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

Information you must provide
Your résumé.

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.

Duties

The Public Health Risk Sciences Division (PHRSD) of the National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) of PHAC identifies where, when and why infectious disease risks occur, predicts where risks may occur in the future, and explores ways to minimize risk by prevention and control using advanced epidemiological methods. Within PHRSD, the Public Health Geomatics Unit focuses on using Earth observation (EO) and other geospatial data to model and map risks from infectious diseases, particularly as caused by tick and mosquito vectors. Within the Public Health Geomatics Unit, the EC-05 is responsible for the following activities, included but not limited to:
• supporting Agency assessment, prevention and control efforts for infectious disease risks by applying EO and geospatial data and statistical modelling methods for public health risk assessment
• undertaking research on the application of EO and geospatial data for public health risk assessment
• leading and contributing to peer-reviewed publications, internal or external reports and briefing notes as required
• contributing to the development and maintenance of collaborative working relationships with partners and stakeholders
• liaising with staff in PHAC and other Government of Canada departments (e.g. managers, subject matter experts, etc.) to effectively perform the required duties mentioned above.

Work environment

The Public Health Agency of Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) provides scientific expertise and laboratory capacity for infectious disease monitoring, detection, investigation and outbreak response to support national and international public health action. NML strives to be the employer of choice for Canadian and international scientific and non-scientific staff. Our employees contribute leadership, ingenuity, expertise and innovation to safeguard the health of Canadians and the global community.

Intent of the process

This process will initially be used to staff one (1) indeterminate positions. The result of this selection process will also be to establish a pool of qualified candidates that may be used for future acting, specified period, deployment, assignment, secondment or indeterminate appointments within the Public Health Agency of Canada (1 to 2 additional terms positions are anticipated).

The Public Health Agency of Canada currently follows a hybrid working model. We require employees to report to our offices 2-3 days per week or 8-12 days per month (or more if desired), while ensuring that the needs of people who may require accommodations, are in accordance with the Duty to Accommodate Directive.

Positions to be filled: 1

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 post secondary recognized institution with acceptable specialization in economics, sociology, statistics;
Note: Candidates must always hold a Bachelor’s degree. The courses taken for the specialization do not necessarily have to be part of a degree program in the required specialization. The specialization may also be obtained through an acceptable combination of education, training, and/or experience. If your degree is not in Economics, Sociology or Statistics, you will have to clearly list the university-level courses that you have taken in at least one of the three relevant areas of specialization.

Degree equivalency

Experience
Significant* experience in scientific research using Earth observation data.
Significant* experience in acquisition, storage, management, analysis, validation and visualization of geospatial data.
Significant*experience in statistical analysis and modelling using geospatial data and addressing issues of sampling, scale and uncertainty.
*Significant is defined as the depth and breadth of experience normally associated with the performance of those duties for a minimum continuous period of two (2) years.

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

Asset Education
Ph.D. degree from a recognized post-secondary institution with specialization in a field relevant to the position (e.g., geomatics, geography, epidemiology, ecology).

Master’s degree from a recognized post-secondary institution with specialization in a field relevant to the position (e.g., geomatics, geography, epidemiology, ecology).

Degree equivalency

Asset Experience

Experience with projects involving multidisciplinary collaboration between academia, industry, or government organizations
Experience writing articles for peer-reviewed scientific publication
Experience in supervising or mentoring students or junior researchers

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

English essential

Information on language requirements

Knowledge:
Knowledge of concepts, theories and principles of GIS, remote sensing, and geospatial modelling.
Knowledge of concepts, theories and principles of risk mapping.

Competencies:
Effective interpersonal skills
Leadership
Critical judgement
Working effectively with others
Demonstrating integrity and respect
Thinking things through
Showing initiative and being action oriented

Abilities/Skills:
Advanced technical ability with GIS and remote sensing software
Technical ability in computer programing (e.g. Python, R, C++, java)
Advanced technical ability in statistical analysis
Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing
Ability to analyze and summarize scientific information, make recommendations and presentations to management.
Ability to organize and prioritize work

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

Organizational Needs
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).

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

Candidates must meet all the essential qualifications for the position being staffed. The asset qualifications and operational requirements may have been identified as desirable and may be a deciding factor in choosing the candidate to be appointed. Therefore, candidates should clearly indicate in their on-line application how they meet all essential qualifications and any applicable asset qualifications. Failure to do so may result in the application being rejected from the selection process.
Candidates must provide, as part of their application, proof that they meet the Educational Certification requirements. Failure to do so may result in being screened out. Candidates will be requested to provide copies of their education credentials throughout the process.

Candidates with foreign educational credentials are required to provide proof of Canadian equivalency. You may consult The Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials at http://www.cicic.ca for further information. The client organization strongly encourages on-line applications.

All job applications should therefore be submitted through the Public Service Resourcing System (PSRS). The following are some of the benefits associated with applying on-line:

• Applicants can create a profile and a résumé that can be used when applying for other processes without having to recreate a new application each time.
• Applicants can modify their application/résumé anytime BEFORE the closing date indicated on the job advertisement.
• Applicants can verify the status of their applications at any time.
• Applicants can be notified electronically of tests or interviews and results.
• For some jobs, applicants will find important information that is only available when applying on-line, such as the job questionnaire and a complete statement of merit criteria.

To submit an application on-line, please click on the button "Apply online" below.
Potential applicants are also encouraged to review the PSC's "Guide on how to apply for a job in the federal public service" prior to applying on-line.

Do you have a disability or functional limitation?

Give yourself the best chance to succeed when applying on GC Jobs!
Persons with disabilities preventing them from applying on-line are asked to contact 1-800-645-5605.
Request accommodation if you have a temporary or permanent functional limitation that may impact your performance during an assessment,such as a test or an interview. Your request will be treated confidentially. Changes could be made to the assessment procedure, format or content of an assessment tool. Supporting documentation regarding your limitation(s) may be needed to identify what measures would be required to fully demonstrate your abilities.

For more information about assessment accommodation:
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-service-commission/services/assessment-accommodation-page.html


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

All communication received from candidates throughout the staffing process may be used to assess qualifications on the Statement of Merit Criteria.

• Reference checks may be sought

• An interview may be administered

• A written examination may be administered

Ability to communicate in writing will be assessed by a candidate’s application for employment. Please ensure that consideration and attention is given to your written communication when submitting your application.

For this selection process, it is our intention to communicate with candidates via email for screening and assessment purposes. This will include communication of screening results and invitations to written tests and interviews. To that end, candidates must include a valid email address in their application. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure that this address is functional and that it accepts messages from unknown users (some email systems block these types of email). It is also the candidate’s responsibility to ensure accurate information is provided and updated as required.

Achieving a representative workforce has been identified as an organizational need in the merit criteria, and may be applied in this appointment process. You may also voluntarily self-identify as a member of a designated group for employment equity purposes.

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

The Public Service of Canada 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.

The Public Service of Canada 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 the Public Service Commission or the departmental official 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.