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.
When you apply to this selection process, you are not applying for a specific job, but to an inventory for future vacancies. As positions become available, applicants who meet the qualifications may be contacted for further assessment.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is a separate employer and is not subject to the Public Service Employment Act.
The CFIA considers applications from individuals who have legal status to work in Canada and does not give preference to Canadian citizens.
We will only accept applications received through the GC Jobs website; therefore, you must submit your application by clicking on “Apply online” in this advertisement. Persons who are unable to apply online must use the “Contact information” below, prior to the closing date, to request specialized accommodation.
The Plant Health Analytics Hub is located within the Plant Health Science Directorate of the CFIA. The unit provides data analytics support to all plant health stakeholders in the CFIA (e.g. Plant Business Line). This position will support the Plant Health Analytics Hub in data and analytical methodology exploration, analysis and data science tasks, as well as applying to associated strategic projects.
Duties may include but are not limited to the following:
- Support the Canadian Plant Health Information System (CPHIS), including, but not limited to, creating standardized analytical reports, testing, and designing SharePoint pages.
- Conduct data analyses and write reports for ad hoc requests from stakeholders across the Plant Business Line.
- Identify internal and external data sources to support the activities for the Plant Health Analytics Hub and Plant Business Line.
- Develop, improve, and extend horizon scanning analytics tools, models for pest economic and environmental impacts, pest spread, pest establishment, climate suitability, and pest phenology; text analysis.
- Present outputs of analytics activities at governance tables as required.
This inventory may be used to staff positions with similar qualifications, with various language requirements, various conditions of employment and/or various tenures including term appointments, indeterminate appointments, acting appointments and/or assignments.
Positions to be filled: Number to be determined
Your résumé.
Contact information for 2 references.
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.
ESSENTIAL EDUCATION
EEd1 - A bachelor's degree in a natural, physical or applied science from a recognized post-secondary institution, with an acceptable specialization in a scientific field relevant to the duties of the position.
Applicants submitting education credentials from a non-Canadian institution are responsible for obtaining certification that these credentials are the equivalent of the Canadian education level required for the position.
Please refer to the link below for more information.
ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE
EE1- Recent experience* performing research, extraction, and subsequent analysis of data and information from various sources.
EE2 - Recent experience* working with multi-disciplinary, multibranch, or multi-departmental/organizational teams, to deliver a product/project with a deadline.
EE3 - Recent experience* leading collaborative discussions with stakeholders or project team members that resulted in the desired outcome or change in direction.
EE4 - Recent experience* using the R programming language to perform complex** data analysis.
*Recent is defined as having occurred within approximately the last 2 years.
** Complex is defined as: 1) requiring the integration of multiple different types of data; and 2) applying appropriate statistical procedures to make inferences or developing/applying mathematical models to a dataset to make inferences.
Various language requirements
English Essential or Bilingual Imperative (Various Profiles)
Official languages proficiency will not be assessed for entry to the pool. Candidates entered in the pool will have an opportunity for assessment of their official languages proficiency if and when they are considered for an appointment.
For acting appointments and assignments, the candidate may not be required to meet the language requirements of the position.
Information on language requirements
ESSENTIAL COMPETENCIES
EC1 - Written Communication
EC2 - Oral Communication
EC3 - Collaboration / Teamwork
EC4 - Action oriented
EC5 - Detail oriented
EC6 - Judgement
EC7 - Analytical Thinking
ESSENTIAL ABILITIES AND SKILLS
EA1 - Ability to use the R programming language to analyze and visualize data.
EA2 - Ability to work with large data sets (e.g., greater than 10,000 lines) as well as the ability to integrate data from various large datasets.
EA3 - Ability to identify a problem within a dataset or with an analytical approach and implement a solution.
EA4 - Ability to programmatically clean, validate and transform a dataset for analysis.
EA5 - Ability to find datasets related to an analysis and incorporate them into an analysis.
ASSET EDUCATION
AEd1 - A master’s degree or PhD in a natural, physical or applied science from a recognized post-secondary institution, with an acceptable specialization in a scientific field relevant to the duties of the position.
ASSET EXPERIENCE
AEx1 - Recent experience* working with programming languages other than the R or S programming languages (NOTE: for the purposes of this experience, coding in DAX, Excel and PowerBI do not count).
AEx2 - Recent experience* in gathering, evaluating, and summarizing scientific information to inform decisions, provide advice, or make recommendations.
AEx3 - Recent experience* in applying mathematical methods to complex datasets.
AEx4 - Recent experience* in communicating technical information to a non-technical audience.
AEx5 - Recent experience* in developing data validation procedures to account for nuances in a dataset.
*Recent is defined as having occurred within approximately the last 2 years.
ASSET KNOWLEDGE
AK1 - Knowledge of data management concepts and principles.
ASSET COMPETENCIES
AC1 - Creativity
Reliability Status security clearance - Applicants who have not lived in Canada for the past five (or ten, depending on security level) years may be required to submit a police certificate from each country in which they have lived for six months or more during this period, as well as other documentation required for the security screening process. Failure to submit this documentation if requested will eliminate the application from further consideration.
The following conditions of employment are required for an appointment:
• Adherence to the CFIA Code of Conduct.
• Adherence to the CFIA Conflict of Interest and Post-Employment Policy.
• Compliance with the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector.
• Legal status to accept employment for the entire period of employment.
Any of the following conditions of employment may be required for an appointment:
• Willing and available to work overtime, as required.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency 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.
Personal information is obtained for the purpose of determining an individual’s competence and suitability for employment. If a staffing complaint questions this determination, please be advised that relevant personal information you will provide in the course of this staffing process may be disclosed to substantiate the staffing decision.
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 staffing process.
1. You are entitled to participate in the staffing process in the official language of your choice.
2. For this staffing process, the CFIA will communicate with you by email. You must provide a valid email address to which you wish to receive communication regarding this staffing 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 staffing process.
3. Applicants who are screened in to this staffing process will be sent further information by email regarding what to expect during subsequent phases of this staffing process.
4. Depending on the number of applicants, CFIA's needs and CFIA HR plans, 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.
5. 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 staffing process.
6. A current copy of your resume may be used as another source to confirm the education and experience you will be asked to describe in the screening questions. It may also be reviewed by prospective hiring managers at the appointment stage.
7. For more information on how to apply to a CFIA staffing process, please visit: https://inspection.gc.ca/about-the-cfia/job-opportunities/how-to-apply/eng/1340676915348/1340679107182
8. You will be asked to provide proof of your education credentials later in the staffing process.
9. Your ability to communicate effectively in writing will be assessed via the application.
10. Various assessment tools may be used in this staffing process such as: standardized tests, reference checks, written tests, an interview, etc.
11. All written and verbal communication obtained throughout the staffing process, from the time of application to close of process, may be used to evaluate the candidate.
12. During the written exam phase, you will be required to use the R programming language to perform analysis, and provide the script files, data files, and any links to data sources used when submitting your exam.
We thank all those who apply. Only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.