Personnel Security Officer – Various Levels

Reference number: RF-16545

About CSE

The Communications Security Establishment (CSE) is Canada’s agency responsible for foreign signals intelligence, cyber operations and cyber security. Learn more about our mission, and what it means to work in a security and intelligence field.

CSE is committed to fostering a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion. This isn’t just an ideal, it’s crucial to our mission. Find out about our workplace culture, including our diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Become part of our team and you’ll understand why CSE is the most important organization you’ve never heard of (YouTube).

Job summary

CSE is seeking Personnel Security Specialists to join its dynamic operational security team in Ottawa. We’re looking for people from a diverse range of backgrounds, who will thrive working in an open-minded environment and who value the different perspectives of others.

As a CSE Personnel Security Specialist, you’ll play a crucial role in safeguarding sensitive government information and assets within the Government of Canada (GoC). You’ll assess the reliability, loyalty, and trustworthiness of individuals who require access to protected or classified information as part of their duties. You’ll also manage different aspects of the security clearance process: you’ll conduct thorough background checks, review criminal records, analyze financial information, and conduct in-depth security interviews to determine an individual’s eligibility to hold and maintain a security clearance. In this role, you’ll write reports to inform decision-making and provide support for applicant and employee files.

Your essential work will maintain the integrity of government operations and protect Canada’s national security.

We’re looking for professionals to join our teams who are:

• detail oriented
• analytical thinkers
• excellent communicators (especially verbally)
• trustworthy and discreet
• collaborative

Salary

To find out more about our salary scale, vacation allowances and benefits (health, dental and pension plans, etc.) visit the Compensation page on our website.

Area of selection

Open to Canadian citizens.

Location

Ottawa, Ontario. CSE has two accessible facilities. Flexible work arrangements, including telework for a portion of the work week, may be possible.

Conditions of employment

An Enhanced Top Secret (ETS) security clearance is a condition of employment that must be met before an offer can be made.

More information about our hiring and security processes can be found on our website.

Essential qualifications

In order to be considered, your cover letter must clearly explain how you meet the following education and experience requirements.

Education

You must have either one of the following:

• A post-secondary diploma or degree in a field related to the position, such as (but not limited to) criminology, police foundations, law, teaching, journalism, social work, behavioural sciences, psychology, political science, criminal justice, international relations, or history; or
• An acceptable combination of education in a field related to the position (as above), and relevant experience.

Note: The educational program must be recognized in Canada, and you must be able to provide proof of education credentials.

Experience

• Experience working with diverse individuals to elicit information using various methods, such as, but not limited to, conducting interviews, investigations, client-intake interviews or client needs-analysis meetings.
• Experience researching and analyzing diverse information to solve complex* problems.
• Experience providing strategic advice.
• Experience drafting detailed and comprehensive reports.

*Note: for the purposes of this hiring process, "complex problems” have at least two of the following characteristics: multi-dimensional, sensitive, confidential, affecting many partners or stakeholders, precedent-setting or having a major impact on a business process.

Official language requirements

English essential or bilingual imperative: CBC/CBC

• English essential means that the position is unilingual English.
• Bilingual means that knowledge of both official languages (English and French) is required for the position.
  • Imperative means that you must possess the knowledge of both official languages before a job offer can be made.
• The profile (e.g. CBC/CBC) represent the proficiency level you must demonstrate in each of the language skills (reading, writing and oral interaction) for the bilingual position. For bilingual positions, second language evaluations will be offered to candidates who don’t have valid language test results issued by the Government of Canada.

Find out more about the language requirements of positions.

Competencies

The following technical, behavioural and leadership competencies will be assessed at a later date. You do not need to include information about them in your application.

Technical competencies

• Investigative techniques
• Analytical thinking
• Risk assessment and risk management

Behavioural competencies

• Accountability/autonomy
• Interactive communication
• Working in a team

Leadership competencies

• Achieving results
• Collaboration
• Integrity, respect and awareness

Assets

Assets are “nice-to-have” expertise and skills we’re interested in. They may be used to identify which team you could best complement, or they may be invoked as a volume management strategy.

Please demonstrate on your application if you meet or possess the asset experience listed below.

Asset experience

• Using risk analysis techniques and implementing risk analysis methodologies
• Conducting security interviews and/or investigations within the Security and Intelligence community

Operational requirements

Overtime and standby duty may be required.

Position may require travel to major cities across Canada, up to five (5) times annually.

How to apply

You may submit your candidacy online by selecting “Apply” at the top or bottom of this page.

If you cannot apply online or have a disability preventing you from applying online, please inform us by email at careers-carrieres@cse-cst.gc.ca prior to the closing date of this hiring process.

Important information

We ask you to not discuss your application with others (including on social media) besides your partner, or close family members - who should also be reminded about the need to be discreet.

Assessments of candidates are conducted in the official language of their choice.

To address CSE’s current representation gaps, priority may be given to persons who self-declare as belonging to one, or more, designated employment equity groups: women; Indigenous peoples, including First Nations who are status, or registered and non-status, or non-registered, Inuit and Métis; persons with disabilities, including people with a mental health condition and neurodivergent people; and persons from racial or ethnic groups.

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

CSE offers an assessment process that will accommodate any reasonable measures you require to be assessed in a fair and equitable manner. Those measures are available to all candidates during our processes. Information you provide will be addressed confidentially.

The level of competence demonstrated in the various assessments will be used to determine your qualifications for the UNI 07 or UNI 08 level.

All communications with CSE relating to this process, including email messages and telephone conversations, may be used in the assessment of qualifications.

The intent of this process is to fill vacant positions at CSE. The process may also be used to establish a pool of qualified candidates which could be used to staff similar or identical positions with various tenures.

Due to the nature of CSE’s mandate certain roles may expose employees to content that is difficult to process. Mental health is a priority at CSE and if any personnel feel they require assistance to preserve their mental wellbeing, they have access to services, tools and other resources to help them in both their personal and professional lives.

Please note that in an effort to maintain balance between employee development and business needs, candidates who are hired at CSE must remain in their substantive position for a minimum of twelve (12) months subject to operational requirements.

We thank you for your interest in CSE. However, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.