not enough. You should expect your answers to these questions to be two to three paragraphs in length.

If you don’t clearly demonstrate you have the required experience and education, we won’t ask for additional information and you may be screened out.

For the Asset Education and Asset Experience qualifications, please focus on the ones that capture the experience and skills you bring to the team. There is no expectation that you will have all of the asset qualifications.

Intent of the process

This process may be used to establish a pool of, fully or partially, qualified candidates that may be used to staff similar positions at an identical or equivalent group and level with various language requirements, secret security profile, various tenures (Indeterminate and Term) and various staffing mechanisms at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

***Term and indeterminate employees of the federal Public Service already at the IS-05 level or equivalent may be considered for deployment. At-level candidates do not need to apply through the staffing system and may instead send their CV and expression of interest to .***

Positions to be filled: 5

• Internal Communications – 2 positions
• Strategic Communications – 2 positions
• Editing Unit – 1 position

We may appoint candidates by applying 1 or more of the following criteria:
• Breadth, depth, type of specific work experience
• Matching individual experience or qualifications to the strengths and/or weaknesses of the team
• Matching individual experience or qualifications to the specific duties of the position being staffed

Positions to be filled: 5

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

In order to be considered, your application must clearly explain how you meet the following (essential qualifications)

EDUCATION
ED1. A degree from a recognized post-secondary institution OR an acceptable combination of education, training and/or related experience.

Degree equivalency

EXPERIENCES
EXP1. Significant* experience providing advice to management** regarding communications activities and issues.
EXP2. Significant* experience analyzing the communications needs of internal or external clients to develop and implement strategies that produce results.
EXP3. Significant* experience writing a variety of communications products for a public audience or for employees of an organization.

* Significant experience is defined as the breadth and depth of experience normally associated with full-time performance of duties for approximately 2 years.
** Management generally refers to someone at the director level or above.

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

Various language requirements

Information on language requirements

BEHAVIOURAL AND TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES
BC1. Adaptability and Flexibility
BC2. Client Service Orientation
BC3. Cross-Cultural Sensitivity
BC4. Effective Interactive Communication
BC5. Focus on Quality and Details
BC6. Judgement and Analytical Thinking
BC7. Written Communication Skills
BC8. Values and Ethics

ABILITY
AB1. Ability to develop an effective strategy

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

ASSET QUALIFICATIONS
EDUCATION
AED1. A degree from a recognized post-secondary institution in translation.

Degree equivalency

EXPERIENCES
AEX1. Experience planning, coordinating, and managing public events for senior executives or ministers.
AEX2. Experience developing advertising or marketing strategies or campaigns.
AEX3. Experience performing comparative reviews of French texts based on the English texts from which they were translated, or providing professional translation services.
AEX4. Experiencing in media relations, including developing responses to media inquiries and coordinating their approval with senior executives.
AEX5. Experience managing public opinion research studies, including the development of objectives, methodological design and research instruments, data analysis, and reports of findings.
AEX6. Experience in stakeholder consultations, including developing strategies and plans, logistical and project management services, and reports of findings.
AEX7. Experience planning, coordinating, and managing projects related to videos, graphic design, publishing, and/or exhibit and promotional materials.
AEX8. Experience managing staff, including performance management and delegation of duties.

OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS
1- Willingness and ability to work long hours and overtime on short notice.
2- Willingness and ability to be included in a roster for scheduled stand-by and on-call duties. This may include taking turns covering statutory holidays.

Conditions of employment

Secret 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.

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 part of this process, you can expect to:
• provide proof of your education credentials
• write an exam
• take part in an interview
• have your references checked

Please note that we will not acknowledge receipt of your application. We will only contact the candidates who meet the essential qualifications at the screening stage.

All communications related to this process, including email, may be used to assess your qualifications. We will send all communication through email or the Public Service Resourcing System. Please ensure your email address can receive email from unknown users (some email systems block these types of email) and that you check your junk mail just in case. It’s your responsibility to keep your contact information up-to-date.

You are entitled to participate in the appointment process in the official language of your 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 departmental official (contact information below) in a timely fashion of the accommodation measures that 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.

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.

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.