Lead Engineers - Electronics and Radar

Important messages

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.

Assessment accommodation

📢 How does this work?

✅ Step 1: Read the entire advertisement. Want to join our team? Let us know you’re interested! Click “Apply Online”

✅ Step 2: Tell us about yourself! Attach your resume and answer the screening questions in the online application.

✅ Step 3: We will carefully review all your qualifications. If your talent matches one of our immediate or upcoming opportunities, we may contact you for further information or assessment.

Creating an environment where diverse perspectives are valued begins with self-declaration. Count yourself in and self-declare by identifying to which employment equity group(s) you belong. In order to self-declare, please ensure to indicate this by checking off the appropriate box within the online application as part of the Employment Equity section.

Duties

Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) is Canada's science, technology and innovation leader, trusted advisor, collaborative partner, and knowledge integrator for defence and security.

The navigation and communications electronic warfare (NAVCOM EW) section at DRDC Ottawa Research Centre conducts research and development to support the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in detection, identification, geolocation and countermeasures for communications signals, and provides force protection (FP) against radio controlled improvised explosive devices. The lead engineer in electronics relates to the expertise described in AEX1 below. This asset will be invoked as an essential qualification for 1 position.

The radar sensing and exploitation (RSE) section at DRDC Ottawa Research Centre is responsible for advanced research in radar systems and radar signal processing for DND/CAF. The mission of the RSE section is to improve the performance and viability of radar technologies and concepts. The lead engineer in radar relates to the expertise described in AEX2 below. This asset will be invoked as an essential qualification for 1 position.

Please note these positions require onsite presence at the Ottawa Research Centre workplace at a minimum of 3 days per week, in keeping with directives from the Treasury Board Secretariat of Canada.

Work environment

The Department of National Defence (DND) is one of the largest federal government employers, offering over 70 types of civilian career opportunities. DND's role is to provide services and support to the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in their operations and missions at home and abroad. The civilian workforce is an essential part of the Defence Team. Your knowledge and expertise contribute to the overall mission.

What do we offer?

🍁 At DND we foster a work environment where employees have opportunities to grow, learn, progress in their careers and have job satisfaction over the long-term. You’ll enjoy:
✅ A career among a dynamic and dedicated team
✅ Opportunities for advancement
✅ A diverse, respectful and inclusive work environment
✅ A total benefits package including a competitive salary, health and dental insurance plans, pension plan and a variety of leave entitlements

Intent of the process

A pool of partially or essentially qualified candidates may be established through this process and used to staff identical or similar positions with various employment tenures (temporary and permanent), language profiles, operational requirements, and conditions of employment at the Department of National Defence.

Positions to be filled: 2

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

In order to be considered, your application must clearly explain how you meet the following (essential qualifications)

❗ Essential qualifications are qualifications that you must meet in order to be considered for the position. This means that when you apply, your application must clearly demonstrate how you meet the education and experience listed below.
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EDUCATION

Graduation with a degree from a recognized post-secondary institution in mechanical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, aeronautical engineering, geological engineering, naval architecture or some other engineering specialty relevant to the duties of the position.

OR

Eligibility for certification as a professional engineer in Canada with specialization in an engineering specialty relevant to the position (some positions may require eligibility for certification as a professional engineer in Canada without regard for the field of specialization).

Link for full notes: https://www.canada.ca/en/treasury-board-secretariat/services/staffing/qualification-standards/core.html#en

Degree equivalency

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EXPERIENCE

EX1. Practical engineering experience planning, executing and documenting either engineering projects, or laboratory experimentation and field trials.
EX2. Experience working with diverse individuals, organizations, and partners in a multidisciplinary environment, including providing expert advice and representing the employer’s interests on complex technical issues.
EX3. Experience in technical oversight and leadership in project engineering in modern, highly integrated systems.
EX4. Experience in data collection and analysis.

The following will be applied / assessed at a later date (essential for the job)

English essential

Information on language requirements

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COMPETENCIES

C1: Demonstrating integrity and respect
C2: Thinking things through
C3: Working effectively with others
C4: Showing initiative and being action-oriented
C5: Communication*

*Communication refers to writing, expressing ideas (e.g. orally, using non-verbal language such as sign language, or using assistive technology), and active listening, which allow you to understand and be understood by others.

The following may be applied / assessed at a later date (may be needed for the job)

❗ The first two assets correspond to the 2 types of positions to be filled and their respective expertise. To qualify you must reply with a full description to at least one of the 2 areas of expertise with enough details that an experienced fellow engineer can discern the depth and breadth of your experience and knowledge. The third may be applied to either or both positions.
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ASSET EXPERIENCE

AEX1. Experience in providing specialist engineering expertise, advice, and guidance in an electronics related* field.

*Electronics related experience – Activities and areas include, but are not limited to,
• Practical engineering experience using MATLAB, Python, C/C++ or other high level programming languages,
• Modeling, analysis, design and testing of communications systems and networks,
• Digital signal processing techniques to modulate and demodulate communication signals,
• Analysing and dissecting complex electronic systems including microcontrollers Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) or Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC),
• Radio Frequency (RF) components and Radio Frequency (RF) circuit design,
• Analysing and designing Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) and custom hardware solutions, digital and analog circuits, computer architecture and hardware security mechanisms,
• Design, test and measurement techniques of microwave circuits, devices, and systems,
• Software reverse engineering of compiled applications for 32bit and 64bit architectures,
• Use of tools such as JTAG debuggers, UART, SWD oscilloscopes, logic analyzers and soldering equipment, software/firmware reverse engineering tools such as IDA or Ghidra, and
• Use of hardware description languages such as Very High-Speed Integrated Circuit (VHSIC) Hardware Description Language (VHDL)/Verilog or similar.

AEX2 Experience in providing specialist engineering expertise, advice, and guidance in a radar related** field

**Radar related experience – Activities and areas include, but are not limited to,
• Experience in Radio Frequency (RF) architectures including design considerations, test, and evaluation of up-conversion/down-conversion at Radio Frequency (RF), Intermediate Frequency (IF) and baseband.
• Experience in Radio Frequency (RF) components including design considerations, test, and evaluation of low-noise and power amplifiers, oscillator circuits (voltage-controlled oscillators, phase-locked-loops), filters, switches, and mixers, for wideband/high-dynamic range applications.
• Experience in microwave antennas including design considerations, test, and evaluation.
• Experience in test and measurement techniques of microwave circuits, devices, and systems.
• Experience in analog and digital radio frequency circuit design.
• Experience in digital signal processing theory and practice.
• Experience in state-of-the-art analog-to-digital, digital-to-analog converters and waveform generators.
• Experience in radar applications and radar systems.

AEX3: Experience interpreting operational requirements and translating them into technical specifications and statements of work.

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ORGANIZATIONAL NEEDS

The Department of National Defence is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive team that reflects Canada's population.

To achieve a representative workforce, selection may be based on qualified candidates self-declaring as belonging to one or more of the designated groups: Indigenous Peoples, members of visible minorities, persons with disabilities, and women.

We encourage you to indicate if you belong to any of the designated groups when you apply.

Information on employment equity

▶ As means to support our military families, consideration may first be given to the spouses or common-law partners of serving Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members.

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OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

OR1. Willing and able to participate in field trials. This could include an occasional requirement to work in remote locations, on military aircrafts, ships or ground vehicles.
OR2. Willing and able to travel as and when required, nationally and internationally.
OR3. Willing and able to work overtime on short notice.

Conditions of employment

Top Secret security clearance - IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
▶ For some positions, candidates must be eligible to obtain and maintain a Top-Secret security clearance in accordance with The Five Eyes. This can only be obtained for individuals born in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States.

▶ Strict adherence to the Department of National Defence and Canadian Forces Code of Values and Ethics, Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector, Directive on Conflict of Interest, and Defence Administrative Orders and Directives (DAOD) 7021-1, Conflict of Interest.

Copy and paste these links in your browser for more information: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/benefits-military/defence-ethics/policies-publications/code-value-ethics.html AND
https://www.tbs-sct.canada.ca/pol/doc-eng.aspx?id=25049 AND
https://www.tbs-sct.canada.ca/pol/doc-eng.aspx?id=32627 ANDhttps://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/corporate/policies-standards/defence-administrative-orders-directives/7000-series/7021/7021-1-conflict-of-interest.html

Other information

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▶ Persons are entitled to participate in the appointment process in the official language of their choice.

▶ Our organization will only accept on-line applications for this opportunity. Please click “Apply online” to submit your application. If there are limitations or special circumstances preventing you from submitting your application via the GC Jobs online portal, you must contact us and receive approval to apply via an alternate means PRIOR to the closing date.

▶ Depending on the position being staffed:
↪ Additional qualifications, operational requirements and/or conditions of employment may be required
↪ Varying degrees of breadth and depth of experience may be deemed essential
↪ Asset qualifications may be invoked as essential qualifications
↪ You may be contacted and asked to submit information or be further assessed

▶ Applicants who apply to this selection process must include in their application a valid email address and make sure that this address is functional at all times and accepts messages from unknown users.

▶ All information obtained throughout the selection process, from the time of application to close of process, may be used to evaluate the applicants. Your overall conduct and communications, including email correspondence, may be used in the assessment of qualifications and competencies.

▶ To ensure the integrity of the selection process, the content and questions of the assessment must remain confidential. Please do not discuss or share the assessment content with anyone, including other candidates. You must complete the assessment, including screening questions, by yourself, without the help of others, including the use of unapproved internet resources and artificial intelligence (such as ChatGPT or any other forms of artificial intelligence). Plagiarism and the use of artificial intelligence is strictly prohibited throughout the entire process and suspected non-compliance will be investigated. Any violation may result in potential consequences which could include your elimination from this selection process.

▶ If, at any point in this process or upon qualifying in this process, your Values and Ethics do not align with that of the Department of National Defence and Canadian Forces Code of Values and Ethics and Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector, you will be eliminated from further consideration in this process. (Copy and paste these links in your browser for more information: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/benefits-military/defence-ethics/policies-publications/code-value-ethics.html AND https://www.tbs-sct.canada.ca/pol/doc-eng.aspx?id=25049)

Preference

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.

Contact information

Apply online