AS-03, Briefing Officer/Correspondence Officer and Writer/Editor

Update: Note: closing date amended to November 8, 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

🛑 IMPORTANT INFORMATION 🛑

Health Canada (HC) and Public Health Agency (PHAC) are committed to increasing representation of Black employees and other racialized groups, Indigenous People, women and persons with disabilities. We would like our workforce to be reflective of the population we serve. Therefore, we encourage candidates to indicate voluntarily on their application if they are a member of one of these groups.

You may also review jobs open to the public through INFOTEL at 1-800-645-5605. The INFOTEL number for persons using a TTY/TDD is 1-800-532-9397.

HC and PHAC welcomes applications from Veterans. We recognize your contribution to Canadians and would like to offer you the opportunity to continue your career in an environment where multi-talented employees with diverse skills are appreciated and supported.

EVERYONE IS WELCOME
HC and PHAC are dedicated to building an inclusive workforce that comprises individuals who have an array of identities, abilities, background, culture, skills, perspectives, and experiences that are representative of Canada’s current and evolving population. We are passionate about fostering a workplace where all people feel welcome, can reach their full potential, and contribute their unique perspectives and experience to the success of the team.

BRING YOUR WHOLE SELF TO WORK
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.


• • ► We understand that navigating the application process for positions in the public service of Canada can be challenging. Your responses in your application can impact your selection for the next stage of the process and for consideration to potential job openings. We recommend that you start early and take the necessary time to review the requirements and thoroughly respond to the screening questions that have been built into the application process. Save your work frequently or use a word processing software to draft your answers then transfer them into the GC Jobs platform. Otherwise, the page timer may expire, and you risk losing your answers.

• • ► You MUST meet the essential education and essential experience in order to be considered for the next phase of the evaluation process. Please review this area carefully and refer to the OTHER INFORMATION section for advice on the process and how to improve your application.

• • ► Once you have successfully submitted your application, your application status in GC Jobs will show as "Included in inventory". This means that your application has been retained, NOT that you have been found qualified.

Duties

📃 Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada are recruiting for positions with opportunities to develop and expand your career. Here are some examples of the potential duties you may perform within these positions:

• Write/edit parts of the Minister’s, Deputy Ministers’ correspondence/briefing notes in accordance with government and departmental policies, procedures and guidelines.

• Proofread edited letters/briefing notes to ensure departmental/portfolio standards for quality and style.

• Conduct in-depth analysis of correspondence/briefing note requests received and assign response criteria in accordance with established criteria.

• Register all correspondence/briefing note requests into the Management of Executive Correspondence System (MECS) to establish an audit trail.

• Provide statistical and situation reports to support mandated requirements.

Work environment

🍁 JOIN THE PUBLIC HEALTH AGENCY OF CANADA / HEALTH CANADA 🍁

Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada were created to deliver on the Government of Canada's commitment to help protect the health and safety of all Canadians. At both the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada, we take pride in what we do.

We believe that the work we do is defined by more than just a position title. We encourage our employees to be creative, motivated, inspired and innovative, regardless of their level. We promote opportunities for growth because we support employee development. We believe life is about more than just your job. We support our employees by encouraging work-life balance and employee wellness. We offer our employees a competitive salary, generous vacation, paid leave for family and health, comprehensive benefits, and an attractive pension plan.

Intent of the process

A pool of fully or partially qualified candidates will be established and will be used to staff similar positions with various tenures, various locations, various security requirements and various linguistic requirements at the Public Health Agency of Canada or Health Canada.

Positions to be filled: 4

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 secondary school diploma, or an acceptable combination of experience, training and/or education.

Degree equivalency

💼STREAM 1: Writer and Editor
💼STREAM 2: Correspondence/Briefing Officer

🔶EXPERIENCE
Stream 1 & 2
• Experience in tracking and monitoring projects and generating reports.
• Experience in conducting research with electronic tools in an employment situation.

Stream 1: Writer and Editor
• For Bilingual positions only: Experience in writing and editing documents in French and English.
• For English positions only: Experience in writing and editing documents in English.

Stream 2 : Correspondence/Briefing Officer
• Experience in analyzing documents and in making short written summaries.
• Experience in data entry in an employment situation.

🔶ABILITIES
Stream 1 & 2
• Ability to communicate effectively orally.
• Ability to communicate effectively in writing.
• Ability to analyze information.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure with a constantly heavy workload.

Stream 1 : Writer and Editor
• For Bilingual positions only: Ability to proofread, edit and prepare final routine correspondence in both official languages (French and English) for signature of senior officials.
• For English positions only: Ability to proofread, edit and prepare final routine correspondence in the English language for signature of senior officials.

Stream 2 : Correspondence/Briefing Officer
• Ability to enter accurately data into a database.

🔶PERSONAL SUITABILITY
• Judgment
• Reliability
• Attention to detail
• Effective interpersonal relationships
• Client-service orientation
• Respectful of diversity

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

OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS
• Ability and willingness to work overtime on short notice
• Ability to work in a hybrid work environment; combination of telework and on site
• Available core hours according to the collective agreement, at managers discretion

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

Various language requirements
English Essential
Bilingual - Imperative 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

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

🔶OTHER QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience in writing and editing correspondence for a Minister or for senior management *
• Experience in providing advisory service to senior management levels*
• Experience with document management software, for example CIMS or MECS.
• Experience in working with Microsoft word, power point, excel and Outlook
*Senior management is defined as Director or above

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 on your application if you belong to one of the designated groups: Aboriginal peoples, Visible Minorities, Persons with Disabilities and Women.

Conditions of employment

Reliability Status security clearance - (depending on position)

Secret security clearance - (depending on position)

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

• • ► IMPROVE YOUR APPLICATION 💯

When submitting your application to this advertisement, you will be prompted to answer screening questions about your education and essential and asset experiences.

It is important to provide detailed examples to each question as responses will be used to qualify candidates for referral to various hiring managers. Responses should include how, when and where education and experience were obtained. Don't forget to include dates, previous position titles, organizations, frequency, impact and depth of tasks & responsibilities etc.

The answers you provide to the screening questions will be used as the primary source of information. Your CV/resume will only be used to validate this information. *APPLICATIONS THAT INDICATE, "PLEASE REFER TO CV/RESUME" OR FAIL TO CLEARLY DEMONSTRATE SUFFICIENT CLARITY OR DETAIL MAY RESULT IN THE REJECTION OF YOUR APPLICATION.

• • ► WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? ⏰

How the application process works – in five steps:

1️⃣ APPLICATION: Candidates submit their applications via the GC Jobs platform. Only applications submitted through GC Jobs will be considered. In your application, you must demonstrate how you meet essential education and essential experience.

2️⃣ SCREENING: Screening is the initial review of your application. Applications will be pulled for review on a as needed basis. During the screening step, we will review your responses for essential education and essential experience.

NOTE: Depending on the number of applicants, volume management strategies such as, but not limited to, top-down, cut-off, random selection and/or assessment may be used to manage applications and applicants. If a volume management strategy is used, communication regarding the application of the strategy will be sent to applicants affected by the strategy.

3️⃣ TEST/INTERVIEW: Should you successfully meet the criteria assessed during the screening stage, you will be invited via email to complete a test and/or interview.

4️⃣ DOCUMENT GATHERING & ASSET VALIDATION: Should you successfully meet the criteria assessed in your interview, you will be invited to submit the required documentation to support your application (i.e. proof of education, references, proof of eligibility to work in Canada, etc.). During this step, you may also be asked to validate / elaborate on your asset experiences.

5️⃣ PARTIALLY QUALIFIED TALENT POOL: Congratulations! You have made it to the partially qualified talent pool. The partially qualified talent pool may be used to refer candidates to several hiring managers for open positions across the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada.

• • ► COMMUNICATION WITH CANDIDATES 📧

Acknowledgment of receipt for applications will not be sent. All future communication will be sent via email. It is your responsibility to ensure accurate contact information is provided and updated as required. Your contact email must be accessible to you. You must ensure your system does not filter relevant emails to your junk mailbox or trash.

NOTE: all updates regarding your candidacy (i.e. invited to a test or an interview, no longer being considered, etc.) will be communicated to you directly by email.

For any questions related to this selection process, you may contact the email address provided below. Please include the selection process number 22-AHS-SPB-EA-NCR-347037 in your correspondence.

- Reference checks may be sought.

- A test may be administered.

- An interview may be administered.

- An assignment, secondment, or acting appointment requires approval of your supervisor.

- Please identify clearly for which position(s) you are submitting an application.

- You must provide proof of your education credentials.

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.