ANTICIPATORY - Senior Communications Officer

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

Duties

We are looking for communications professionals who would be responsible for a variety of communications services, including support for:

• developing and implementing strategic communications plans;
• providing strategic communications advice;
• developing communications products and/or tools;
• organizing, coordinating and/or supporting events (such as but not limited to public events, internal events, ministerial or dignitary visits or events, media tours conferences, or engagement sessions);
• media relations;
• and other communications activities as required.

As part of our Communications team, there is great potential to expand or gain experience in a variety of areas. The ideal candidate is someone who is interested in taking their communications skills and experiences to new heights. We are looking for someone who is creative, passionate, and embraces challenges. If you want to work on a Northern file, hands-on and north of 60, join us for this unique and rewarding opportunity.

We invite you to join an organization that is committed to ensuring an inclusive workplace and respect for all!

Work environment

CIRNAC provides you with the tools you need to develop valuable skills that will promote your future success, with opportunities to achieve organizational, professional and personal goals in a respectful and inclusive workplace, mobilized and supported by leadership at all levels.

The Federal Public Service has adopted a common hybrid work model that will see employees work on site at least 2–3 days each week, or 40–60% of their regular schedule. A part-time telework agreement may be discussed and implemented at the time of hiring in accordance with the operational needs of the positions to be filled.

The Federal Public Service offers competitive rates of pay, benefits, pension packages and flexible work schedules that promote work-life balance. Pension – For more information on pensions and insurance benefit visit: https://www.canada.ca/en/treasury-board-secretariat/services/pension-plan/prospective-members.html and https://www.canada.ca/en/treasury-board-secretariat/services/benefit-plans/prospective-employees-public-service-group-insurance-benefit-plan-members.html.

For more information on what the Government of Canada has to offer as an employer, read the Top 10 Reasons to Join Canada’s Public Service!
https://www.canada.ca/en/treasury-board-secretariat/site/proudly-serving/top-10-reasons-join-public-service.html.

Intent of the process

Anticipatory Selection Process

The immediate need of the process is to establish a pool of partially qualified candidates which could be used to staff temporary, and/or permanent positions with similar qualifications, various linguistic profiles, various security requirements, and/or various tenures at Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, within the Yukon Region. Conditions of employment may vary according to the positions to be staffed.

The IS-04 positions are located in Whitehorse, YT. For operational reasons, the work must be performed on site, at the Whitehorse Office. The successful candidates may be required to relocate to Whitehorse, YT.

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)

When you apply you will be asked a series of screening questions based on the education and experience criteria below. When answering the screening questions, please provide:
► Concrete and detailed examples to demonstrate how you meet the qualifications;
► Where, when and how the experience was acquired.

EDUCATION
A degree from a recognized post-secondary institution and/or an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience.

Note: Based on their education, training and/or experience, indeterminate incumbents of positions in the IS classification are deemed to meet the minimum education standard whenever a bachelor’s degree without specialization is called for in a position classified as IS.

Degree equivalency

EXPERIENCE
Recent* experience developing and implementing communications products and/or tools (such as but not limited to strategic** communications plans).
Experience organizing, coordinating and/or supporting events (such as but not limited to public events, internal events, ministerial or dignitary visits or events, media tours conferences, or engagement sessions).
Experience researching and writing about complex issues for various audiences and media.
Experience providing strategic** communications advice to audiences, including senior management.
Recent* experience in media relations (such as but not limited to facilitating media calls, developing key messages, preparing spokespersons for interviews, coordinating media events, or coordinating response to media inquiries).

*Recent refers to within the last five years.
**Strategic is defined as anticipating opportunities, articulating and evaluating alternative strategies, and making recommendations on strategic choices.

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

English essential

Information on language requirements

ABILITIES
Ability to communicate effectively orally.
Ability to communicate effectively in writing, using plain and clear language.
Ability to multitask and meet tight deadlines.
Ability to develop communications products and/or tools, including strategic* communications plans.
Ability to critically assess options and link decisions to strategic goals.

*Strategic is defined as anticipating opportunities, articulating and evaluating alternative strategies, and making recommendations on strategic choices.

PERSONAL SUITABILITY
Effective interpersonal skills
Sound judgement
Initiative
Dependability
Client service orientation

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

The following criteria are not required for the appointment, but preference may be given to candidates who possess these asset qualifications.

ASSET EDUCATION
A degree from a recognized post-secondary institution specializing in communications, public relations/public affairs, journalism, marketing, or mass media.

Degree equivalency

ASSET EXPERIENCE
Experience working in Canada’s North.
Experience in working on Indigenous and Northern files.
Experience working with external stakeholders, including Indigenous partners and/or organizations.

ORGANIZATIONAL NEEDS
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada is committed in having a skilled and diversified workforce representative of the population its serve. In support of our strategy to achieve our employment equity goals, preference may be given to candidates who, at the time of application, indicate that they are belonging to one of the following Employment Equity groups (self-declaration): Indigenous peoples, Women, Visible Minorities and Persons with Disabilities.

OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Willing and able to travel, potentially to remote areas.
Willing and able to work overtime, weekends and/or statutory holidays and territorial/provincial holidays.

Conditions of employment

Reliability or Secret Security Clearance depending on the position to be staffed.

Medical Clearance: The incumbent and their dependents* must obtain Health Canada medical clearance in accordance with the Isolated Post and Government Housing Directive.
*This includes incumbent’s spouse or common-law partner and children.

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

1. You will be required to complete an online questionnaire when you apply. You must respond to all statements in all categories in order to proceed to the next steps. You must indicate "NO" if you do not have experience in performing a task related to a specific field.

2. All applications must be submitted online through the Public Service Resourcing System (PSRS). Do not email, fax or mail any applications, as these may not be accepted. No acknowledgement of receipt will be sent for your request. We will contact you as soon as the screening process is completed.

3. You must meet all essential qualifications in order to be appointed to the position. Other qualifications may be a deciding factor in choosing the person to be appointed. Some essential and other qualifications will be assessed through your application. It is your responsibility to provide appropriate examples that illustrate how you meet each qualification. Failing to do so could result in your application being rejected.

4. Candidates are strongly encouraged to indicate if they meet any of the asset qualifications or the organizational needs, depending on the requirements of the specific position being staffed. Meeting one or many of the asset qualifications may be a deciding factor in appointing a particular candidate amongst the qualified candidates. Please note that one, some or all of the asset qualifications could be used at any stage of the staffing process.

5. Communication for this process will be sent via email. Candidates who apply to this selection process should include an email address that accepts email from unknown users (some email systems block these types of email). If your primary communication email address changes during the process, it is your responsibility to update your contact information in GC Jobs application, as well as to inform the Hiring Manager of the process by contacting the generic address:
.

6. A variety of assessment tools may be used in the assessment of candidates, such as: * written test, practical test, situational exercise, * oral interview, simulation, presentation, role-play, work samples, performance appraisals and/or * reference checks. Some assessment tools may be administered electronically, others, in-person. (* Indicates those tools that will most likely be used in this process.)

7. Online assessments may be scheduled, and applicants will be invited to participate in these assessments via email. Applicants MUST make themselves available within the time span of the testing phase. The written/online exam MAY be administered outside of regular working hours including evenings and weekends.

8. If you are unavailable for the scheduled assessment session, you must inform us immediately. Applicants will only be rescheduled on a case-by-case basis. Supporting documentation may be required at the time of your request to be re-scheduled.

9. Applicants are entitled to participate in the staffing process in the official language of their choice and are required to indicate their preferred official language in their application profile.

10. NOTE: The PSRS system will time out after 60 minutes which may result in your inability to save your work or loss of data. It is recommended that you draft all responses as well as your CV/résumé in another document on your PC that can be saved (e.g., in MS Word or WordPerfect) and copy/paste into the PSRS system when completed. CIRNAC is not responsible for system problems, which may result in loss or data and/or incomplete or non-submitted applications.

11. CIRNAC 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 CIRNAC 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.

12. Depending on the number of applicants, CIRNAC needs and HR plans, volume management strategies such as random selection, application of one (1) or more assets, top-down approach, and/or cut-off scores MAY be used for the purpose of managing applications/candidates.

13. Candidates with foreign credentials must provide proof of Canadian equivalency. Consult the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials for further information at http://www.cicic.ca/

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.