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.
Health Canada is committed to increasing representation of Black employees and other racialized groups, Indigenous People, women and persons with disabilities. Health Canada would like its workforce to be reflective of the population it serves. Therefore, we encourage candidates to indicate voluntarily on their application if they are a member of one of these groups.
Give yourself the best chance to succeed! As the objective of this process is to assess qualifications needed for the position(s) to be staffed, let us know if you have a functional limitation/ disability, which may affect your performance. For example, contact us if you need assistance in completing and submitting your application. Should you then proceed to the next assessment stage, such as an exam or interview, we will send you an e-mail with additional information on the assessment format so that you can determine if you may require an accommodation (such as a different test format, an adaptive technology, or additional time). Assessment accommodations are designed to remove the obstacles without altering the criteria being assessed so candidates with functional limitations can fully demonstrate their abilities.
You may also review jobs open to the public through INFOTEL at 1-800-645-5605. The INFOTEL number for persons using a TTY/TDD is 1-800-532-9397.
Health Canada welcomes applications from Veterans. We recognize your contribution to Canadians and would like to offer you the opportunity to continue your career in an environment where multi-talented employees with diverse skills are appreciated and supported.
EVERYONE IS WELCOME
Health Canada and the Public Health Agency are dedicated to building an inclusive workforce that comprises individuals who have an array of identities, abilities, background, culture, skills, perspectives, and experiences that are representative of Canada’s current and evolving population. We are passionate about fostering a workplace where all people feel welcome, can reach their full potential, and contribute their unique perspectives and experience to the success of the team.
BRING YOUR WHOLE SELF TO WORK
We encourage all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of race, colour, religion, sex (including gender identity and/or expression), national origin, sexual orientation, civil union or relationship status, disability, age, parental status, military service, or other status protected under federal law.
Are you interested in working at a cutting-edge organization that values both your physical and psychological health and wellness, provides rich career development opportunities and rewards innovation? Health Canada has been recognized as one of the Top Employers for Young People for five years running and as one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers for the past ten years! Don’t miss your opportunity to not only enjoy the unparalleled benefits of the public service, but to get so much more on our award-winning team!
Although the immediate intent of this process is to staff positions in the Ottawa area, applicants should be aware that a pool of qualified candidates (fully assessed or partially assessed) may be established and may be used to staff similar positions across Canada, at this group and level, with various language requirements listed in the Language Requirements section. In addition, this process may be used for various tenures (acting appointments, assignment, deployment, indeterminate, specified period, secondment), security requirements and conditions of employment within Health Canada). As a result of the potential and possible use of the selection process and subsequent pool by hiring managers, we encourage all employees seeking this type of opportunity to apply.
Positions to be filled: 3
Your résumé.
EDUCATION – ALL STREAMS:
EED1: Graduation with a degree from a recognized post-secondary institution in a natural, physical or applied science with specialization in a field relevant to the duties of the position, such as food science and technology, nutrition, nutritional sciences, dietetics, food microbiology, molecular biology or biotechnology
Note:
The courses for the specialization must be acceptable and must have been taken at a recognized post-secondary institution, but not necessarily within a degree program in the required specialization.
EXPERIENCE – ALL STREAMS:
EE1: Experience* conducting food or nutrition-related activities, or working on policy or regulatory files with diverse partners, organizations or sectors at a national or international level.
EE2: Experience* formulating and providing scientific advice or recommendations to management on food or nutrition-related issues.
STREAM 1 – POLICY:
EE3: Experience* in developing briefing materials (e.g., presentations, memos, reports, etc.) related to policies, guidelines or standards for senior managers.
STREAM 2 – HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENTS:
EE4: Experience* evaluating microbiological data or applying the procedures used to assess microbial health hazards in foods.
STREAM 3 – PREMARKET:
EE5: Experience* in evaluating the safety or nutritional quality information related to the premarket assessment of foods, such as novel foods, food additives, infant formulas or supplemented foods.
Note:
* “Experience” is defined as the depth and breadth of experience normally associated with having performed a broad range of related activities over a period of approximately two (2) years.
Various language requirements
English Essential
Bilingual Imperative BBB/BBB, CBC/CBC
Information on language requirements
KNOWLEDGE – ALL STREAMS:
EK1: Knowledge of the role of the Department and other federal government partners as it relates to food and nutrition.
EK2: Knowledge of the Food and Drug Regulations as it relates to food.
EK3: Knowledge of current and emerging issues in the field of food safety or nutrition.
EK4: Knowledge of the international context related to the regulation of foods.
ABILITIES – ALL STREAMS:
EA1: Ability to analyse and evaluate complex issues or information related to food or nutrition.
EA2: Ability to prioritize work in the context of competing priorities.
EA3: Ability to communicate effectively in writing.
EA4: Ability to communicate effectively orally.
EA5: Ability to lead multidisciplinary projects.
PERSONAL SUITABILITY – ALL STREAMS:
EPS1: Respectful of diversity
EPS2: Judgement
EPS3: Initiative
EPS4: Effective Interpersonal Relations
EPS5: Reliability
EPS6: Leadership
ASSET EDUCATION – ALL STREAMS:
AED1: Post-graduate degree in a field relevant to the position such as food sciences, nutrition, nutritional sciences, dietetics, food microbiology, molecular biology or biotechnology.
ASSET EXPERIENCE:
STREAM 1 – POLICY:
AE1: Experience* contributing to the drafting of regulations.
AE2: Experience* in developing, pilot testing, implementing, promoting or evaluating educational or training materials supporting policies or regulations.
STREAM 2 – HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENTS:
AE3: Experience* in conducting microbiological or nutritional safety risk assessments, or the development of food safety policies or guidelines.
STREAM 3 – PREMARKET:
AE4: Experience* in the evaluation of manufacturing information or clinical data in infant formulas or human milk fortifiers submissions.
AE5: Experience* in the evaluation of microbiological or molecular biological data in premarket food submissions.
Note:
* “Experience” is defined as the depth and breadth of experience normally associated with having performed a broad range of related activities over a period of approximately two (2) years.
ORGANIZATIONAL NEEDS:
A pool of qualified candidates will be created to fill future staffing needs, as required.
In support of achieving a diversified workforce, consideration may be given to candidates self-declaring as belonging to one of the following Employment Equity groups: Aboriginal peoples, Persons with disabilities, Members of visible minorities, and Women.
OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
Willing and able to work overtime on occasion.
Willing and able to travel on occasion.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
Security clearance: Various Levels
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
REFERENCES MAY BE REQUESTED AT A LATER DATE.
Candidates may be required to meet the asset qualifications or the organizational needs, depending on the requirements of the specific position being staffed. Meeting one or many of the asset qualifications may be a deciding factor in appointing a particular candidate amongst the qualified candidates. Please note that some or all of the asset qualifications could be used at the screening phase.
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.
For this process, emails are the most efficient way to communicate with you. Candidates who apply to this selection process must include an email address that accepts email from unknown users (some email systems block these types of email). If you do not wish to receive results by email or if you change your email address during the process, it is your responsibility to inform us.
Please note that candidates are responsible for submitting their application by the closing date in order to be considered. ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED ONLINE THROUGH THE PSRS SYSTEM. No applications will be accepted once the deadline has passed. Candidates will not be solicited for incomplete or possibly missing information.
VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: The PSRS system will time out after 60 minutes of inactivity which may result in your inability to save your work or loss of data. It is recommended that you draft ALL RESPONSES in another document on your PC which may be saved (e.g. in MS Word or WordPerfect) and copy/paste into the PSRS system when completed. HEALTH CANADA IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR SYSTEM PROBLEMS WHICH MAY RESULT IN LOSS OF DATA AND/OR INCOMPLETE OR NON SUBMITTED APPLICATIONS.
Please note that volume management strategies, such as random selection, top-down approach, invoking any asset(s) and/or cut-off scores, MAY be used at any point in the staffing process for the purpose of managing volumes of applications/candidates.
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.