Program Advisor, Security Drills and Exercises

Posting details

• Reference number: PPS26J-050300-000045
• Selection process number: 26-PPS-SPP-PROGRAMADVISOR-OECI
• Who can apply: Open to Canadian citizens or permanent residents residing in the National Capital Region.
• Level: PM-05 - This position is at the PSA-08 group and level.

Duties

The Program Advisor, Operational Drills and Exercises is responsible for leading the development, conduct, and evaluation of dynamic (operations-based) exercises and drills that test and validate the readiness of the Parliamentary Protective Service (PPS) and its interoperability with partners.

• Design and lead complex, realistic operational drills and exercises, including live-force and force-on-force activities, grounded in realistic and credible threat information and aligned with the organizational exercise and evaluation program framework.

• Manage all phases of exercise delivery, including scenario design, planning conferences, operational coordination, safety oversight, logistics, exercise execution, debriefing, and after-action reporting.

• Apply structured project management methodologies, including the development of work breakdown structures, milestones, and timelines for all drill and exercise activities.

• Coordinate multidisciplinary and interagency teams, including exercise control cells, safety officers, role-players, adversary controllers, and technical support, ensuring operational cohesion and safe conduct throughout.

• Operate and manage tactical simulation systems and associated AAR tools, to enable data capture and performance analysis.

• Deliver exercise briefings and debriefings to various internal and external partners, including law enforcement and first responders.

• Develop and implement annual exercise plans, including performance testing schedules and evaluation methodologies.

• Provide subject-matter expertise on physical protection systems, operational readiness, critical incident response, and law enforcement integration during exercise planning and execution.

• Support internal operational performance assessments, offering operational insight into strengths, vulnerabilities, and improvement opportunities in protective and response capabilities.

Work environment

The Parliamentary Protective Service (PPS) is a separate and distinct organization not subject to the Public Service Employment Act. It has its own classification, compensation system, and staffing regime. Persons appointed to PPS continue to be part of the federal government and will receive the public service pension plan and public service insurance benefits plan. What we offer: • Paid Training • Public service health, dental, and vision care insurance plans • Public Service Pension Plan • 35-hour standard work week • Minimum 4 weeks of paid vacation • Free on-site fitness facilities • Employee and Family Assistance Program • On-site presence is required (Monday to Friday) • Centrally located in downtown Ottawa • Proximity to O-Train Parliament Station and most of all main OC Transpo and STO bus lines

Intent of the process

The purpose of this recruitment and selection process is to staff one (1) position on an indeterminate baisis and to establish a pool of qualified and/or partially qualified candidates for anticipatory needs of various tenures.

The pool may also be used in the future to staff similar positions within the PPS.

Important messages

Please visit PPS web site under Careers > Opportunities or at https://pps.parl.ca/↗ for guides that will help you prepare your application and for an interview.

We encourage veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces to self-identify when applying to our job opportunities.

We will only accept online applications received through the GC Employment website.

To submit your online application, you will first need to create an account on the GC Jobs website. Once your account is created, return to the job poster, and select the button "Apply Online" below.

Candidates who are unable to apply online must contact Talent Management prior to the closing date.

All communication (screening, assessments, invitations, results) with applicants will be done by e-mail. Ensure that the e-mail address provided is valid, always functional and accepts messages from unknown users.

It is your responsibility, as a candidate, to clearly demonstrate how you meet each qualification (education, experience, and assets) by answering the screening questions in the online application. You must provide concrete specific examples to illustrate how you meet each criterion identified in the questions. Your answers must include where and how you obtained the required experience, as well as the period(s) in which you performed the functions of the position(s). Candidates will not be solicited for incomplete or missing information. The STAR method outlined below may be used to help structure clear and detailed examples: • S – Situation: Describe the context. • T – Task: Outline the objective. • A – Action: Explain what you did and how you did it. • R – Result: Highlight the outcome of your actions. Please note that all answers (or cover letters) submitted must be original work. Plagiarism of any kind, including responses generated by AI, is strictly prohibited, and may result in disqualification from the application process.

Candidates are entitled to participate in the appointment process in the official language of their choice. Applicants are asked to indicate their preferred official language in their application.

Various assessment tools may be used to evaluate candidates during the selection process.

Depending on the number of applicants, volume management strategies may be used for the purpose of managing applications.

Candidates must meet the essential qualifications, including the linguistic requirement to be appointed to a position.

Relocation and travel expenses incurred during the recruitment and selection process are the applicant's responsibility.

Language requirements

Bilingual - imperative