Research Officer in Software & Data Infrastructure for Accelerated Materials Discovery

Priority will be given to the following designated employment equity groups: 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:  Mississauga
Organizational Unit:  Clean Energy Innovation
Classification: RO
Tenure: Term
Duration : Until March 2027
Language Requirements:  English

Note: Due to the nature of the work and operational requirements, this position will require some physical presence at the NRC work location identified in the form of a hybrid work arrangement (a combination of working onsite and offsite).

This posting is to fill two positions.

Your Challenge

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 for a Research Officer (RO) to support the accelerated discovery, design and development of new clean energy and/or energy storage materials. The incumbent will form part of the Clean Energy Innovation Research Centre’s new Research Facility in Mississauga. The selected candidate would be someone who shares our core values of Integrity, Excellence, Respect and Creativity.

You will be working in a team environment with researchers and technical experts in our world-class facilities. Your role will focus on advancing research towards the next paradigm through the development and integration of a sophisticated data management framework in the theoretical, experimental, and material discovery workflows of autonomous self-driving laboratories.

In this role, you will collaborate closely with leads in accelerated material discovery and subject matter experts to develop and implement comprehensive data strategies that enable seamless tracking, integration, and management of various data types from experimental, theoretical, and simulation sources. You will be responsible for all aspects of the data management process, from data collection and validation to the architecture of databases and data integration systems. As we aim to significantly enhance our capabilities in this area, you will have opportunities to explore, suggest, and develop new data management frameworks and architectures that meet diverse needs across a broad spectrum of materials science objectives at CEI-Mississauga. You will either take charge of or collaborate with software developers to ensure that the data infrastructure supports advanced data analytics and machine learning applications.

Additionally, you will support the advancement of our IT and HPC (High-Performance Computing) infrastructure necessary to facilitate this paradigm shift in materials discovery. This includes participating in pilot programs to test use case studies on proposed corporate solutions, ensuring robust and scalable data management capabilities.

You will be involved in the development of new research proposals, management of research projects, maintenance of research partnerships with external academic, industrial and government collaborators and supervision of junior staff, students and vendors. 

Being in a dynamic position means that the workdays are always evolving, challenging and motivating. You are a self-starter who can excel in an evolving and exciting R&D environment and provide input into the direction and priorities of R&D activities that will be set forth by this new initiative in Mississauga. If you are that person, this may be the perfect role for you!

The employees of the Clean Energy Innovation research center must be present on site at least 3 days a week.

Screening Criteria

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:

Education

Minimum Master’s degree  in Data Science, Computer Science, Information Systems, Computer Engineering or a related field. Bachelor’s degree may be accepted if relevant work experience.

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

Experience

• Proven experience in developing and implementing data management systems, preferably in a research or laboratory setting.
• Experience with data integration, data quality, and data architecture strategies.
• Considerable experience in debugging and problem-solving within complex data systems.
• Experience in software development with a strong emphasis on data handling and management. Skills in developing the front-end or back-end of applications are highly desirable.

Condition of Employment

 Reliability Status

Language Requirements

English

Information on language requirements and self-assessment tests

Assessment Criteria

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

Technical Competencies

• Proficiency in SQL and NoSQL database management systems, with additional knowledge in time-series, spatial, and graph databases.
• Strong programming skills in languages relevant to both back-end and front-end development, such as Python, Java, JavaScript, or R. Familiarity with frameworks like Django, Node.js, React, or Angular is highly desirable.
• Experience with data integration tools and methodologies, and cloud services  including APIs, ETL processes, and real-time data processing.
• Advanced debugging and problem-solving skills applied to software development and data management.
• Proficiency with version control systems, particularly GitHub or GitLab, for effective project management and code collaboration.
• Understanding of FAIR data principles and their application in data-intensive environments.

Behavioural Competencies

• Research – Communication (Level 2)
• Research – Self-knowing and self-development (Level 3)
• Research – Creative thinking (Level 3)
• Research – Teamwork (Level 2)

Competency Profile(s)

For this position, the NRC will evaluate candidates using the following competency profile: Research;

View all competency profiles

Compensation

This position is classified as a Research Officer (RO), a group that is unique to the NRC. Candidates are remunerated based on their expertise, outcomes and impacts of their previous work experience relative to the requirements of the level. The salary scale for this group is vast, from $62,071 to $175,466 per annum, which permits for employees of all levels from new graduates to world renowned experts to be fairly compensated for their contributions.

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 NRC Advantage

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!

Notes

• 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.
• The employees of the Clean Energy Innovation research center must be present on site at least 3 days a week
• This position is being advertised internally and externally simultaneously, however first consideration will be given to internal NRC applicants.
• 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 (22011) to:

E-mail: [email protected]

Telephone: 343-596-8193 

Closing Date: June 13, 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.