Local recruitment: Watershed Scientist

Posting Date: Nov 10, 2023

Location: Edmonton or Calgary, AB

Company: Government of Alberta

The Government of Alberta is committed to a diverse and inclusive public service that reflects the population we serve to best meet the needs of Albertans. Consider joining a team where diversity, inclusion and innovation are valued and supported. For more information on diversity and inclusion, please visit: https://www.alberta.ca/diversity-inclusion-policy.aspx

We support Albertans in being proud stewards of air, land, water, and biodiversity by leading the work required for the desired environmental outcomes and sustainable development of natural resources.

For more information about the Ministry of Environment and Protected Areas, please visit our website at https://www.alberta.ca/environment-and-protected-areas.aspx

Job Information
Job Title: Watershed Scientist 
Job Requisition ID: 50098
Ministry: Environment and Protected Areas
Location: Edmonton or Calgary
Full or Part-Time: Full Time
Hours of Work: 36.25 hours per week
Regular/Temporary: Regular
Scope: Open Competition
Closing Date: December 1, 2023
Classification: Subsidiary 02B 3625 Scientific 3 (025SCA)
Salary: ​$3,076.28 to $4,053.05 bi-weekly ($80,290 – $105,784/year)

Role Responsibilities

Are you passionate about the safe and effective delivery of a scientifically robust provincial surface water quality monitoring, evaluation and reporting program? This position may be for you!

We are seeking a Watershed Scientist specializing in water quality of lotic systems. Under the scientific leadership of senior scientists on the Watershed Sciences team, this role will be responsible for delivering Alberta’s provincial lotic monitoring, evaluation and reporting (MER) program. Delivered by the Watershed Sciences Section (WSS) of the Airshed and Watershed Stewardship (AWS) Branch within the Resource Stewardship Division (RSD) the lotic MER program focuses on 4 core results: Design, Planning, Delivery, and Evaluation and Reporting.

1.    Design: Provides leadership and expertise in the review, development and continuous improvement of water quality monitoring, evaluation and reporting programs that address major issues of concern to the Government of Alberta. The end result is an internationally recognized science and monitoring program that supports the government’s business mandate and protects the health and safety of Albertans.
2.    Planning:  Participates in and/or leads annual and multi-year monitoring, evaluation and reporting planning driven by scientific questions to assess the condition of Alberta’s watersheds, including integration with other disciplines. Plans also include scientific evaluations of the impacts of environmental variation and anthropogenic stressors, including climate change and land use, on surface water quality.
3.    Delivery: Supports safe and effective delivery of long-term watershed monitoring programs and shorter term focus studies. The end result is safe and timely completion of deliverables within the available budget.
4.    Evaluation and Reporting: Develops, conducts and leads scientifically credible environmental data evaluation and reporting that meet project plan commitments, objectives from the long term monitoring, evaluation and reporting plan, and/or legislated reporting requirements. The results include Condition of the Environment reports, environmental framework reporting, and peer-reviewed papers in international journals.

Qualifications

Requirements: 
•    Ph.D. in a relevant scientific discipline related to limnology in one or more of the following areas: water chemistry (organic or inorganic contaminant chemistry), sediment chemistry, hydrology, aquatic ecology, paleolimnology, statistics, biogeochemistry, wetland sciences, and watershed management.
•    Minimum 2 years post-doctoral or equivalent work experience leading or contributing to water quality science, including the design and implementation of research and large-scale monitoring programs and associated data management.

Equivalency: 
•    Masters Degree in a related field, plus 4 years progressively responsible related experience; 
•    University graduation in a related field, plus 6 years progressively responsible related experience.

Assets: 
•    Advanced numerical analyses using statistical methods of large environmental data sets using software such as R.
•    Experience with the application of analytical methods (e.g. appropriate models, geospatial science approaches or other means) to predict and/or understand local, regional and cumulative impacts of a broad range of development and anthropogenic activities on surface water quality.
•    Experience with new and emerging methods related to assessing the status and trends in watershed health.
•    Experience working in and applying expertise in an interdisciplinary setting (i.e. across various disciplines within watershed sciences).
•    Demonstrated record of primary and collaboratively authored publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals commensurate with established peers of similar experience.
•    Familiarity with EPA’s aquatic monitoring and/or research programs;
•    Experience working with provincial water-related datasets (e.g. long-term river monitoring network, Water Survey of Canada datasets) for Alberta.
•    Ability to build and maintain effective and productive working relationships with colleagues, external collaborators, and/or community or Indigenous partners.

Minimum recruitment standards outline the minimum education and experience required for appointment to a job classification. Refer to https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-minimum-recruitment-standards.

Notes

Hours of Work: 36.25 hours of work per week, Monday to Friday.

Please Note: This is a permanent full time position available in Edmonton or Calgary.

Applicants are required to provide a cover letter with clear and concise specific examples that demonstrate how their qualifications and experiences meet the advertised requirements and competencies. A written assessment may be administered as part of the recruitment process. 

Any costs associated with obtaining the required documents/checks as noted or interview travel expenses, will be the responsibility of the candidate. Out-of-province applicants can obtain the required documents/checks from the province they currently reside in. 

What the GoA has to offer:
•    Working for the Alberta Public Service – https://www.alberta.ca/advantages- working-for-alberta-public-service.aspx
•    Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP) – https://www.pspp.ca
•    Alberta Public Service Benefit Information – https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-benefits 
•    Leadership and mentorship programs
•    Professional learning and development – https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-human-resource-directives
•    Positive workplace culture and work-life balance
•    Opportunity to participate in flexible work arrangements such as working from home up to two days per week and modified work schedule agreements
•    Research Alberta Public Service Careers tool – https://researchapscareers.alberta.ca

APS Competencies
Competencies are behaviors that are essential to reach our goals in serving Albertans. We encourage you to have an in depth understanding of the competencies that are required for this opportunity and to be prepared to demonstrate them during the recruitment process.

This link will assist you with understanding competencies: https://www.alberta.ca/system/files/custom_downloaded_images/psc-alberta-public-service-competency-model.pdf 

Systems Thinking: Ensure integration between provincial lotic monitoring, evaluation and reporting programs and other environmental monitoring and research programs in the department, including the Canada-Alberta Oil Sands Monitoring Program.

Creative Problem Solving: Working with senior leadership, scientists and staff in other branches to ensure innovative, scientifically credible research and monitoring protocols are conceived and deployed in the provincial lotic monitoring, evaluation and reporting programs.

Drive For Results: Contributes to or leads primary and collaborative writing of standard and non-standard reporting products communicating major observations and conclusions of long-term monitoring and focused research activities on the condition, status and trends of Alberta’s surface water quality, including but not limited to peer-reviewed scientific papers.

Build Collaborative Environments: Identifies, designs and delivers monitoring, evaluation and reporting programs and projects with teams involving government, academia, industry, citizen scientists, and indigenous community members.  Collaborates extensively with government science, monitoring and data management staff.

Develop Self and Others: Effectively communicating complex scientific issues/results to a wide range of expert and non-expert audiences, thereby ensuring government, industry, and public stakeholders can best employ or apply the information resulting from the provincial lotic monitoring, evaluation and reporting programs.

How To Apply

Click on the “Apply Now” button. 

Applicants are advised to provide information that clearly and concisely demonstrates how their qualifications meet the advertised requirements, including education, experience, and relevant examples of required competencies.

Candidates are required to apply for a job online. Please visit https://www.alberta.ca/job-application-resources#before for more information. Please visit Recruitment Principles, for more information at https://www.alberta.ca/recruitment-principles

It is recommended applicants who have completed post-secondary studies from outside of Canada obtain an evaluation of their credentials from the International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS)(https://www.alberta.ca/international-qualifications-assessment.aspx) or from a recognized Canadian Credential Evaluator; please visit the Alliance of Credential Evaluation Services of Canada for more information (https://canalliance.org/en/default.html).

It is recommended that applicants include the assessment certificate from IQAS or any other educational assessment service as part of their application.

Closing Statement

This competition may be used to fill future vacancies, across the Government of Alberta, at the same or lower classification level.

We thank all applicants for their interest. All applications will be reviewed to determine which candidates’ qualifications most closely match the advertised requirements. Only individuals selected for interviews will be contacted.

If you require any further information on this job posting or a copy of the role profile, please contact  Jane McEwen, TAS Administrator via email at [email protected].