National Defence - Assistant Deputy Minister (Policy)

Closing date: November 12, 2026 - 23:59, Pacific Time

Reference number

DND26J-186657-000010

Selection process number

26-DND-EA-POL-563616

Location

Ottawa (Ontario)

Salary

$77,690 to $87,907

Level

EC-03

Who can

Persons residing in Canada, and Canadian citizens and Permanent residents abroad.

Organization information

For further information on the organization, please visit National Defence.

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. In this regard, the department fosters a work environment where you have opportunities to learn, to develop your talents, to progress in your career and have job satisfaction over the long-term.

Intent of the process

The objective of this process is to staff positions in the PORP on an indeterminate basis.A pool of partially or essentially qualified candidates may be established through this process and may be used to staff identical or similar positions at the Department of National Defence.

Positions to be filled

Important messages

How does this work?✅ Step 1: Read the entire advertisement. Want to join our team? Let us know you’re interested! Click “”.
✅ 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.
_________________________________________________

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 “” 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 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 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. 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)
The information you provide in this application must be true and may be verified. Any false information may result in the rejection of your application and/or not hiring you. By submitting an application, you are confirming that you are either currently living in the Area of Selection or are willing to relocate.
Appointment decisions may be based on one or more of the following criteria:
Matching of the individual's experience or qualifications to the strengths and weaknesses of the work team;
Matching of the individual's experience or qualifications to the specific duties of the position being staffed;
Depth, breadth, type of work-specific experience;
Level/degree of one or more competencies/qualifications;
Organizational Needs.

Conditions of employment

_____________________________________________________________Various security levels: Reliability Status, Secret, Top Secret.Willingness to be assigned to various divisions in the organization based on operational requirements and developmental needs.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.

Operational Requirements

_____________________________________________________________OR1. For some positions, must be able and willing to work overtime frequently and on short notice.OR2. For some positions, must be able to work to a schedule that corresponds to the demands resulting from the schedules of Cabinet and Parliament, as well as the Minister, Deputy Minister and Chief of the Defence Staff.OR3. There may also be a requirement for occasional travel to national and international meetings and conferences, as well as deployed operations.

You need (essential for the job)

Your application must clearly explain how you meet the following

❗ Essential qualifications are qualifications that you must meet in order to be considered for the position. This means that when you , your application must clearly demonstrate how you meet the education and experience listed below.
_____________________________________________________________EDUCATIONGraduation with a Master's degree from a recognized post-secondary institution in a field related to the duties of the position, and/or a Juris Doctor; and, specialization in sociology, statistics or economics, or demonstrate a combination of education, training and/or experience in one of these subject areas.Notes:

Candidates must always have a degree. The courses for the specialization must be acceptable and may have been taken at a recognized post secondary institution, but not necessarily within a degree program in the required specialization. The specialization may also be obtained through an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience.
An indeterminate incumbent of a former ES position on June 30, 1967 who became an EC on June 22, 2009, who does not possess the minimum level of education as indicated for Part A above is deemed to meet this minimum educational standard based on his/her education, training and/or experience.

Learn more about degree equivalency.

_____________________________________________________________EXPERIENCEEX1. Experience researching, analyzing, and synthesizing information on subjects related to security and defence policy, international affairs or public policy.EX2. Experience writing high-level documents on subjects related to security and defence policy, international affairs or public policy.***High-Level*** include, but are not limited to, research papers, essays, reports, briefing notes, technical papers, or other similar documents, to present research, findings, analysis, recommendations, or ideas on a specific subject.

Applied / assessed at a later date

_____________________________________________________________KNOWLEDGEK1. Knowledge of current Government policy and priorities in defence and security.

_____________________________________________________________COMPETENCIESCO1. Demonstrating Integrity and Respect.
CO2. Thinking Things Through.
CO3. Showing Initiative and Being Action Oriented.
CO4. Working Effectively with Others.
CO5. Communication.

_____________________________________________________________ABLITIESAB1. Ability to conduct research, analyze and synthesize information to develop and present sound recommendations for management.AB2. Ability to perform effectively under pressure and deliver results with tight deadlines.

Language requirements (essential for the job)

Applied / assessed at a later date

Various language requirements

Learn more about language requirements.

Our commitment

We're 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 contact the hiring organization below to request specialized accommodation. All information received in relation to accommodation will be kept confidential.

Learn more about assessment accommodation.

Equity, diversity and inclusion

The Public Service of Canada is committed to building a skilled and diverse workforce that reflects the population it serves. We promote employment equity and encourage you to self-declare if you belong to one of the designated employment equity groups when you .

Learn more about diversity and inclusion in the public service.

The Department of National Defence is committed to providing an environment where justice, fairness and the elimination of barriers helps build a skilled, diverse and representative workforce reflective of Canada. We welcome diversity in all its forms, promote employment equity and encourage you to indicate if you belong to one of the designated groups when you . Please note that preference for hiring will first be given to candidates who are members of the following Employment Equity groups: Indigenous peoples, members of visible minorities, persons with disabilities, and women.

EE groups always in that order

Learn more about employment equity.

Preference

Preference will be given to veterans first, followed by Canadian citizens and permanent residents, with the exception of jobs located in Nunavut or Yukon. For positions located in Nunavut, qualified Inuit enrolled under the Nunavut Agreement will be appointed first. For positions located in Yukon, qualified Yukon First Nations will be appointed first, followed by qualified Indigenous persons.

Learn more about preference to veterans.

How to

Learn more about ing for Government of Canada jobs.

Information you must provide

Your résumé

We'd like to thank all those who . However, only the people selected for further consideration will be contacted.

Additional links

We invite you to watch this short video (2.5 minutes) to learn more about how to submit your job application online: Cracking the Code
Why work at Department of National Defence? Click here to find out: Reasons to work at the Department of National Defence

Hiring organization contact

Name: Justine Ghantous
Email address: Justine.Ghantous@forces.gc.ca

Open roles (2)