Recruitment posting
Science Advisory Panel
Competition #: 572
Ministry : Environment and Parks
Opening Date : 2018/08/13
closing Date : 2018/08/27
Role : Panel Members & Chair
It is recognized in Alberta as a fundamental principle and as a matter of public policy that all persons are equal. Diversity and inclusion are valued and supported on the boards of Alberta's public agencies.
The Minister of Environment and Parks is seeking applications from individuals interested in serving as a member of the Science Advisory Panel. There will be up to eight panel members selected and among the selected members, one will be chosen as the Chair.
The accountabilities of the Science Advisory Panel Members include:
- Providing independent advice and recommendations on the priorities and methodologies of the environmental science program to the Chief Scientist and the Minister of Environment and Parks;
- Reviewing the scientific quality and relevance of the environmental science program;
- Reviewing and providing advice on the overall direction of the Science Plan;
- Assessing the scientific integrity of the environmental science program;
- Providing advice on: baseline and effects based monitoring; cumulative effects; emerging issues; adaptive management of monitoring, and; data collection, management, evaluation, reporting and accessibility;
- Evaluating the effectiveness of the monitoring system design;
- Serving as a primary connection between the Environmental Monitoring and Science Division and the research and development community;
- Conducting systematic and effects based monitoring;
- Overseeing the compliance of relevant policies and procedures, which the Panel operates within.
Beyond the accountabilities of the Science Advisory Panel Members outlined above, the Chair’s accountabilities also include:
- Organizing the work of the Panel and working with the Panel Secretariat to develop agendas, schedule meetings, and keep such meetings on track to achieve objectives;
- Act as the official connection between the Panel and the Minister and Chief Scientist;
- Lead evaluation and review of the performance of the Panel;
- Following each meeting, provide the Chief Scientist a formal Letter of Advice on behalf of the Panel regarding official Panel advice.
The appointment of Panel Members is for a fixed term of up to three years, with the potential of reappointment based on satisfactory performance. An individual’s appointment is limited to a maximum of nine years of consecutive service.
Applicants must possess the following skills and experience:
- Active in peer-reviewed scientific literature;
- The applicant should demonstrate an extensive record publishing peer-reviewed scientific periodicals, including recent and current contributions to scientific research;
- Understanding at an ecosystem level on cumulative effects management;
- The applicant should have an understanding of the cumulative interactions of environmental media and the implications on the natural environment;
- The applicant should be able to identify environmental management needs;
- Leadership in science policy development or other collaborative initiatives;
- The candidate should demonstrate experience in leading scientific policy development in response to emergent environmental information. This may include demonstrated experience with leading collaborative initiatives providing commentary on environmental science programming;
- Leadership and teamwork skills;
- The candidate demonstrates an ability to inspire, motivate and offer direction and leadership to others. The candidate also demonstrates an understanding of the importance of teamwork to the success of the Science Advisory Panel. This may include an ability to recognize and value the contributions of board members, staff and stakeholders;
- Strategic thinking and planning skills;
- The candidate demonstrates an ability to think strategically about the opportunities and challenges facing the Science Advisory Panel and to engage in short, medium and long range planning to provide high-level guidance and direction for the public agency;
- Critical thinking and problem solving skills;
- The candidate demonstrates an ability to apply critical thinking to creatively assess situations and to generate novel or innovative solutions to challenges facing the Science Advisory Panel.
Interested applicants must also demonstrate the following areas of specialized knowledge and experience:
- Internationally recognized expert based on knowledge and achievements
- The candidate has experience in collaborative development and technological innovation, and has made significant contributions to the area of expertise resulting in international recognition, as demonstrated through awards or placement in positions of significant importance;
- PhD and a minimum of ten years of relevant experience
- The candidate must possess a PhD in a relevant discipline with at least ten years of relevant experience in their field. This includes relevant professional affiliations;
- Familiarity with environmental issues specific to Alberta
- The candidate should be able demonstrate an understanding of current environmental issues in Alberta, including an understanding of competing pressures on Alberta’s environment;
- Dynamic understanding of significance of process commentary
- The candidate must possess an understanding of how official advice from the Science Advisory Panel will be utilized to inform science and monitoring programs in Alberta;
- Wholistic understanding of a range of environmental program design components
- The candidate must possess expert competency in environmental program design and assessment in order to evaluate specific program elements and overall direction;
- Specialized knowledge in one or more media areas reflecting environmental issues in Alberta
- The candidate must possess extensive specialized knowledge in at least one of the following media areas: air, water, land, biodiversity, data analysis, human health, remote sensing, ecosystem science and systems ecology, climatology and hydro-climatology, integrated analytics, geospatial modeling and statistics, artificial intelligence and machine learning, toxicology and contaminants (organic and inorganic) and/or geographic diversity;
- Awareness and understanding of global environmental issues in addition to those specific to Alberta
- The candidate should be able to demonstrate a clear understanding of global environmental issues and how learnings from these issues can be made applicable within an Albertan context;
- Government and public policy knowledge
- The candidate has experience with, or is able to demonstrate knowledge and expertise of, the broader public policy context affecting the Environmental Monitoring and Science Division. This may include the strategic priorities of government and the relationship between those priorities and the work of the Environmental Monitoring and Science Division;
- Community and stakeholder relations knowledge
- The candidate has experience with, or is able to demonstrate knowledge or expertise of the community or communities that the Science Advisory Panel serves, including the stakeholder landscape affecting the Environmental Monitoring and Science Division. This may include a demonstrated capacity to advise on the Environmental Monitoring and Science Division building networks and fostering trusting relationships with communities and stakeholders;
- Knowledge of effective strategies for sharing information across diverse communities
- The candidate must possess the ability to advise on strategic information sharing of specific scientific program variables, data, and publication outcomes with various diverse stakeholder groups and communities;
For the Chair position, candidates should also have the following three competencies;
- Experience in chairing an advisory committee, board or equivalent
- Demonstrated skills in consensus decision-making
- Excellent communications skills
It is important to note that the candidate must not hold membership in other organizations, panels or boards that may create a conflict of interest impacting fulfillment of the Science Advisory Panel mandate and roles.
Recruitment may take into account a balanced panel considering knowledge, skills and experience.
- Remuneration/honorarium is currently under review.
- However, any board remuneration will be disclosed in accordance with the guidelines established in the Public Sector Compensation and Transparency Act;
- The Science Advisory Panel will hold biannual meetings, unless otherwise required.
- Meetings may be held in Edmonton or Calgary, and are often in rotating locations around Alberta.
- Applicants must submit a cover letter, resume and biography for consideration. Click HERE to download the biography form;
- Applicants should indicate in their cover letter whether they wish to be considered for the role of panel Chair;
- Applicants will undergo a comprehensive background check, disclosure and conflict of interest screening;
- Applicants must not hold membership in other organizations, panels or boards that may create a conflict of interest impacting the fulfillment of the Science Advisory Panel mandate and roles.
Once the forms are completed, save them to your PC. When you hit 'submit application', you will be prompted to upload additional documents. Drag and drop (or upload) your completed biography form and others requested into the 'Drop files below or click to upload' section before clicking the 'apply' button.
For additional information pertaining to this competition, please contact:
Dr. Frederick J. Wrona
Chief Scientist, Alberta Environment and Parks
Assistant Deputy Minister, Environmental Monitoring and Science Division, Alberta Environment and Parks
10th Floor, 9 “Triple” 8 Jasper Building
9888 Jasper Avenue NW
Edmonton, Alberta T5J 5C6
780-229-7270 or
Carefully read the Recruitment Posting and the Position Profile to ensure this is an appropriate opportunity for you. Applicants are advised to provide information that clearly and concisely demonstrates how their qualifications meet the advertised requirements.
Online applications are preferred. To apply, click on the 'apply' button, create or sign into your account in the ePAAS system; upload your resume, view the listing under Current Opportunities and click on 'submit application'. The uploaded resume will be automatically attached.
Provide a short 4 line biography using the Biography template found under additional documents section. Your biography should include your name, current work experience, board/committee experience and relevant education. Please note that biographies may be edited for length and clarity.
Once your biography and other required form(s) are completed, save it to your PC. When you hit 'submit application', you will be prompted to upload additional documents. Drag and drop (or upload) your completed cover letter, biography and other form(s) into the 'Drop files below or click to upload' section before clicking the 'apply' button.
If you are unable to apply online, please submit a cover letter and resume, quoting the recruitment posting competition number, to the contact provided on the posting. We thank all applicants for their interest. All applications will be reviewed to assess which candidates' qualifications most closely match the agency's requirements. Only those selected for interviews will be contacted to advance to the next step in the appointment process. You can check the status of each competition on-line at https://www.alberta.ca/public-agencies.cfm.
All potential candidates will be screened for potential conflicts of interest. Please Note: Successful applicants will have the following information about them made publicly available on the Public Agency Secretariat Website: name, biography, public agency, and position title.