Laboratory Analyst

Important messages

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is a separate employer and is not subject to the Public Service Employment Act.

CITIZENSHIP INFORMATION

The CFIA considers applications from all individuals who have legal status to work in Canada and does not give preference to Canadian citizens.

In your application, please identify the legal status which entitles you to work in Canada - Canadian citizenship, permanent resident status or work permit. You will be asked to show proof of this status in order to complete the security screening required for employment. Failure to provide this information will eliminate your application from further consideration.

Individuals without Canadian citizenship, permanent resident status or an open or CFIA-specific work permit to work in Canada will only be considered if all other applicants with legal status to work in Canada are determined to be not qualified.

Duties

Provision of complex field and/or laboratory technical services and analytical data for diagnostic and research activities in support of the CFIA regulatory programs.

We offer a bilingual, science-based environment, with excellent benefits, flexible hours, opportunities for advancement, an emphasis on learning and development, and a high level of employee satisfaction. Join a workforce that's as diverse as the people it serves. You can find some more great reasons to join us on our website: http://inspection.gc.ca/about-the-cfia/cfia-jobs/top-10-reasons-to-join-us/eng/1299859095075/1299859142835.

Intent of the process

A staffing pool will be established from this selection process for EG-04 positions. The pool may be used to meet staffing needs with various language requirements, various security requirements, various conditions of employment, and various tenures in geographic locations across Canada (see location list). As staffing needs arise, candidates in the staffing pool may be contacted and referred for further assessment.

Appointments from the pool(s) may be determined by applying one or more of the following criteria (note: further assessment may be required):
. matching of the individual's experience or qualifications to the strengths and weaknesses of the work team;
. matching of the individual's experience or qualifications to the specific duties of the position(s) being staffed;
. depth, breadth, type and/or performance quality of specific work experience;
. Employment Equity - in support of achieving a diversified workforce, consideration may be given to applicants self-identifying as belonging to one of the following Employment Equity groups (Aboriginals, persons with disabilities, visible minorities, and women);
. language proficiency;
. availability of candidate;
. education;
. additional or specialized qualifications;
. respect of and ability to meet conditions of employment;
. geographic proximity to the workplace and/or willingness to relocate to a work location.

Positions to be filled: Number to be determined

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

Name and e-mail addresses of two (2) work-related references. One (1) reference must be a current or former supervisor(s)/manager(s) who can speak to your work performance.

Your valid email address (see note 5 in the "Other information" section).

Applicants are required to respond to each of the screening questions through the Public Service Resourcing System (PSRS) application process.

Instructions for completing Screening questions:

For each question you are required to provide a clear, concrete and detailed example which demonstrates HOW you meet the experience and competency requirements. When describing your examples, make sure that you:

. Choose examples where the complexity, impact and difficulty sufficiently enable you to properly convey the breadth and depth of the experience you possess.
. "It is recommended that you consider using the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) technique to develop your experience and competency examples: Describe the situation (when it occurred, where it took place and who was involved), the task that was to be accomplished (your role and what you were expected to achieve), the specific actions you took to resolve the problem, and the results or outcomes of your actions (what was accomplished and what you learned)."
. Concentrate mainly on what you have done. When referring to experience acquired in the context of a team, clearly describe your role and how it differed from the roles of the other team members. For example, it might be best to avoid such expressions as, "We decided to . . .", "We organized a . . .", or "We felt that . . .". Any mention of others' actions should serve solely as context for your actions. Try to phrase your example in the first person (I did, I thought, I said . . .)
. Consider the definition when responding to questions in which details of significant experience are requested.
. The examples you provide for each question are your only opportunity to demonstrate your attainment of the experience and competency requirements to the Assessment Board. Therefore, it is vital that the information you provide is complete.
. Important note: Applicants who indicate in their response "see resume" or "see application" will be removed from further consideration.

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.

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

ESSENTIAL EDUCATION

Post-secondary diploma in a relevant scientific field* from a recognized institution.

*Relevant scientific field refers to the scientific field related to the position being staffed and may include but is not limited to: Biology, Agriculture, Microbiology, Chemistry, Molecular Biology, Virology, Immunology, Genomics, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Food Engineering, Food Science and Technology, Nutrition, Toxicology, Genetics, Pathology, Animal Health Technology, Entomology, Nematology, Mycology and Seed Science.

Degree equivalency

ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE

EE1: Recent* work experience conducting complex analytical procedures and methodologies for diagnostic and/or research activities in a laboratory environment.
EE2: Recent* experience in operating, maintaining and troubleshooting laboratory equipment.
EE3: Recent* experience evaluating and interpreting analytical data.

*Recent working experience is defined as experience normally acquired within the last five (5) years.

ESSENTIAL COMPETENCIES

EC1: Cognitive Ability
EC2: Interpersonal Relationships
EC3: Dependability
EC4: Self-motivated

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

Various language requirements
(English Essential, French Essential, English or French Essential, Bilingual Imperative, Bilingual Non-Imperative)

If an insufficient number of qualified candidates are identified who meet the bilingual requirements, non-imperative staffing may be considered.

Information on language requirements

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

ASSET EDUCATION

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.

Degree equivalency

ASSET EXPERIENCE:
AE1: Significant* experience working in a laboratory environment.
AE2: Experience working within a formal laboratory quality management system.
AE3: Experience evaluating and/or validating analytical methodologies.
AE4: Experience in conducting complex analysis of samples for food safety, animal health or plant health purposes and making recommendations to supervisor.
AE5: Experience in writing data summaries and/or scientific reports.
AE6: Experience in writing laboratory procedures.

*Significant work experience means experience of a high degree of depth and breadth. Depth of experience denotes the duration of experience or degree of specialization, and is normally considered greater than 2 years of experience at a full working level. Breadth of experience denotes the variety of applicable experience and is considered experience in a range of analytical methods and techniques including a range of modern analytical approaches or instrumental platforms.

ASSET COMPETENCIES

AC1: Communication
AC2: Analytical Skills
AC3: Organizational Skills
AC4: Teamwork
AC5: Thoroughness
AC6: Initiative
AC7: Problem Solving
AC8: Specialized Knowledge

Conditions of employment

Security: Various levels (Reliability, Secret, Top Secret)

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 from the pool:
. 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 from the pool:
. Medical suitability: Pass a Pre-placement Health Evaluation and Periodic Health Evaluation.
. Willing and able to be vaccinated and demonstrate a protective titre for e.g.: tuberculosis, rabies, influenza.
. Use of all prescribed safety materials, equipment, clothing and devices.
. Employees in laboratory environments may require the use of respiratory equipment that must meet the respiratory program requirements, including fit testing (e.g. may need to be clean-shaven, depending on a respirator design).
. Willingness to abide by strict biosecurity protocols which may require showering several times a day or abiding by certain restrictions on contact with livestock outside of the workplace.
. Willing and able to work in environmentally challenging or physically demanding conditions and with pathogens in high security laboratory biocontainment or with potential allergens.
. Security clearance under the Human Pathogens and Toxins Act (HPTA) may be required for certain laboratory positions.
. Willing and available to work shifts.
. Willing and available to work irregular hours (e.g., nights, weekends, statutory holidays).
. Willing and available to travel frequently.
. Willing and available to work overtime.
. Willing to be transferred to another position.
. Valid driver's licence.
. Assume responsibility for making transportation arrangements to get to diverse and distant work sites in a timely and efficient manner.

Other information

1. Persons with disabilities preventing them from applying on-line are asked to contact us toll free at 1-800-645-5605 for assistance.

2. 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.

3. Applicants and candidates are entitled to participate in the selection process in the official language of their choice.

4. Standardized Tests that may be used: Problem Resolution Test (PRT) and the URL for the fact sheet. http://www.epsi-inc.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/FS-T230_EN.pdf

5. For this selection process, the CFIA will communicate with candidates by email. You must provide a valid email address to which you wish to receive communication regarding this selection process. This includes: invitations to assessment, information requests, delivery of assessment results, etc. Applicants must include in their application a valid email address that is functional at all times and accepts messages from unknown users. Some email systems block these types of email. Applicants must ensure to check/view their email accounts including spam, promotion or other folders regularly as there may be a deadline for responses. Candidates who respond past the deadline risk being removed from the selection process.

6. Applicants who are screened in to this selection process will be sent further information by email regarding what to expect during subsequent phases of this selection process.

7. Depending on the number of applicants, CFIA's needs and/or CFIA Human Resources 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 and/or determining which candidates will continue in the staffing process. Preference may be given to CFIA candidates at any stage of the selection process. Should a volume management strategy be used, communication regarding the application of the strategy will be provided to those candidates who are impacted.

8. 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. For additional information on this subject, please visit: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/about-the-cfia/cfia-jobs/how-to-apply/eng/1340676915348/1340679107182

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.

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

Contact information