Physical Scientist Specialist (PC-03): Research

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

HOW TO APPLY?
Applicants will be required to answer screening questions for each of the essential criteria as well as for the asset criteria (education and experience) within the electronic application.

When answering the screening questions, remember that the assessment committee cannot make assumptions about your experience. It is not enough to say that you have the required skills or to list the duties you currently perform or have performed in the past. Instead, applicants must demonstrate that they meet the education and experience criteria in the job advertisement by providing CLEAR AND CONCRETE EXAMPLES.

Using the STAR method can help you fully illustrate your examples.
S- situation
T- task
A- action/activity
R- results

Your resume can be used as a secondary source of information and is used strictly to validate the concrete examples you have described.

All information and communications obtained during the selection process, from the date of application to the end of the process, can be used to assess qualifications.

You must meet all essential qualifications to be qualified. Asset qualifications, under the "other qualifications" sections, are not essential, but may be deciding factors at any stages of the process.

Intent of the process

A pool of qualified candidates will be established and used to staff several physical scientist specialist positions at the Science and Technology Branch (Atmospheric Science and Technology Directorate) and Climate Change Branch (Canadian Centre for Climate Services) and may be used to staff similar acting, assignment, term or indeterminate positions at various locations within Environment and Climate Change Canada across Canada.

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
Graduation with a degree from a recognized post-secondary institution, with an acceptable specialization in physics, geology, chemistry or in some other science relevant to the position.

Note:
1.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.

If you were educated outside of Canada, you must have your certificates and/or diplomas assessed against Canadian education standards. Click on the link below to contact the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC).

Degree equivalency

Experience
1.Significant* experience analyzing and interpreting large climate datasets using advanced statistical or numerical methods.
2.Experience creating scientific diagrams or maps to communicate climate data or data from closely-related disciplines.
3.Experience in carrying out or leading projects related to climate science or to closely related disciplines (e.g., meteorology, hydrology, oceanography)
4.Significant* experience writing scientific computer programs (i.e. Python, R, FORTRAN) and working in a UNIX/Linux environment

* Significant experience means that which is an integral part of the duties of the candidate over a period of at least two (2) years

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

Asset Qualifications:
The following will be applied / assessed at a later date.


Education
Graduation with a Master’s or Doctoral degree from a recognized post-secondary institution, with an acceptable specialization in physical sciences such as geography, atmospheric or climate sciences, or in another field relevant to the position.

Degree equivalency

Experience
A1. Experience in running software on High Performance Computing Platforms
A2. Experience leading or contributing to scientific publications
A3. Experience executing runs with global climate models, regional climate models, seasonal prediction models, or weather models
A4. Experience using diagnostic tools and methods to process the output of climate or weather models
A5. Experience in using or developing ocean models, particularly the NEMO model
A6. Experience in using ocean wave and storm surge models, particularly WAVEWATCHIII and NEMO
A7. Experience in applying or developing statistical downscaling methods
A8. Experience in regional modelling
A9. Experience in developing coupled atmosphere-ocean models
A10. Experience preparing model boundary conditions.
A11. Experience developing, or coding parameterizations used in climate, ocean, or other scientific models
A12. experience in applying numerical or statistical methods for the development and analysis of climate datasets or other environmental data sets
A13. Experience in extracting regionally specific information from large model output datasets
A14. Experience in knowledge translation of climate science (e.g., indices of extremes, event attribution, understanding uncertainty)
A15. Experience in developing and applying deep learning methods to very large datasets

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

Various language requirements
Language Requirements
•English Essential, French Essential, English or French Essential, or Bilingual Imperative (BBB), or Bilingual Imperative (CBC)

Information on language requirements

Knowledge
•Knowledge of scientific data processing and analysis methods, including their application to climate data

Abilities
·Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing
·Ability to analyze, interpret and present climate data
·Ability to write and maintain R or FORTRAN or Python code

Personal Suitability
•Working with others
•Initiative
•Judgement
•Leadership

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

Knowledge
·Knowledge of atmospheric dynamics, ocean dynamics or biogeochemistry
·Knowledge of advanced methods of data analysis such as machine learning or cluster analysis
·Operational knowledge of climate models and climate projections, or seasonal-to-decadal models and forecasts
·Knowledge of statistical or dynamical downscaling approaches
·Knowledge of advanced statistical methods applicable to climate science such as extreme value statistics, time series analysis, or extreme event attribution analysis

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

Information on employment equity

Operational Requirements
•Willingness and ability to travel

Conditions of employment

Reliability Status security clearance

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

APPLICATION PROCESS:
All applications must be submitted online through the Public Service Resourcing System (PSRS) at www.jobs-emplois.gc.ca.

Applications will not be acknowledged. Applicants will be contacted once the screening process is complete.

We plan to contact candidates by email. You must include a valid e-mail address with your application and ensure that it is always working and that it accepts e-mail from unknown users (some e-mail systems block such messages).

ASSESSMENT PROCESS:
A variety of assessment tools can be used as part of this selection process, such as standardized tests, interviews, references, etc. Other sources of information (performance agreements, talent management placements, work samples, selection committee members, etc.) may be used to assess the factors identified in the Statement of Merit Criteria. Please note that even if you meet the established pass mark for each of the assessment methods, this does not mean that you will be selected to proceed to the next step. Management may decide to use a higher pass mark on any of the assessment methods selected throughout the appointment process. Please note that one, some or all of the asset qualifications could be used in the screening phase.

EMPLOYMENT EQUITY:
SELF-DECLARE, BECAUSE YOU MATTER TO US
By completing the employment equity section of your application, you are contributing to the creation of a public service that is diverse, inclusive, and representative of the identities, cultures, opinions and experiences that make up Canada.

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE FOR THE PROCESS:
Everyone has the right to participate in an appointment process in the official language(s) of their choice. Applicants are asked to indicate their preferred language(s) in their application.

EDUCATIONAL CREDENTIALS:
Candidates called for an interview will be asked to provide proof of their education. It is the applicant's responsibility to demonstrate on the application that the degree(s)/program(s) has/have been approved by a recognized post-secondary institution.

Applicants with foreign degrees will be required to provide proof of their Canadian equivalency.

Failure to do so will result in your application not being considered. For more information, consult the Canadian Information Centre on http://www.cicic.ca/1/accueil.canada.

Please note that any information provided through this selection process may be considered in the assessment of any of the essential and asset qualifications, including the ability to communicate effectively in writing.

Depending on the number of applicants, the needs and/or Human Resources plans, volume management strategies such as random selection, top-down approach and/or establishing cut-off scores to determine who will continue in the staffing process, MAY BE USED for the purpose of managing applications.

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.