Research Assistant

Duties
• Organize and conduct day to day agronomic activities associated with the pulse breeding field program.
• Plan, design, and execute pulse crop field trials, including nurseries, yield evaluations, and phenotyping experiments with appropriate experimental designs.
• Organize and carry out seeding, in season management, and harvesting of field trials at multiple research locations.
• Conduct and coordinate in season and post harvest data collection from field plots.
• Conduct crossing and selfing in field pea and faba beans in greenhouse.
• Monitor trial sites for biotic and abiotic stresses such as disease, pests, drought, or nutrient deficiencies and coordinate timely mitigation or control measures.
• Maintain accurate documentation of protocols, treatments, and all relevant experimental details for each field trial.
• Curate data generated from field experiments and assist with data verification, quality assessment, and initial analyses.
• Manage inventories of seed produced in the field, ensuring proper handling, storage, organization, and tracking.
• Contribute to the development, refinement, and implementation of new field protocols, operational methods, and data collection approaches.
• Assign tasks, schedule work, and monitor performance of casual staff, students, and contractors.
• Collaborate with technicians and students to ensure efficient completion of all plot related research activities.

Intent of the process
Immediate need: 1 full-time permanent position A pool of qualified and partially qualified candidates may be established and may be used to staff similar positions with various employment tenures.In the event that an employee of the public service is qualified through this process, they may be considered for acting, deployment, indeterminate, assignment or secondment opportunities.

Positions to be filled
1

Important messages
As one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) is proud to celebrate our achievement in creating a diverse, respectful, and positive workplace where all employees are valued and recognized for their unique qualities, ideas, voices and perspectives. We are dedicated to building and promoting a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce, representative of all Canadians regardless of race, ethnicity, colour, religion, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, socio-economic background or lived experience. By embracing diversity and inclusion, our department ensures broader discussions, better decisions, and a more positive workplace. We also have various employee diversity networks dedicated to ensuring that our department continues to grow as an inclusive employer.

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Reliability Status security clearance - Possession of a Valid Class 5 Saskatchewan driver’s license or provincial/territorial equivalency.
Possession of a valid pesticide applicator certificate, or willingness and ability to obtain one.
Willingness and ability to work flexible schedules, including evenings, weekends, and to work overtime during peak field seasons.
Willingness and ability to work in physically demanding outdoor environments, including exposure to heat, cold, dust, and noise.
Willingness and ability to work with pulse crops and associated plant materials.
Willingness and ability to safely operate and work with field-plot machinery.
Known allergies must be effectively managed through appropriate controls (e.g., PPE or medication) and must not interfere with the safe performance of duties.
With appropriate safety measures in place, willingness and ability to work for extended periods in field, greenhouse, and laboratory environments, including working with regulated or hazardous materials under established protocols.

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Education:
Graduation from a recognized post-secondary institution with specialization in a field relevant to pulse crop research, such as agriculture, agronomy, plant biology, crop science, plant genetics, soil science, plant biotechnology, or a related discipline, or an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience.

Experience:- Experience supporting a field-based crop research program involving the management of large-scale** experimental trials.
**Large-scale experimental trials are defined as managing several thousands of breeding or germplasm evaluation plots annually, as well as agronomy, physiology, or pest-related research plots, depending on crop and research objectives. - Experience operating and maintaining field-plot equipment, including small-plot seeders, tillage tools, and plot harvest combine systems.

Knowledge:- Knowledge of pulse crop biology and current agricultural production systems relevant to pulse crop production in Western Canada. - Knowledge of methodologies, and equipment used in crop science and field-based research. - Knowledge of plant breeding concepts, including germplasm development, trait evaluation, phenotyping trials, nursery management, and seed multiplication. - Knowledge of standard laboratory and field documentation practices, including accurate record keeping.

Competencies:- Adaptability
- Problem solving
- Planning and organizing
- Interactive communication
- Concern for safety

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Applied / assessed at a later date

English essential - You are entitled to participate in the selection process in the official language of your choice.

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Graduation with a Master’s degree from a recognized post-secondary institution with specialization in agriculture, agronomy, plant science, biology, ecology, genetics, or another discipline related to pulse crop research.

- Experience using field and research equipment integrated with GPS, digital sensors, or precision agriculture technologies. - Experience utilizing specialized software to perform preliminary statistical or quantitative analyses of crop or breeding trial data.

- Knowledge of experimental design principles and statistical approaches commonly applied in plant breeding and crop research.

Supporting employment continuity by prioritizing AAFC employees impacted by workforce adjustment for job opportunities.

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Agriculture and Agri-food Canada recognizes that the diversity of its employee population contributes to its strength and integrity. We are committed to achieving employment equity and developing a highly capable workforce that is representative of Canadian Society. We encourage women (especially in non-traditional occupations), Indigenous peoples (Aboriginal peoples), persons with disabilities, and members of visible minority groups to apply and declare themselves as part of one or more of the Employment Equity groups, as selection may be limited to candidates belonging to one or more of the groups.

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Preference will be given to veterans first, followed by Canadian citizens and permanent residents, with the exception of jobs located in Nunavut or Yukon. For positions located in Nunavut, qualified Inuit enrolled under the Nunavut Agreement will be appointed first. For positions located in Yukon, qualified Yukon First Nations will be appointed first, followed by qualified Indigenous persons.

Learn more about preference to veterans.

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