Senior Remote Sensing Analyst

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Assessment accommodation

Work environment

Senior Remote Sensing Analyst

The Canadian Forest Service (CFS) of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) has developed remote sensing science and methods for mapping the land cover, change, and structure of Canada’s forests. The science has matured to point where operational implementation is possible. While the science is in place, a Senior Remote Sensing Analyst is required to take these methods under the supervision of scientific authority to accelerate and operationalize the provision of national, spatially explicit, forest data products to inform national reporting and science programs. The information products developed are highly relevant to the CFS mandate, offering modernization of Federal data capture and capacity for open data delivery. The envisioned data is not otherwise available and it is critical that such information is developed with the required traceability and appropriately documented quality. Implementation as part of a science team will enable the maintenance of the currency of both the open data products but also enable the integration of up-to-date science over time. The ideal candidate will have experience and knowledge pertaining to remote sensing science and application, project and contract management, and communication of project status and direction. The position will be located 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 foster a creative and stimulating work environment.

Intent of the process

A pool of (fully or partially qualified) candidates may be established through this process to staff with identical or similar positions within Natural Resources Canada with various tenures, 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.

A covering letter "Candidates MUST provide a cover letter with concrete and detailed examples, which clearly demonstrates how they meet each of the education and experience criteria listed in the essential qualifications section as well as any applicable asset qualifications. An effective approach would be to use the wording of each experience criterion as a heading and then write one or two paragraphs demonstrating, with clear and accurate details, how you meet each of them. The résumé will be used as a secondary source to validate the information described in the cover letter. Failure to provide this information in the requested format may result in your application being rejected. Candidates will not be solicited for incomplete or missing information. Your cover letter may be used to assess your ability to communicate effectively in writing."

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 forestry, natural resource management, geography, relevant biological or physical science, computer science or engineering or some other science relevant to the position.

Note:
The courses for the specialization must be acceptable and must have been taken at a recognized post-secondary institution, but not necessarily within a degree program in the required specialization.

Degree equivalency

Experience

• Experience in the development and implementation of computer programs or scripts to processes multi-source, multi-temporal, geospatial data sets for generating maps or datasets
• Experience in the manipulation of remotely sensed data sets representing large areas to characterize status and changes to forest ecosystems.
• Experience in conducting remote sensing analyses, including scripting for automation with application to forests or natural resources.
• Experience in documenting research methods and findings.
• Experience in process of letting and managing contracts in a public service context.
• Experience in managing staff or leading a research team.

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

English essential

Information on language requirements

Knowledge

• Knowledge of history and current state-of-the-art practices for land cover and land change mapping.
• Knowledge of experimental planning, design and statistical analysis techniques appropriate for characterizing the accuracy of products derived from remotely sensed data.
• Knowledge of advanced modeling approaches to extend field plot observations temporally and/or spatially to produce forest attribute maps (e.g. height, biomass, volume) at regional or national scales.
• Knowledge of issues faced when using airborne remote sensing to represent or sample large areas.
• Knowledge of synergies between information content of airborne lidar and optical remotely sensed data.

Abilities & Competencies

• Ability to organize, prioritize and meet deadlines.
• Ability to communicate effectively orally in English.
• Ability to communicate effectively in writing in English.
• Ability to analyze and interpret scientific outputs.

Personal Suitability

• Effective interpersonal relationships
• Attention to details
• Team player
• Uphold integrity and respect

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

Education

• Graduation with a Masters degree from a recognized post-secondary institution, with acceptable specialization in forestry, natural resource management, geography, relevant biological or physical science, computer science or engineering or some other science relevant to the position.

Degree equivalency

Experience

• Experience using Python and R for statistical analysis, data manipulation, or remote sensing product development
• Experience and skills using cluster or cloud computing systems
• Experience in the storage and organization of large remotely sensed datasets
• Experience in the analysis of time series remotely sensed datasets

Knowledge

• Knowledge of the relationship between the various resolutions of remotely sensed data and how these inter-relationships influence processing decisions and ultimate information content.

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

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

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..

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.

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.

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.