Analytical Scientist

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 Technical Officer to support our Human Health Therapeutics research centre. The Technical Officer would be someone who shares our core values of Integrity, Excellence, Respect and Creativity.

A typical day for the successful candidate will involve planning, executing, and analyzing data from a very diverse array of analytical laboratory experiments used to characterize biologics-based samples (Ex. recombinant proteins, antibodies, conjugates, viral vectors, CAR-T cells). 

This day may also include training in one or several different techniques - as well as helping to train other colleagues, assisting in administrative and support roles such as purchasing of reagents/supplies, preparing scientific reports, assisting in the development of new analytical assays, attending internal and external meetings, writing standard operating procedures (SOPs), documenting experiments in laboratory notebooks, general maintenance of equipment and laboratory facilities, and presenting data at internal meetings.

You will interact with, and have the opportunity to learn from, a diverse array of teams within the NRC community that have different expertise as well as many Canadian industrial (Biotech/Pharma) and academic partners.

Your Challenge (continued)

In any given week, you will have the opportunity to work on important drug development projects with potentially national significance – examples are provided in the links below.

• Made-in-Canada cancer therapy offers patients new hope
• Unlocking the potential of biologics to put a bulls-eye on cancer - National Research Council Canada
• Supporting innovation through collaboration: Forbius on the move - National Research Council Canada
• https://nrc.canada.ca/en/stories/quest-vaccine-nrc-researchers-mobilize-advance-technologies-against-covid-19
• National Research Council of Canada supports development of 4 COVID-19 therapeutic candidates (newswire.ca)

This Analytical Scientist position would appeal to someone who is interested in the biology of disease and eager to learn how biologics-based therapeutic drugs are characterized and developed to treat human diseases such as cancer, viral infections and rare genetic diseases.

Someone who is flexible and has a passion for working hands-on in a laboratory setting, learning new techniques, helping to find solutions to challenging scientific problems and interacting with other scientists with diverse backgrounds.

If you are that person, then this is the perfect role for you!
 

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

Bachelor degree in Analytical Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Virology, Molecular Biology, Immunology or relevant related discipline.

Other relevant education in Life Science combined with significant industrial experience may be also considered.

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

Experience

• Experience in supporting the development of analytical assays.
• Experience in mammalian cell culture for use in cell-based assays.
• Experience working with and characterizing viral vectors and other biologics-based therapeutics such as antibodies, enzymes, recombinant proteins, VLPs, liposomes, exosomes, vaccines.
• Experience in ELISAs and one or more of the following functional assays; surface plasmon resonance (SPR), biolayer interferometry(BLI), enzyme kinetics, flow cytometry, plate-based methods such as AlphaLisa, FRET, proximity ligation assay (PLA), fluorescence polarization (FP), time-resolved fluorescence (TRF).
• Some experience in one or more biophysical techniques such as analytical chromatography, analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC), capillary isoelectric focussing (cIEF), differential scanning calorimetry/fluorimetry (DSC/DSF), fluorescence-based spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD), CE-SDS, western blots, PCR/qPCR/ddPCR/dPCR and dynamic light scattering (DLS), Western Blot
• Some experience molecular biology techniques or the use of design of experiments (DOE).

Condition of Employment

Reliability Status

Language Requirements

English or French

Information on language requirements and self-assessment tests

Assessment Criteria

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

Technical Competencies

• General knowledge of basic protein structure and biochemistry.
• Working knowledge of the proper preparation, physical manipulation and storage of biological samples. Examples include the preparation of buffers, serial dilutions, pH measurement and adjustment, aliquoting samples, centrifugation of samples, dialysis/buffer exchange, concentrating samples, and sterile techniques.
• Working knowledge and understanding of basic biochemical, biophysical and functional assays for proteins.
• Ability to contribute to the design, development and optimization of analytical assays by performing basic searches for relevant information in technical manuals, online databases, and journal articles.
• Ability to clearly and accurately document results and analysis from experiments and clearly communicate results at regular team/project meetings.
• Ability to maximize efficient use of time by multitasking both inside and outside the laboratory. 
• Working knowledge of standard software such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and GraphPad. 

Behavioural Competencies

Competency Profile(s)

For this position, the NRC will evaluate candidates using the following competency profile(s): Research Technician/Technologist

View all competency profiles

Compensation

From $58,445 to $80,040 per annum. Salary under review.

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.
• 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.