Epidemiologist / Biostatistician

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

The Field Surveillance Officer program is a unique field service program with six permanent federal employees placed in provincial public health authorities. As a Field Surveillance Officer, you would work directly with a provincial team to provide epidemiological support on joint federal and provincial Sexually Transmitted and Blood Borne Infections Surveillance (STBBI) surveillance and epidemiology initiatives.
The Epidemiologist (EC-05) is responsible for the following activities, included but not limited to:
• Verifying, entering, analyzing and summarizing data related to HIV, hepatitis C and other STBBI to inform program and policy development.
• Preparation of various surveillance products (e.g., epidemiological updates, infographics, manuscripts, briefing notes).
• Coordination of the provincial input to national estimates of progress towards global HIV and hepatitis C elimination targets.
• Contribution to the development of collaborative working relationships with partners and stakeholders.
• Participation in STBBI enhanced surveillance initiatives and outbreak investigations (e.g., for syphilis outbreaks).

Work environment

At the Public Health Agency of Canada, we take pride in what we do.

We believe that the work we do is defined by more than just a position title. We encourage our employees to be creative, motivated, inspired and innovative, regardless of their level. We promote opportunities for growth because we support employee development.

The Public Health Agency of Canada is part of the Health Portfolio of the Government of Canada, committed to help protect the health and safety of all Canadians. Its activities focus on preventing chronic diseases, like cancer and heart disease, preventing injuries and responding to public health emergencies and infectious disease outbreaks.

You can learn more about the Public Health Agency of Canada by visiting:
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health.html

Intent of the process

The Public Health Agency of Canada’s Sexually Transmitted and Blood Borne Infections Surveillance Division (STBBI-SD) is currently seeking candidates for the position of Epidemiologist (EC-05).

The immediate intent of the process is to staff three positions in Halifax, Nova Scotia; Edmonton, Alberta; and Montréal, Quebec for a specified period.

A pool of qualified candidates may be established and may be used to staff similar positions at this group and level within the STBBI Surveillance Division of the Infectious Diseases and Vaccination Programs Branch and eventually the Public Health Agency with:

* Various tenures (assignment, secondment, deployment, acting, specified period, and indeterminate)
* Various language requirements and linguistic profiles
* Various security requirements (reliability or secret)
* Various conditions of employment
* Various locations
* Various occupational requirements
Which may vary according to the position being staffed.

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)

Education:
Graduation with a degree from a recognized post-secondary institution with acceptable specialization in economics, sociology or statistics.
Graduation from a recognized post-secondary institution with a Masters degree in epidemiology, biostatistics, public health or in a relevant field.

Note: Candidates must always have a degree. The courses for the specialization must be acceptable and may have been taken at a recognized post-secondary institution, but not necessarily within a degree program in the required specialization. The specialization may also be obtained through an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience.

Degree equivalency

Experience* consulting with provincial and territorial officials and other health officials on public health issues.
Experience* working on epidemiological projects/activities.
Experience* in data management, including data preparation and quality control.
Experience* extracting, manipulating and summarizing survey or administrative or surveillance data and performing statistical analyses.
Experience* developing and executing coding within statistical software packages (such as R, or SAS).
*Defined as at least one year of work experience

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

Various language requirements

Information on language requirements

Knowledge:
Knowledge of the principles and methods of epidemiology.
Knowledge of public health surveillance theory and practice.

Competencies:
Demonstrating integrity and respect
Thinking things through
Working effectively with others
Showing initiative and being action-oriented

Abilities:
Ability to provide advice and recommendations to project team members and management.
Ability to analyze and interpret statistical information and to present in a non-technical manner.
Ability to communicate effective orally and in writing.

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

Experience:
Experience working in local / regional / provincial / territorial public health authorities.
Experience in preparing data/information sharing agreements.
Experience in multi-jurisdictional health information projects.

Knowledge:
Specific knowledge of the epidemiology of sexually transmitted and bloodborne infections (STBBIs).

Abilities:
Ability to apply methodology appropriate to the design and implementation of epidemiologic activities.
Ability to research, evaluate, and collate statistical information from multiple sources.
Ability to perform analyses and produce reports.
Ability to coordinate multiple complex projects.

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:
Ability to travel occasionally as required within the province and to other provinces.

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

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
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. Please ensure that you read ALL points listed below, as this section contains important information about the application process. Failure to read these notes and follow these instructions could result in your application missing required information which may result in your application being eliminated from this selection process.

a) You are entitled to participate in the selection process in the official language of your choice. Applicants are asked to indicate their preferred official language in their application.

b) We will only accept on-line applications received via the Public Service Jobs site. Persons with disabilities or residing in locations that prevent them from applying on-line are asked to contact 1-800-645-5605.

c) For this selection process, we will communicate with you by email. You must provide a valid email address to which you wish to receive communication regarding this selection process. You must ensure that you check your email account including spam, promotion or other folders regularly as there may be a deadline for responses. If you respond past the deadline you risk being removed from the selection process.

d) Depending on the number of applicants, volume management strategies such as, but not limited to, top-down approach, cut-off scores, random selection and/or assessment may be used for the purpose of managing applications/candidates. Should a volume management strategy be used, communication regarding the application of the strategy will be provided to those candidates who are impacted.

e) 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.

f) For more information on how to apply to a selection process, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GW7P3g9hhI

g) Your ability to communicate effectively in writing may be assessed via the application.

h) Various assessment tools may be used in this selection process such as: standardized tests, reference checks, written tests, an interview, etc.

i) All written and verbal communication obtained throughout the selection process, from the time of application to close of process, may be used to evaluate the candidate.

j) Based on the hiring division’s needs, additional essential qualifications, asset qualifications, organizational needs, operational requirements and/or conditions of employment may be identified and applied during the assessment and/or selection of candidates.

k) Other sources of information (such as performance agreements, work samples, board member knowledge, etc.) may be used to assess the criteria identified on the Statement of Merit Criteria.

l) Appointment decisions may be based on one or more of the following criteria:
i) Matching of the individual's experience or qualifications to the strengths and weaknesses of the work team.
ii) Matching of the individual's experience or qualifications to the specific duties of the position being staffed.
iii) Depth, breadth, type of work-specific experience.
iv) Level/degree of one or more competencies/qualifications.
v) The organizational need of restructuring/budgetary constraints.

m) Proof of education will be requested if you are considered for a position. 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/

n) Candidates may be required to pay for travel and relocation costs associated with this selection process.

o) The Public Health Agency of Canada is committed to Employment Equity. In order to ensure a diversified workforce, preference may be given to candidates self-identifying as belonging to one or more of the following Employment Equity groups: aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minority groups provided the candidate meets all essential qualifications listed on the job opportunity notice and any applicable asset qualification(s).

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.