Graduate Student Economics, Social Sciences or other Quantitative fields - Research Affiliate Program

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

The program gives graduate students the opportunity to conduct research on a large and unique market in the world: Canada’s supply managed dairy sector. The students selected will have access to the Canadian Dairy Commission’s (CDC) databases and will benefit from the expertise of the CDC’s economists and policy analysts.

Students participating in this Research Assistants Program (RAP) must receive a scholarship. In this program, students will receive a scholarship of $12,500 per year (in equal monthly payments), for a maximum of $25,000 over two (2) years. In addition, funding will be provided for conferences: a maximum of $1,000 per year for presentations at national or international dairy industry conferences or meetings of the CDC. Students may also be granted a contract for additional work during the summer.

For more information about the rate of pay for students: https://www.canada.ca/en/treasury-board-secretariat/services/pay/rates-pay/student-rates-pay.html

Student eligibility
To be considered under RAP, you must meet these three (3) requirements:
- you are a full-time student in a post-secondary institution;
- you are enrolled in an academic program that requires research as part of your curriculum;
- you meet the minimum age required in the province/territory of work.

For more information on RAP and eligibility criteria, please visit https://www.canada.ca/en/public-service-commission/jobs/services/recruitment/students/research-affiliate-program.html

Start Date: September 2021

PLEASE NOTE THAT PREFERENCE WILL BE GIVEN TO CANADIAN CITIZENS.

Duties

Each student selected must do one of the following:
- Conduct a study on the cost of production of Canadian dairy farms;
- Develop a model to optimize skim milk surplus in Canada;
- Develop a model to forecast Canada’s demand for dairy products;
- Propose other quantitative study relating to the Canadian dairy industry.

Work environment

This work can be performed remotely. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the student is likely to work from home. As this work can be performed remotely, the position may require occasional visits to the offices of the Canadian Dairy Commission (CDC) when the public health directives allow for a return to the office.

The CDC is set in the lush setting of the Central Experimental Farm, close to the Rideau Canal, bicycle paths, shopping centres, Little Italy and Chinatown, the CDC is housed in a beautiful heritage building. Employees enjoy:

- bright and spacious workstations;
- an exercise room and showers; and
- inexpensive on-site parking.

The CDC develops dairy policies, tracks supply and demand in the dairy sector, facilitates the pooling of milk revenues and develops market sharing systems. The CDC also buys and sells dairy products on the domestic and international markets. Its work force of about 70 employees is made up of policy analysts, agricultural economists, commercial operations specialists, financial, marketing and communications managers and support technicians.

The CDC is proud to offer a welcoming setting and a dynamic work environment to employees who thrive on challenges and are action oriented in a small organization.

For more information about the CDC, please visit the Canadian Dairy Commission's website.

Positions to be filled: 2

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

Contact information for 2 references.

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

English or French

Information on language requirements

KNOWLEDGE
K1: Knowledge of basic concepts of micro and macroeconomics, as well as statistics and econometrics

ABILITY
A1: Solid organizational skills
A2: Ability to work with minimum supervision

PERSONAL SUITABILITY
PS1: Initiative
PS2: Interactive communication
PS3: Teamwork

Conditions of employment

Reliability Status security clearance - Note: Each student hired under the RAP must meet the security requirements of the position as a condition of employment. The hiring organization therefore will ask the student to fill out documents related to security.

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

**IMPORTANT**

Information you must provide:
- Your curriculum vitae;
- Academic transcript;
- Contact information for two (2) references;
- A 2-page letter (no more than 1,500 words) of intent outlining the research project you will undertake, including the subject, and a brief discussion of research methods. This letter should also indicate the expected timeline to meet all requirements of your program during the scholarship.
**Your letter should be sent directly to Sarah Bianchini at rap-par@cdc-ccl.gc.ca**.

**ADDITIONAL INFORMATION**
- A telephone interview may be conducted.

- Each person has the right to participate in an appointment process in the official language or languages of his or her choice.

- Successful completion of your RAP student contract and education program may lead to appointment to a temporary or permanent position within the federal Public Service, for which you meet the merit criteria and terms of employment.

- For this selection process, we intend to contact candidates by email about preselection and assessment. This includes communication of the preselection results and invitations to appear for interviews. Candidates therefore must include a valid email address in their application. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure that this address is functional and accepts messages from unknown users (some email systems block this message). Candidates must also ensure that the information they provide is accurate and current.

We thank all those who apply. Only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.

Contact information