Executive Assistant to the President

Priority may be given to the following designated employment equity groups: women, Indigenous peoples* (First Nations, Inuit and Métis), persons with disabilities and racialized persons*.

* The Employment Equity Act, which is under review, uses the terminology Aboriginal peoples and visible minorities.

Candidates are asked to self-declare when applying to this hiring process.

City: Ottawa

Organizational Unit: Executive Offices 

Classification: AS-5 

Tenure: Continuing 

Language Requirements: Bilingual Imperative CBC/CBC 

Notes:

• Due to the nature of the work and operational requirements, the position will require a physical presence of 5 days per week at the NRC work location identified. 
• Ability and willingness to work overtime, sometimes on short notice. 

Great Minds. One Goal. Canada's Success.

Help bring research to life and drive your career forward with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), Canada's largest research and technology organization.

We are looking to staff an Executive Assistant to work in the Office of the President. In this role, you will provide administrative support to the President to make the most effective use of their time and ensure effective and efficient coordination and liaison functions within the President’s Office. You will oversee the delivery of business, administrative and financial management services to the President’s Office to ensure the effective operation of the business unit. You will also be responsible to manage and coordinate the NRC President’s schedule, travel logistics and administrative activities and establish priorities among competing demands and anticipate, plan, and schedule activities while balancing requirements and time availability, redirecting requests as required. A keen ability to analyze content, make decisions on directing to the responsible unit, while bringing urgent or sensitive matters to the immediate attention of the President or Chief of Staff are critical to the success of this position.

Do you thrive in a fast paced ever changing environment? Are you results oriented, with a keen ability to ensure that things are done in a proactive and efficient manner? If so, this may be the position for you. You will be responsible for a number of administrative duties within the President's office, such as responding appropriately to inquiries, preparing agendas, and planning national and international travel, all while maintaining a good knowledge and understanding of NRC and the President's office programs, policies and practices. You will liaise with staff at all levels in the NRC, and in many instances, you will act as the face of the President's office as the first point of contact for internal and external stakeholders and partners. You will understand the complexities of a senior government official's office, while managing the urgency of high profile matters.

Applicants must demonstrate within the content of their application that they meet the following screening criteria in order to be given further consideration as candidates:

Completion of post-secondary education and related specialized training or equivalent combination of education and experience.

For information on certificates and diplomas issued abroad, please see Degree equivalency

• Significant and recent experience in providing administrative support services to executive level senior management, including managing and prioritizing all aspects of a busy executive office.
• Significant and recent experience in administrative services, including financial management, contract administration, materiel management and procurement, records management, to plan, manage, coordinate and deliver the full range of administrative services for the office of a senior executive.
• Experience in developing and maintaining administrative systems such as files, logs, and databases and ensuring compliance to classification standards (i.e. Protected, secret, etc.) for records management purposes.
• Significant experience drafting and proofreading notes, memos, letters, and written materials.
• Experience using MS Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Significant experience arranging meetings, coordinating travel arrangements and processing travel claims.
• Experience managing the budget of a senior executive’s office.
• Experience processing financial transactions using accounting software, spreadsheets and word-processing software; preferably SAP, Excel and Microsoft Word in accordance with current policy.

*Significant refers to a minimum of 4 years experience.

Top Secret (III)

Bilingual Imperative CBC/CBC 

Information on language requirements and self-assessment tests

Candidates will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:

• In-depth knowledge of general administrative, operational and financial policies, processes, procedures and reporting within a large organization preferably within a Canadian federal government context.
• Ability to use Microsoft Office suite.
• Ability to demonstrate accuracy and attention to detail.
• Ability to demonstrate discretion, tact and sound judgement; especially when reviewing sensitive or confidential information and determining the appropriate course of action.
• Strong ability to multi-task, manage and prioritize time and competing priorities while working under severe time constraints.
• Strong ability to interact and communicate effectively with clients, staff and senior managers within the organization to address operational issues.
• Extensive and comprehensive knowledge of policies and procedures governing the handling, security, classification and flow of documents and information for the full spectrum of security designations and document types.
• Strong planning and coordination skills to assess, prioritize, organize and manage the large volume of diverse requests and issues, while at the same time anticipating emerging issues.
• Proficiency with accounting software, spreadsheets and word-processing software; preferably SAP, Excel and Microsoft Word.
• In-depth knowledge of the organization and clear understanding of the roles, expertise and accountabilities of organizational units across the NRC to ensure the appropriate NRC resources are engaged.
• Advanced skills in working with senior executives, including extensive situational awareness, communications, influencing and conflict management skills.

• Management services - Client focus (Level 3)
• Management services - Communication (Level 3)
• Management services - Conceptual and analytical ability (Level 3)
• Management services - Initiative (Level 3)
• Management services - Organizational and environmental awareness (Level 3)
• Management services - Results orientation (Level 3)
• Management services - Teamwork (Level 2)

For this position, the NRC will evaluate candidates using the following competency profile(s): Management Competencies (MG) ;

View all competency profiles

From $84,199 to $94,284 per annum. 

In addition, the incumbent will receive the Bilingualism Bonus of $800 per year.

NRC employees enjoy a wide-range of competitive benefits including comprehensive health and dental plans, vacation, sick, and other leave entitlements, disability insurance and pension plans.

The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) is the Government of Canada's largest research organization supporting industrial innovation, the advancement of knowledge and technology development. We collaborate with over 70 colleges, universities and hospitals annually, work with 800 companies on their projects, and provide advice or funding to over 8000 Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) each year.

We bring together the brightest minds to deliver tangible impacts on the lives of Canadians and people around the world. And now, we want to partner with you.  Let your expertise and inspirations make an impact by joining the NRC.

At the NRC Employee wellness matters. We offer flexible work schedules as well as part-time work to help employees maintain work-life balance. We are one of the few federal organizations that close our offices during the December holiday season.  We offer professional learning and development opportunities such as conferences, workshops, and a suite of mentorship, award and recognition programs. Diversity enables creativity and innovation. Fostering a diverse, inclusive, welcoming and supportive workplace is important to us, and contributes to a more inclusive Canadian innovation system. We welcome all qualified applicants and encourage you to complete the employment equity self-declaration questions during the job application process. Please let us know of any accommodation measures required to help you to be assessed in a fair and equitable manner. Please note that the information you provide will be treated confidentially. 

Help us solve problems for Canada. Grow your career with us today!

• Relocation assistance will be determined in accordance with the NRC's directives.
• A pre-qualified list may be established for similar positions for a one year period.
• Preference will be given to Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents of Canada. Please include citizenship information in your application.
• The incumbent must adhere to safe workplace practices at all times.
• We thank all those who apply, however only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.

Please direct your questions, with the requisition number (21813) to:

E-mail: [email protected]

Telephone : 613-858-5773 

Closing Date: 15 April 2024 - 23:59 Eastern Time

For more information on career tools and other resources, check out Career tools and resources

*If you are currently a term or continuing employee at NRC, please apply through the SuccessFactors Careers module from your NRC computer.