Senior Advisor (IM/IT Application Development)

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

When you apply to this selection process, you are not applying for a specific job, but to an inventory for future vacancies. As positions become available, applicants who meet the qualifications may be contacted for further assessment.

The Federal Public Service is stronger and most effective when we reflect the diversity of the Canadian population we serve. Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) is dedicated to building and promoting a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce, representative of Canadian society. All candidates who believe they are qualified are encouraged to apply, including Black, other racialized and Indigenous peoples, women, persons with disabilities and persons of the LGBTQ2+ community.

Now is the time to build your career at Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).

The Innovation, Information and Technology Branch (IITB) is hiring. As part of IITB, you will help shape the department’s Information Technology projects, via technology selection and delivery, ensuring best practices are followed from the onset.

Applicants MUST submit their application online. No other mediums will be accepted. Failing to do so will result in your application being rejected. Candidates in situations preventing them from applying online and needing special accommodations must advise the selection board prior to the closing date (see Contact section below).

You must include your résumé with your application; however, avoid referring us to your résumé as it may only be used as a secondary source of information.

You must clearly demonstrate in your application how you meet the study and experience requirements that are included in the essential qualifications listed below. It is your responsibility to provide concrete examples (including dates) illustrating how you meet each qualification. Failing to do so, your application may be rejected as applicants will NOT be solicited for incomplete or missing information.

You must clearly demonstrate in your application how you meet the educational requirements listed in the Essential Qualifications section below. Indicate:
• Institution name, City, Province / State, Country
• Program name and duration
• Period of time spent at the institution (Month/Year to Month/Year)
• Successful completion of program (degree, diploma, certificate received).

You must clearly demonstrate in your application how you meet the experience factors listed in the Essential Qualifications section below. For each experience factor, please indicate:
• Name of the employer where the experience was acquired.
• The period of time in which you have gained the experience (Month/Year to Month/Year).
• The title of the position held. Provide concrete examples of the tasks you have completed which show how the experience was acquired.

This is a crucial step of the process. We can’t make any assumptions about your experience. Simply saying you have the required qualifications or listing your current duties is not enough. The depth and breadth of experience of an applicant may be considered as part of screening or selection of a candidate, which is why it is recommended you quantify your experience.
For existing Government of Canada employees: Please clearly identify your substantive group and level and your employment status on your application and ensure that your Personal Record Identifier (PRI) is included in your application.

For existing Government of Canada employees at the same group and level in Application Development: The selection board may waive some of the selection process steps based on the candidate’s depth of experience. Please ensure that your answers to the screening questions clearly describe your experience.

The application may be used to evaluate the ability to communicate effectively in writing.

Duties

⭐DUTIES - For all streams

• Acts as the department’s technical authority on the acquisition, planning, development, integration, implementation, and maintenance of IM/IT applications and occasionally leads project teams involved in specialized IM/IT applications.
• Negotiates contracts with vendors for the provision of IM/IT applications services and products.
• Provides expert advice on technical issues relating to application development and the existing and potential role of IM/IT applications in short, medium, and long term IM/IT strategies and plans for the Department.
• Provides expert advice to senior managers and to project teams on technical planning, modification and implementation issues with respect to the development and maintenance of IM/IT Applications.
• Sets departmental application development standards, develops policies, plans and procedures for the acquisition, development and maintenance of IM/IT applications.
• Represents the IM/IT organization and the Department as the technical authority at meetings with senior IM/IT officials in other federal departments, national, or international technology standards, policies and architecture working groups or committees to facilitate networking and promote partnering in application development and Government of Canada initiatives.
• Chairs or facilitates project-related meetings with project sponsors, other stakeholders and vendor representatives. Chairs or participates in departmental and inter-departmental meetings and committees as required.
• Maintains knowledge of trends and developments in computer systems application development theory, principles techniques and practices.
• Provide advice and guidance to a varied audience that leads to increased efficiency in the way they work. For example, principles of the Agile and DevOps methodologies.
• Provide specialized technical advice and support on the design, development, testing, implementation, integration, and maintenance of IM/IT solutions and/or Cloud Computing solutions in support of service delivery to internal or external clients, and stakeholders.

Work environment

WHO WE ARE

IITB has over 2,500 employees working on multiple projects to help deliver social benefits to Canadian citizens. We provide innovative solutions which power ESDC digital services to Canadian citizens and employers. We are a diverse, national organization powered by innovative thinking and approaches, delivering efficient, reliable and secure services and solutions.

You will work with a talented and engaged team to bring creative solutions to employees of ESDC and to the public.

Do you enjoy tackling complex problems or coming up with new solutions?
Do you want to help create and sustain a culture of innovation and experimentation?
Do you have a knack for facilitating partnerships with diverse stakeholders?
Do you have a strong interest in supporting the digital agenda of the Government of Canada and helping bring about change in delivering services?

Are you an ambitious information technology specialist looking to expand your management skills and take your career to the next level?

• ESDC is on a mission to meet business and citizen digital service expectations by leveraging and embracing the latest leading edge technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Open Source, Cloud, and Blockchain, and by using development methodologies such as DevOps while also expanding further into the mobile space.
• ESDC offers career advancement opportunities. Our 28,000 employees work in various fields and locations across the country.

Do you want to make a difference and serve Canadians in a meaningful way?

• ESDC helps millions of Canadians every year through Employment Insurance, Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security, and other social benefits.
• The department is in the midst of a digital transformation, aimed at delivering more client-centered services using the latest technologies.

Do you value work-life balance?

• Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) is moving toward a flexible work model where some employees always work on-site, some work predominately off-site, and some do both (hybrid work), depending on the nature of their work.

If you answered YES to any or all of the above questions this opportunity may be for YOU!

The Innovation, Information and Technology Branch (IITB) is a national organization within Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), with a wide variety of Information technology (IT) work that can be performed regardless of geographic location; however, certain positions may require a physical presence at a specific location.

IITB's hub locations outside of the Gatineau/Ottawa National Capital Region (NCR) are located in: St. John's, Dartmouth, Charlottetown, Bathurst, Fredericton, Miramichi, Moncton, Boucherville, Jonquière, Laval, Montréal, Shawinigan, Belleville, Chatham, Cornwall, London, Toronto, Mississauga, Windsor, Vaughan, Winnipeg, Regina, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver.

Intent of the process

A pool of partially qualified candidates will be established to staff similar positions at Employment and Social Development Canada with various tenures (acting, assignment, deployment, secondment, indeterminate/permanent, specified period/temporary), various language requirements, and conditions of employment and/or locations.

When you apply to this selection process, you are not applying for a specific job, but to an inventory for future vacancies. As positions become available, applicants who meet the qualifications may be contacted for further assessment.

We encourage you to apply as soon as possible since individual appointments resulting from this process may take place during the posting period and while assessments are still ongoing. Please note that the first extract of candidate applications is scheduled for January 10th, 2023 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. Applications received prior to this deadline will be considered for this first extract; applications received after this date will be considered in the next extract which will take place in the Fall of 2023.

Candidates who will be eliminated in subsequent evaluations can update their application in the inventory for another extraction; however, they will not be reassessed unless three (3) months have passed since they were last eliminated from consideration.

Positions to be filled: Number to be determined

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

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

⭐EDUCATION - For all streams

Graduation from a two-year program of study from a recognized post-secondary institution with acceptable specialization in computer science, information technology, information management or another specialty relevant to the position to be staffed.

Note:
1. Indeterminate incumbents in the IT group on December 9, 2021 who do not possess the education prescribed above, are deemed to meet the minimum education standard based on their education, training and/or experience. They must be accepted as having met the minimum education standard whenever this standard is called for when staffing positions in the IT group.
2. Indeterminate incumbents of positions in the CS group on May 10, 1999, who do not possess the education prescribed above, are deemed to meet the minimum education standard based on their education, training and/or experience. They must be accepted as having met the minimum education standard whenever this standard is called for when staffing positions in the IT group.
3. At the manager’s discretion, an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience may serve as an alternative to the minimum education stated above. Whenever the minimum education is met using this alternative, it is met for the specific position only and must be re-assessed for other positions for which this alternative has been specified by the manager.

Degree equivalency

⭐EXPERIENCE:

This selection process is composed of two (2) streams:

📗Stream 1 (Software Solutions/Application Development & Support)
📘Stream 2 (Cloud Solutions Development & Support)

👉You may apply only to Stream 1 (EX1 – EX5) or you may apply to both Stream 1 and Stream 2 (EX1- EX7). (You cannot apply only to Stream 2 as it is a more specialized version of Stream 1)

Experience (Please demonstrate clearly how you meet the experiences)

📗Stream 1 (Software Solutions/Application Development & Support)

EX1: A minimum of ten (10) years cumulative experience* over the past twenty (20) years in the Designing, Development (Coding/Configuring), Testing, Implementation and/or Support of at least two (2) distinct complex** IM/IT solutions.
EX2: A minimum of five (5) years cumulative experience* over the past ten (10) years in providing IM/IT technical direction and guidance to solution/technical teams, on an on-going basis.
EX3: Experience* in a minimum of two (2) distinct opportunities over the past ten (10) years actively participating in a multi-disciplinary Tactical Inter-Group Emergency Response team or any similar team (commonly referred to as a TIGER team) to solve complex** IT production or development issues.
A TIGER team is a specialized, cross-functional team brought together to solve or investigate a specific problem or critical issue.
EX4: Experience* in a minimum of two (2) distinct opportunities over the past five (5) years in providing all of the following services, in Written and Oral presentations, to management (Manager or above) as well as an adapted version to a technical audience (Colleagues or technical team):
a) Analysis,
b) Research and synthesizing multiple sources of information,
c) Providing IM/IT technical advice, options and recommendations
EX5: Experience* over the past five (5) years as Chair, Facilitator or Active Member in IM/IT related meetings or committees in discussing related opportunities, challenges, issues, or future directions engaging sponsors, Internal or External stakeholders, or other partners.

📘Stream 2 (Cloud Solutions Development & Support)

In addition to your responses to EX-1 to EX-5 above please respond to the following in order to also apply to Stream 2.
EX6-CLD: A minimum of three (3) years cumulative experience* over the past five (5) years in the Designing, Development (Coding/Configuring), Securing, Testing, Implementation and Support of at least two (2) distinct complex** IM/IT solutions on a cloud platform.
EX7-CLD: Experience* over the past three (3) years planning, designing, or implementing security controls and frameworks for solutions on a cloud platform.

Important notes:
* “Experience”: Experience must be related to IT (information technology) Solution development. Solution development is the process of designing, building, testing and implementing software applications; it includes but is not limited to:
• Cloud based platforms and solutions
• Application development (programs)
• Web Applications
• Desktop Applications
• Web Services
• APIs (application programming interfaces)
• Configuration of COTS (Commercial Off the Shelf Solutions)

** Complex is defined as IM/IT solutions with at least two (2) of the following characteristics: multidimensional, sensitive, affecting many stakeholders, precedent setting, affecting client services or having a potential for significant media coverage.

When responding to the Experience qualifications above you MUST provide all relevant timelines (including year and month) to prove the requested number of months (or more) of cumulative experience. Breadth and depth is defined as a combination of time spent doing the activity, as well as type (range, scope, and complexity) of work performed.

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

Various language requirements
English Essential, French Essential, English or French Essential, Bilingual (BBB/BBB)

Information on language requirements

⭐COMPETENCIES - For all streams

C1: Application Development / Support and Maintenance
C2: Analytical Thinking
C3: Creative Thinking
C4: Visioning and Strategic Direction

📗COMPETENCIES - Stream 1 (Software Solutions/Application Development & Support)

C5-SD: Application development and support

📘COMPETENCIES - Stream 2 (Cloud Solutions Development & Support)

C6-CLD: Cloud development and support

⭐ABILITIES - For all streams

A1: Ability to communicate effectively in writing.
A2: Ability to communicate effectively orally.

⭐PERSONAL SUITABILITY - For all streams

PS1: Effective interpersonal skills
PS2: Adaptability
PS3: Values and Ethics

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

ASSET EDUCATION - For all streams

Certifications

AE1: Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP)
AE2: Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP);
AE3: Certified Protection Professional (CPP) from ASIS
AE4: Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)
AE5: Azure or Amazon Web Service (AWS) Certifications
AE6: Any other certifications in a specialty relevant to IM/IT.

Degree equivalency

ASSET EXPERIENCE - For all streams

AEX1: Experience writing contract specifications, correspondence and/or documentation.
AEX2: Experience in representing the IT Organization in collaboration with senior business-line IT managers, within and outside the organisations.
AEX3: Experience coaching or mentoring individuals in technical skills and abilities.
AEX4: Experience analyzing and evaluating proposals from external suppliers and internal technical staff to determine viability, conformity and adaptability to IT frameworks.
AEX5: Experience in data analysis, data modelling, data exchange.
AEX6: Experience in a variety of platforms and middle-tier technologies such as .NET, Java, Oracle, etc.
AEX7: Experience with IT solution security principles.
AEX8: Experience producing solution models for application and network architecture and solutions as a service (SaaS).
AEX9: Experience defining the principles to guide solutions decisions for the enterprise.
AEX10: Experience developing a road map of the evolution a Solution or Project.
AEX11: Experience in completing technical options analysis including estimation of level of effort and risk.
AEX12: Experience providing solution architecture options and recommendations to senior management.
AEX13: Experience with traditional and emerging solution design and architecture patterns.
AEX14: Experience with application testing concepts. (such as System Integration testing methodologies, Agile testing methodologies, Test Automation Frameworks, Native Mobile application testing, Test Environment Virtualization).
AEX15: Provides and manages the provision of expert technical advice and/or guidance to clients on current and required technical changes to IT architectural frameworks and/or standards and/or plans and/or designs.
AEX16: Clear understanding of the roles and responsibilities of a product owner, product manager, subject matter experts, architecture, security, data management, developers, and site reliability engineers within the context of a cross-functional solution development and delivery team.
AEX17: Experience working with agile development methodologies and automated build and deployment development approaches.
AEX18: Knowledge of data governance principles and best practices including but not limited to master and reference data management, governance catalog, data quality principles, data policies and business data rules managements, business glossary terms repository, data management best practices, data exchange models, data security, and data access and provisioning methodologies.
AEX19: Experience implementing software solutions leveraging one or more of the cloud providers (such as Azure and AWS).
AEX20: Experience in Agile frameworks (SCRUM and/or Kanban) and tools (ADO – Azure DevOps, Jira, etc.).
AEX21: Experience in CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment).
AEX22: Experience in organizing cross functional teams.
AEX23: Experience in Presentation skills; preparing and giving presentations.
AEX24: Experience in Negotiating solutions with project stakeholders.

Selection may be limited to members of the following Employment Equity groups: Aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities, visible minorities, women

Information on employment equity

OTHER ORGANIZATIONAL NEEDS

Employment and Social Development Canada is committed to Employment Equity (EE). In order to achieve a representative workforce, selection may be based on qualified candidates self-declaring as belonging to one or more of the following EE designated groups: Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, women and visible minorities. We encourage you to indicate if you belong to one or more of the designated groups by completing the EE section in your application.

⭐OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Willingness and ability to work overtime as needed, sometimes on short notice.
Willingness to travel within Canada if/when required.

Conditions of employment

Security Clearance: Reliability Status or Secret

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

Candidates will be contacted and invited to assessments via email. It is imperative that you provide a valid email address that accepts email from unknown users (some messaging systems block these types of correspondence). Candidates are responsible for checking their emails, as well as their junk emails, regularly. In addition, you need to inform us of any changes to your contact information. If you fail to follow these recommendations, you may be eliminated from the selection process.

A written examination may be administered.

An interview may be administered.

Reference checks may be sought.

Public Service Commission standard exam(s) may be administered.

Candidates must meet the essential qualifications to be appointed to a position.

Candidates may be required to meet one or more of the Asset Qualifications and/or the organizational needs, depending on the requirements of the specific position being staffed.

Due to evolving needs in IM/IT, additional Asset Qualifications may be added at a later date. Should this occur, all successful candidates in the pool will be informed and will have the opportunity to inform us if they meet the added asset qualification(s).

Depending on the number of applicants and the human resources needs and/or plans, volume management strategies may be used for the purpose of managing applications to determine the candidates who will continue in the next steps of the staffing process. Such volume management strategies might include: screening of applications based on the Asset Qualifications, random selection, top-down approach and/or establishment of cut-off scores.

All information obtained throughout the selection process, from the time of application to the conclusion of the process, may be used for evaluation purposes.

Candidates must provide their proof of education credentials, in the form of a diploma or official transcripts (original documents only) at a later time in the process. Candidates educated outside of Canada must have their certificates and/or diplomas assessed against Canadian education standards. For more information, please click on “Degree Equivalency” in the Education section.

All communication regarding this process will be administered via e-mail. It is the candidate’s responsibility to provide a valid e-mail address and inform the selection board when it changes. If special circumstances prevent you from having access to your e-mail, or if your email has changed, please advise the selection board using the email address provided in the ‘Contact’ section below.

TRAVEL RELATED TO THE SELECTION OR APPOINTMENT PROCESS: While exams and interviews may be conducted in person and/or using various electronic media (telephone, Skype, email, etc.), in special circumstances they may be conducted at sites chosen by the selection board, and therefore may require traveling by the candidate. Candidates will not be considered to be in travel status or on government business and that travel costs or travel expenses will not be reimbursed. Consequently, candidates will be responsible for travel costs.

An assignment/secondment or an acting appointment is a temporary resourcing option. The approval of your substantive supervisor may be required before an offer can be made.

Candidates are entitled to participate in the appointment process in the official language of their choice, (French or English).

ESDC is committed to building a skilled, diverse workforce reflective of Canadian society. As a result, it promotes employment equity and encourages candidates to indicate voluntarily on their application if they are a woman, an Aboriginal person, a person with a disability or a member of a visible minority group.

ESDC is also committed to developing inclusive, barrier-free selection processes and work environments. If contacted for exams or interviews, you should advise the selection board by way of email (Contact Information below) 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.

Apply online