Stream 1: Team Lead / Stream 2: Senior Research Engineer

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

*** NOTE: Candidates MUST submit their application through the online system available at: GC jobs. Applications submitted in any other format will not be accepted. If there are limitations or special circumstances preventing you from submitting your application via the PSRS online portal, you must contact us AND receive approval to apply via an alternate means PRIOR to the closing date.

When submitting your application to this selection process, you will be required to answer screening questions to demonstrate how you meet the Essential Qualifications (Education and all Essential Experiences) as well as any Asset Qualifications (if applicable).

When answering the screening questions, remember that the assessment board cannot make assumptions about your Education and Experience. It is not sufficient to say that you have the required qualifications or to list your current or past responsibilities. Rather, you must provide concrete examples with significant details to explain WHEN, WHERE and HOW you acquired each qualification. This is similar to what would be expected of you when asked to provide a concrete example of a particular situation in the context of an interview.

Please note that the ability to communicate effectively will be assessed based on your responses to the screening questions.

Candidates must also submit a resume with their application, which will only be used to validate the information provided in their answers to the screening questions.

Should your responses to the screening questions contain insufficient details to demonstrate that you meet the screening criteria, your application will not be given further consideration in this process. Candidates will not be solicited for incomplete or possible missing information.

Work environment

This is an exciting time to join the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) as an engineer! Supporting front line operations through effective application of science and technology, new engineers will directly contribute to the CBSA’s mandate to provide integrated border services that support national security and facilitate the free flow of people and goods.

The Border Technology Division (BTD) manages the lifecycle of more than $100 M in CBSA security systems (e.g., x-rays, trace detection, remotely controlled vehicles…), used to detect weapons, contraband and other inadmissible goods at Canadian ports-of-entry. From initial research and procurement to maintenance and decommissioning, the technical work is expansive and continually shifting to address emerging threats and traffic volumes. The diverse team of engineers, technologists, and program officers is expanding and in need of additional leadership and technical expertise. The workplace may be an office, a lab or port-of-entry anywhere in the country, where employees use technical skills and collaborative approach to articulate operational pressures and developing technical solutions.

Intent of the process

The immediate need is to staff three (3) positions. A pool of partially qualified candidates will be established from this selection process and may be used to staff similar positions with various tenures with various language profiles within the Canada Border Services Agency.

Positions to be filled: 3

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

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

We encourage you to identify any skills, competencies and/or experiences you acquired through a career with the Canadian Armed Forces.

EDUCATION (BOTH STREAMS):
The minimum standard is:
- Graduation with a degree from a recognized post-secondary institution in mechanical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, aeronautical engineering, geological engineering, naval architecture or some other engineering specialty relevant to the duties of the position.

Degree equivalency

OCCUPATIONAL CERTIFICATION (BOTH STREAMS):
- Eligibility for certification as a professional engineer in Canada with specialization in an engineering specialty relevant to the position (some positions may require eligibility for certification as a professional engineer in Canada without regard for the field of specialization).

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

Various language requirements
STREAM 1 - Team Lead: Bilingual Imperative BBB/BBB
STREAM 2 - Senior Research Engineer: English Essential

Information on language requirements

EXPERIENCE (BOTH STREAMS):
- Extensive* experience producing technical reports.
- Extensive* experience in planning and executing projects.
- Experience with engineering changes and configuration management.

NOTE:
*Extensive experience is defined as the experience progressively gained through increasing responsibilities normally acquired in a period of five (5) years.

STREAM 1 - Team Lead:
- Experience training or mentoring junior technical staff.
- Experience working with internal and external stakeholders.

STREAM 2 - Senior Research Engineer:
- Experience developing, testing or maintaining: radiographic inspection systems (e.g., x-ray, gamma ray or neutron), medical imaging systems, industrial non-destructive testing systems or passive radiation detection systems.
- Experience providing technical advice to Management on the selection or implementation of technology.

KNOWLEDGE (BOTH STREAMS):
- Knowledge of engineering, design and operating principles non-intrusive inspection equipment.
- Knowledge of radiation protection and safety principles.
- Knowledge of the lifecycle management of equipment.

ABILITIES AND SKILLS (BOTH STREAMS):
- Oral Communication
- Written Communication
- Leadership

PERSONAL SUITABILITY (BOTH STREAMS):
- Initiative
- Teamwork
- Integrity

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

ASSET EDUCATION (BOTH STREAMS):
- Master’s degree from a recognized university in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, aeronautical engineering, engineering physics, or some other engineering specialty relevant to the duties of the position.
- Doctoral degree from a recognized university in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, aeronautical engineering, engineering physics, or some other engineering specialty relevant to the duties of the position.
- Certification as a Medical Physicist by the Canadian College of Physicists in Medicine (CCPM).
- Certification as a Project Management Professional (PMP).
- Publication in peer reviewed academic journals or conference proceedings, on topics related to the position (e.g., non-intrusive inspection, threat material detection, etc.).
- Certification as a professional engineer in Canada with specialization in an engineering specialty relevant to the position.

Degree equivalency

ASSET EXPERIENCE (BOTH STREAMS):
- Experience participating on international working groups or committees related to Border Security, Non-Intrusive Inspection or Customs.
- Experience managing or supervising a multi-disciplinary team (i.e., establishing performance objectives, assigning work and providing feedback).
- Experience managing financial resources (i.e., creating forecasts, authorizing purchases, monitoring expenses, reporting on variances).
- Experience managing or supervising the delivery of technical support, including a computerized maintenance management system and a centralized Help Desk.
- Experience contracting for technical goods and services in the Government of Canada (e.g., writing Statements of Work, evaluating bids, etc.).
- Experience developing, inspecting or enforcing regulations for radiation emitting devices, radiological/nuclear substances or threat material detection.
- Experience integrating electro-mechanical equipment (physically and digitally) into separate conveyance systems or specialized vehicles.
- Experience developing or evaluating non-intrusive inspection equipment (e.g., neutrons, gamma or X-ray systems) for the detection of threat materials (e.g., explosives, weapons, narcotics, or radioactive/nuclear materials).
- Experience developing custom engineering programs or simulations in: MatLab; Labview; Python; Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) transport code; or GEANT4.

ASSET KNOWLEDGE (BOTH STREAMS):
- Knowledge of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission’s regulation of Class II nuclear facilities and prescribed equipment
- Knowledge of Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) or Root Cause Analysis.
- Knowledge of gamma spectroscopy.

OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Possession of a valid driver’s license (equivalent to Ontario Class G).
- Willingness and availability to work in the field.
- Willingness and availability to work overtime on occasion.
- Willingness and availability to travel nationally and internationally on occasion.

Conditions of employment

Secret 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

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

You may be assessed using a variety of assessment tools, such as, but not limited to: standardized tests, written exams, interviews, simulation exercises, reference checks, recent and past performance evaluations, self-assessments, candidate achievement record, etc.

A top-down approach based on the level, breadth or degree of qualifications may be used during any stage of the selection process. Please note that achieving a pass mark on any of the assessment used does not mean you will move forward in the selection process. The selection board may decide to use a cut-off score that is higher than the pass mark on any evaluation used throughout the process.

CHARACTER-BASED LEADERSHIP (CBL)

While CBSA continues to modernize and transform its ways of working in order to deliver high-quality border services for Canadians, it needs employees who possess the competencies, the commitment, and the character/personality necessary to be effective leaders. Although competencies and commitment are important, character/personality plays a critical role in leadership behaviour. As such, CBSA embed character-based leadership in the Agency’s practices and 24/7 frontline operations. As a result, a Character-based leadership (CBL) conversation will be used to form part of the selection decision for this process. The eleven (11) dimensions of character include courage, drive, accountability, transcendence, humanity, humility, collaboration, temperance, integrity, justice and judgment.

Please note that your overall conduct and communications, including email correspondence, throughout the entire process may be used in the assessment of qualifications and competencies.

You must provide proof of your education credentials. If you were educated outside of Canada, you must have your certificates and/or diplomas assessed against Canadian education standards. For more information please click on “Degree Equivalency” in the Education section above.

LEAVE/ABSENCES DURING THIS SELECTION PROCESS: It is the responsibility of the candidate to notify the Departmental contact of any pre-approved leave throughout the duration of the process in order to facilitate scheduling of evaluations. One (1) alternate date will be possible only if requested for the following reasons: 1) Medical reasons with doctor’s certificate 2) Death in your immediate family 3) Confirmation of pre-approved travel plans or training plans (made before the advertisement posting date) 4) Religious reasons or 5) Participation in an assessment for another selection process.

Please note that achieving the pass mark on any of the assessments used does not mean you will move forward in the selection process. Management may decide to use a score that is higher than the pass mark on any of the evaluations used throughout the selection process. Management may also decide to use top-down selection at any stage of the process.

Management may choose to invoke an asset(s) at any point of the process.

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OFFICIAL LANGUAGE
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Persons are entitled to participate in the selection process in the official language of their choice. Applicants are asked to indicate their preferred official language in their application.

Official language proficiency: due to its unique character, this essential qualification could be assessed and required solely upon appointment. It is therefore the candidate’s responsibility to inform the person in charge of the selection process if he/she obtains the linguistic requirements after the pool has been established. Also, a person who initially failed linguistic testing could be introduced into the pool of qualified candidates during the pool’s validity period if he/she is assessed again through another selection process or following linguistic training.

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COMMUNICATION
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Communication for this process will be sent via email. Applicants MUST check their e-mail accounts frequently as there may be a deadline for responses.It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure accurate contact information is provided and updated as required. 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). Please note that we will have to consider that you are no longer interested in participating in the selection process and that you have withdrawn your candidacy should you not provide us with an up-to-date email address or respond to our communications.

If you need to communicate with us during any stage of this process, please indicate the selection process number in the subject field of your email.

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OTHER INFORMATION
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Please ensure that your Personal Record Identifier (PRI) is included in your application.

Acknowledgement of receipt of applications will not be sent; we will contact candidates when the screening process is completed.

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.