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 responding to the screening questions, you must clearly demonstrate how you meet each criteria (education and experience) by providing concrete, specific examples of actions that speak directly to the experience sought. Include when the example took place (month-year to month-year), the background of each situation, what you did, how you did it, what your role was in the situation, and what was the outcome.
Résumés may be used as a secondary source of information to validate the qualifications described. Comments such as "refer to my attached résumé" will not be accepted and may result in your application being rejected.
Please note that having the asset qualifications is not mandatory in order to apply to this process. However, the asset qualifications may be invoked at any time of the selection process including the screening stage. Therefore, if candidates have the asset experience qualifications, candidates should also clearly describe in their answers to the screening questions how they meet these qualifications using detailed, concrete example(s).
The visitor services coordinator is responsible for ensuring smooth delivery of front-line visitor services on-site at Rideau Hall. As the visitor services coordinator, you will plan and implement short- and long-term visitor services programs and products in collaboration with colleagues and external partners. You will supervise one to two senior guides and a large team of student guide-interpreters who offer guided tours, facilitate educational and public programming, staff the skating rink during the winter and assist at official events. Supervisory tasks include, among others, recruitment, training, scheduling, managing daily operations, and performance management.
As an interpretation and exhibition planner, you will be responsible for developing interpretive content for tours, training student guide-interpreters on this content, managing art and exhibitions within the residence, and creating and implementing educational and public programming in collaboration with colleagues and external partners. Your role will involve creativity, research and strategic vision.
In both roles, you will work in a fast-paced environment that encourages you to proactively problem solve and use sound judgement. There can be competing priorities within tight deadlines and frequent, last-minute changes. While some days the work is mostly done at your desk, other days are spent on-site assisting the team and interacting with the public.
We are therefore looking for someone who is action-oriented, dedicated to offering high-quality client service and committed to working within a small, bilingual, multidisciplinary team.
Would you like to work at a historic site with a team of dynamic employees? Witness history in the making? This job might be perfect for you!
The Office of the Secretary to the Governor General is a small department of approximately 165 employees within the Core Public Administration that supports the governor general in carrying out their role and responsibilities. The workplace is located on the historic grounds of Rideau Hall, 1 Sussex Drive, just minutes from downtown Ottawa. The site is open to the public and welcomes more than 300 000 visitors each year to take part in the various activities offered. A second official residence and workplace is located at the Citadelle of Québec, in the City of Québec. Employees are currently required to work from the office at least three days per week. Increased in-office presence may be required based on operational requirements.
The Visitor Services and Exhibits team is responsible for the development and delivery of the guided tour program at both official residences, art and exhibits within the residences, and educational and public programming. We recognize that the services we provide are positively impacted by having a diverse and inclusive team. Our team is committed to fostering and encouraging a culture of acceptance, diversity, inclusion and accessibility, and we are continually striving to build a workplace representative of our country's diverse talents, backgrounds and perspectives. Through this staffing process, we encourage all members of employment equity groups to self-identify on their application.
In support of our commitment to achieving employment equity goals, candidates self-identifying as belonging to one of the employment equity groups may be considered before other candidates.
The immediate need is to staff one (1) visitor services coordinator position on an indeterminate and/or long-term acting basis at Rideau Hall in Ottawa. A pool of partially or fully qualified candidates may be established from this selection process for both streams (including for the position of visitor services coordinator at the Residence of the Governor General at the Citadelle of Québec), and may be used to staff similar positions with various tenures, linguistic profiles and security clearances throughout the public service.
Positions to be filled: 1
Your résumé.
EDUCATION
Streams 1 and 2
ED1. Graduation with a degree/diploma from a recognized post-secondary institution. *
*A recognized post-secondary institution is a public or private institution that has been given authority to grant degrees, diplomas, and other credentials by a public or private act of a provincial/territorial legislature or through a government-mandated quality assurance mechanism. For greater certainty, also included are institutions authorized to grant specific academic credentials for specific academic programs.
EXPERIENCE
Stream 1
EX1. Two years of experience delivering tourism, cultural, educational or museum interpretive programs.
EX2. Experience supervising front-line personnel in the delivery of services to the public.
Stream 2
EX1. Experience in the conceptualization, development and implementation of a wide range of interpretive activities and products. *
EX2. Experience in establishing and maintaining partnerships with a range of stakeholders in the educational, cultural and/or tourism sectors. **
*Interpretive activities and products could include, for example, tour guide training manuals; interpretive content about artwork/artefacts; web content and promotional tools; educational events for school children about a particular theme, such as reconciliation; and exhibitions.
**Stakeholders in the educational, cultural and/or tourism sectors could include, for example, educators, visitor experience professionals and/or the personnel of museums and cultural institutions responsible for projects such as public/educational events, loan agreements for artwork/artefacts, exhibition design.
Bilingual - Imperative (CCC/CCC)
Information on language requirements
KNOWLEDGE
Streams 1 and 2
K1. Knowledge of heritage or museum interpretation theories, methods and techniques, and how to apply them in practice.
ABILITIES
Stream 1
A1. Ability to plan, coordinate, supervise and implement the daily operations of a visitor services program within allocated financial and human resources.
A2. Ability to manage a team of guide-interpreters, which includes recruitment, training, supervision and performance management.
Stream 2
A1. Ability to conceive, develop and implement strategic exhibition and educational program plans (temporary and permanent) using multiple platforms.
A2. Ability to provide advice and training to guide-interpreters on interpretive techniques and content.
Streams 1 and 2
A1. Ability to manage competing priorities under tight deadlines and frequent last-minute changes.
BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES
Stream 1 and 2
BC1. Demonstrating integrity and respect.
BC2. Thinking things through.
BC3. Working effectively with others.
BC4. Showing initiative and being action-oriented.
BC5. Effective oral communication.
BC6. Effective written communication.
BC7. Client service orientation.
ASSET QUALIFICATIONS
Streams 1 and 2
AQ1. Successful completion of post-secondary studies in history, social science, communications, education, interpretation, political science, museology or visual arts.
AQ2. Experience working for an institution that manages large-scale public programs (with more than 20 000 visitors a year).
AQ3. Knowledge of Canadian history, Canada’s parliamentary system and/or Canadian art and art history.
AQ4. Knowledge of the Governor General’s office, mission, programs and mandate.
Stream 2 only
AQ1. Experience in project management.
AQ2. Experience working with virtual platforms (web, apps, social media) as design and interpretive tools.
ORGANIZATIONAL NEEDS
The Office of the Secretary to the Governor General is dedicated to building an inclusive workforce with a diversity of experiences, perspectives and backgrounds that represents Canada now and in the future. In order to achieve this goal, we strongly encourage you to indicate if you belong to one of the following designated groups: Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities or visible minorities (racialized individuals), as preference may be given to persons in these groups.
Reliability Status security clearance
Streams 1 and 2
CE1. Able to obtain and maintain a valid reliability security clearance.
CE2. Willing and able to work on-site and on short notice.
CE3. Willing and able to work overtime several weekends, evenings and statutory holidays during the year.
Stream 1 only
CE1. Willing and able to be on-call several weekends, evenings and statutory holidays during the year.
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
• The ability to communicate effectively in writing will be assessed via the application process.
• Failure to provide the information as instructed will result in your application being rejected. You will not be solicited for incomplete or missing information.
• A random selection and/or a top-down selection may be used at certain stages of the assessment. Asset qualifications can also be used at any point in the process as part of a volume management strategy or to determine the ideal selection of a candidate(s) to fill a position(s).
• Our intention is to communicate with candidates via email. You must include in your application a valid e-mail address and make sure that this address is functional at all times and accepts messages from unknown users (some email systems block these types of email). It is your responsibility to provide any changes to your personal information to the contact indicated on this job advertisement.
• You may be assessed using a variety of assessment tools, such as, but not limited to: standardized tests, written exams, interviews, simulation exercises, reference checks (the Assessment Committee reserves the right to contact references other than those provided by the candidates, within the public service only, if found necessary, in order to adequately assess the candidates), recent and past performance evaluations, self-assessments, candidate achievement records, etc.
• Please note that candidates (including employees of the public service) will not be considered to be in travel status or on government business, and that travel costs will not be reimbursed. Consequently, candidates will be responsible for travel costs. Interviews can be administered by videoconference.
• You must provide proof of your education credentials. If you were educated outside of Canada, you must have your certificates and/or diplomas assessed against Canadian education standards. For more information please click on “Degree Equivalency” in the Education section above.
• Persons are entitled to participate in the selection process in the official language of their choice (English or French). Applicants are asked to indicate their preferred official language in their application.
• Official language proficiency could be assessed and required solely upon appointment. Candidates who have valid second language evaluation (SLE) results are to provide proof of their test results. It is the responsibility of those candidates who do not have their results to obtain them from the Public Service Commission (PSC).
• Second language evaluation (SLE) Test of reading comprehension: Candidates who do not already have a valid result or who have an expired result on the Public Service Commission's Second Language Evaluation may be invited to take the new Public Service Commission unsupervised test of reading comprehension for level C. For more information, please refer to this link:
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-service-commission/services/second-language-testing-public-service/unsupervised-test-reading-comprehension-level-b-or-c/about-the-test.html
• Second language evaluation (SLE) Test of written expression: Candidates who do not already have a valid result or who have an expired result on the Public Service Commission's Second Language may be invited to take the new Public Service Commission unsupervised test of written expression for level C. For more information, please refer to this link:
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-service-commission/services/second-language-testing-public-service/unsupervised-test-written-expression.html
• Second language evaluation (SLE) Test of Oral Language Assessment: Candidates who do not currently have a valid or recent result or who have expired result on the Public Service Commission's Second Language Evaluation will be invited to take the new Public Service Commission Oral Language Assessment for level C. For more information, please refer to this link:
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-service-commission/services/second-language-testing-public-service/oral-language-assessment-sle.html
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.