Physical Sciences Specialist

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

You must submit your application using the “Apply online” function.

Please ensure that you plan for enough time to answer all the screening questions in the online application process.

***We are aware that there are a lot of questions to answer. If you answer all the questions for which you meet the requirements, you will significantly increase your chances of moving forward in the process.

TIPS FOR APPLICANTS
When answering the screening questions, ensure that you provide complete and thorough details of your experience. Do not assume that the screening board has any previous knowledge of your background, qualifications or work history. The information provided must enable the screening board to understand HOW (clear explanation of duties), WHEN and for HOW LONG (date and length of time in months or years), and WHERE (employer and geographic location) the experience was acquired.Your application may be screened out of the competition if you fail to provide sufficient information. Candidates will not be solicited for incomplete or possibly missing information.

Résumés may be used as a secondary source to validate the experience described in the screening questions.

All information collected throughout the selection process from the submission of the application until the end of the process could be used to assess the candidates.

Work environment

Join us and be part of a global movement to save the planet for future generations.

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is looking to staff positions in the Meteorological Service of Canada’s (MSC) Prediction Services Directorate (PSD).

Within the PSD, two Applied Science sections in the Prediction Services Operations – Atlantic and Ice (PSO-AI) and Prediction Services Operations – West (PSO-W) are seeking qualified candidate(s) to join their teams. The Applied Science sections of PSD are mandated to develop science products and information to support the operational needs of forecast and service meteorologists. Areas of expertise include applied climatology, meteorology, air quality and sea and lake ice. Positions will involve leading and supervising staff working on various scientific projects related to the development and analysis of tools and products in support of forecaster workflows and client services.

The Applied Science – West section is composed of three science units: Applied Climatology, National Lab West (Applied Meteorology) and Air Quality. All three units are very active in innovating various forecast-related tools and techniques that advance not only the state of the science but also improve the operational efficiencies of prediction services. Tools and techniques focus on identifying weather/environmental hazards and their potential impacts, supporting production of forecasts and warnings, evaluating the quality of predictions and analyzing/reporting on recent climate. The ultimate goal of science innovation activities in the Applied Climatology, National Lab West and Air Quality units is to better serve clients and the public to make informed decisions about weather, climate and air quality.

The Applied Science – Atlantic and Ice section is composed of three science units, one of which - Applied Science – Ice (AS-I) - is responsible for supporting new product development and workflow improvements for the Canadian Ice Service’s (CIS) Operations unit and in support of key clients and partners, including the Canadian Coast Guard. The AS-I unit’s main work areas are in synthetic aperture radar (SAR), optical and passive microwave remote sensing, ice-ocean and iceberg modelling, model post-processing and visualisation, as well as iceberg detection, wind speed estimation and oil pollution detection from satellite imagery. The group regularly works with colleagues within the MSC at the Canadian Centre for Meteorological and Environmental Prediction (CCMEP), as well as in the Science and Technology branch (S&T), and with industry and academic partners and other federal government departments.

Note that in addition to the organizations listed above, the pool could also be used to staff positions in other ECCC organizations at a later time.

Intent of the process

A pool of qualified or partially qualified candidates may be established and may be used to staff similar positions at Environment and Climate Change Canada with various linguistic profiles and/or requirements, various security requirements, as well as tenures (Indeterminate, Term, Deployment, Acting, Assignment and Secondment) in the locations listed above.

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)

You must meet all essential qualifications in order to be appointed to the position.

EDUCATION:

ED1 Graduation with a degree from a recognized post-secondary institution, with acceptable specialization in physics, chemistry, geography, earth sciences, atmospheric sciences, climatology, meteorology, environmental sciences 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:

EX1 Experience in analyzing and interpreting meteorological, climatological or environmental data.

EX2 Experience working collaboratively to plan and execute projects in meteorology, climatology or environmental sciences.

EX3 Experience developing, implementing and delivering client-oriented science products, services or information.

EX4 Experience maintaining relationships and working with partners, clients or stakeholders (internal or external) in the domain of environmental sciences.

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

Various language requirements
English essential
Bilingual Imperative – BBB/BBB
Bilingual Non-Imperative – BBB/BBB

NOTE: Each appointment decision will be treated distinctly. The requirements of each position will be determined objectively at the time of the appointment or the deployment.
Consequently, we encourage all candidates, regardless of their official language profile, to apply.

Information on language requirements

KNOWLEDGE:

K1 Knowledge of the Meteorological Service of Canada’s programs and services.
K2 Knowledge of environmental or atmospheric science.
K3 Knowledge of data analysis methods.
K4 Knowledge of computer programming practices.
K5 Knowledge of project management.

COMPETENCIES:

C1 Initiative
C2 Thinking
C3 Adaptability
C4 Client Focus
C5 Working with Others
C6 Communication

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

Asset education or experience could be used at the screening stage. Please ensure that you clearly indicate with concrete examples how you meet these qualifications in the screening questions.

ASSET EDUCATION:

AED1 Graduation with an advanced degree from a recognized post-secondary institution with acceptable specialization in climatology, meteorology, environmental science, geography, remote sensing, oceanography, data science, mathematics or in another field relevant to the position

AED2 Post-secondary Certificate or diploma from a recognized institution with a specialization relevant to the duties of the position (e.g. qualifications related to data science, artificial intelligence/machine learning, data visualization, web programing or another related field)

Degree equivalency

ASSET EXPERIENCE:

AEX1 Experience leading project teams or with the formal supervision of employees.

AEX2 Experience in providing scientific advice and strategic guidance to management.

For the following asset experience, please describe your experience in detail for each asset criteria, including but not limited to the types and size of data, tools, techniques and analyses with which you have experience.

AEX3 Experience applying advanced statistical modelling.

AEX4 Experience applying and evaluating the performance of artificial intelligence models (e.g. machine learning).

AEX5 Experience in the analysis and visualisation of large geospatial datasets.

AEX6 Experience with the interpretation, analysis, processing, and creation of products from earth observation imagery (e.g., synthetic aperture radar, optical, passive microwave) or other remote sensing data.

AEX7 Experience with scientific programming, application development, web development or database development (e.g., Python, R, SQL, HTML, JavaScript, Java, Linux shell scripting, etc.).

Conditions of employment

Reliability Status security clearance - Reliability or Secret depending on the position

Willingness and ability to travel occasionally
Willingness and ability to occasionally work outside of normal business hours

Candidates must meet and maintain the above conditions of employment throughout their employment.

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

Please note that for this selection process, our intention is to communicate with applicants by e-mail. Applicants who apply to this selection process must include in their application a valid e-mail address and make sure this address is functional at all times and accepts messages from unknown users.

Candidates may be assessed using one or more of the following tools: standardized tests, written exam, interview, simulation exercise and reference checks.

Candidates are expected to make a reasonable effort to make themselves available for assessments as scheduled. Rescheduling will only be permitted for accommodation measures or for other exceptional/extenuating circumstances, to be determined on a case-by-case basis.

A cut-off score may be used and top-down approach may be used at any step if there is a sufficient number of candidates to meet immediate and anticipated staffing needs.

During the application or assessment process, both cheating and plagiarism are considered forms of misconduct and are not permitted. Any person found cheating, including those who help others to cheat, may be subject to removal from the selection process.

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.