Foreign Service Officer

Government of Canada; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 82,000 - 103,000; Full time

Job summary

Global Affairs Canada is inviting applications for a Foreign Service role at the FS-01 level in Ottawa. The process includes written exams, simulations and interviews, with opportunities to serve both in Canada and abroad and to rotate among streams before final placement.

Applicants should have a degree related to international affairs and demonstrate strong analytical, collaborative and communication skills, including the ability to present data clearly. Travel and irregular hours are possible.

Qualifications

• Graduation by June 30, 2027, with a degree from a recognized post-secondary institution in a field related to international affairs.
• Fields include international relations, economics, political science, law, geography, or development.
• Experience collaborating with others, managing multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Experience analyzing and synthesizing information from various sources.
• Experience working with and presenting data.

Skills

Experience collaborating with others

Analysis and synthesis of information

Data presentation experience

Education

Bachelor's degree related to international affairs

Business administration / Economics / Political science / Law

Master's degree in relevant fields (MBA / ID / IR / Law)

Certificate in International Politics / Data Analytics

Job description

Selection process number

26-EXT-EA-ML-1047383

Salary

$81,792 to $103,494

Level

FS-01

Who can apply

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

Duties

New FS-01 employees will begin their careers through a de-streamed onboarding period and will not initially be assigned to a specific stream. During this period, employees will gain exposure to and learn about all four Foreign Service streams before being aligned with one stream.Wondering if a career in the Foreign Service is right for you? Ask yourself the following questions to learn more about the realities of an FS career and reflect on whether this type of work is right for you.Are you interested in a career that involves working in Canada and abroad, regularly moving between assignments and adapting to new roles and locations, some of which may be outside your preferred choices?Do you enjoy building relationships, speaking publicly, and working with diverse people?Are you and your family prepared for the lifestyle demands of frequent international relocations?Are you adaptable and comfortable living and working in unfamiliar cultural, social, or security environments?Are you willing to meet the operational demands of the Foreign Service, including emergencies, travel, and irregular hours?Is the Foreign Service lifestyle compatible with your personal values, goals, and family circumstances?Are you willing to advance the positions of the government in office, which can change at any moment and may not align with your own beliefs, values and convictions?The more “Yes” answers you have, the more suited you may be to a diplomatic career in the Canadian Foreign Service.

Work environment

Working at Global Affairs Canada (GAC) offers the opportunity for a global career, and provides a wealth of international experiences that enable employees to enhance their professional skills and broaden their global perspectives. A career in the department helps to shape Canada's place in the world. Our global network is made up of professionals working in Ottawa, across Canada and around the world. Global Affairs Canada manages Canada’s international platform—a global network of 178 missions in 110 countries that supports the international work of the department and 37 partner departments, agencies and co-locators. It also manages six regional offices across Canada. This network is supported by more than 11,000 employees. With rotating assignments at missions abroad and in Canada, a career at GAC is a career without borders. We offer: stimulating and rewarding work; unprecedented professional development; opportunities to learn a foreign language, to live, work and travel in Canada and abroad; the flexibility to specialize or have diverse career experiences; belonging to a motivated and results-oriented professional team, and; the opportunity to contribute, both in Canada and abroad.This rotational position requires a physical presence in the office in the majority of circumstances. The operational needs of the Assignments and Pool Management Division (HFP) does not allow full‑time telework.

Intent of the process

The intent of this selection process is to staff 30 positions on an indeterminate basis and 15 ab initio positions.

Positions to be filled

45

Important messages

• Prescreening
• Written Exam
• Simulation Exercise
• Interview
• Second Language Evaluation

The written exam is scheduled for mid-to-late January 2027. The simulation exercise and interview will take place in person on the same day. These full-day assessments are expected to take place in March and April 2027. As part of your application, you will be asked to select the city where you would like to be assessed. In your responses to the screening questions, you must clearly demonstrate how you meet the essential and asset education and experience qualifications. Provide specific, detailed examples explaining where, when, how and why you gained the relevant experience. Simply stating that you meet the qualifications or listing your duties is insufficient. No assumptions will be made about your experience, and no additional information will be requested beyond what you provide in your application. When answering the screening questions for your application, the responses should remain concise and relevant. Although there is no limit, we strongly suggest providing 500 words or less in English and 575 words or less in French per question. All communications with candidates throughout the entirety of this selection process may be used to evaluate candidates on any of the essential qualifications, abilities and competencies required for this role. The subdelegated manager may determine the number of candidates to be retained for further assessment using methods such as a top-down approach or the application of selected asset qualifications. As per section 36 (2) of the Public Service Employment Act (PSEA) all criteria and assessment tools were developed and revised to be free of biases and barriers for members of equity-seeking groups. All qualifications could be assessed throughout the process. To promote transparency and fairness toward candidates, the evaluation committee may use an artificial intelligence (AI) assisted tool to transcribe spoken responses during interviews or presentations. Assessors, not the tool, make all decisions; no automated scoring or screening will occur. Audio may be recorded and converted to text, handled per the Privacy Act and departmental policy, with access limited to authorized employees.

Note to permanent residents

The federal Public Service Employment Act gives permanent residents the same hiring preference as Canadian citizens in advertised selection processes. Your status as a permanent resident therefore has no impact on your chances of being appointed to a position based on merit. However, in December 2024, the Treasury Board approved a new Security Screening Directive, which Global Affairs Canada implemented in January 2025. According to this directive, only Canadian citizens can obtain Secret, Top Secret, or Enhanced Top Secret security clearance. Additionally, given that rotationality is a condition of employment and as such employees also represent Canada abroad, obtaining an unrestricted diplomatic passport is a requirement. Only a Canadian citizen can be granted a diplomatic passport. Therefore, for this process, you will need to meet those 2 conditions before being considered for employment.

Rotationality

Rotationality is the requirement for Foreign Service employees to change roles and job locations regularly throughout their careers. It is a global exposure that presents a significant variety of challenging and sometimes unpredictable situations. It could also mean having to serve in positions which fall outside of one’s area of specific expertise or preference. This condition involves willingness and ability to serve in the National Capital Region, Canada and overseas locations, including in hardship posts. All foreign service employees in a rotational position sign an undertaking to this effect, confirming that they are able and available to serve abroad for a significant portion of their career and in Canada as required by the Department and must, therefore, continue to comply with this condition of employment for the duration of their employment.

Operational Requirements

• Willingness and ability to travel on short notice, including internationally and in difficult and challenging environments.
• Willingness and ability to work overtime, as required.

You need (essential for the job)

Your application must clearly explain how you meet the following

Education

Graduation by June 30, 2027, with a degree* a degree from a recognized post-secondary institutions, including the successful completion of at least four semester courses (equivalent to 12 credits) in a field related to international affairs.*Degree: Unless it is otherwise specified (e.g., Master’s degree), the term “degree” refers to a baccalaureate as established by educational authorities.Note: For the purposes of this criterion, fields related to international affairs include, but are not limited to, international relations, international business, international economics, political science, international studies or global or area studies, human geography, history, law, environmental studies, international development or globalization.Please be prepared to provide supporting documentation, such as official transcripts, to demonstrate that you have completed the required university courses in a field related to international affairs.

Experiences

• Experience collaborating with others, while managing multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Experience analyzing and synthetizing information from various sources.
• Experience working with and presenting data. Note: Experience can be demonstrated through paid or volunteer work or scholastic activity or achievement.

Applied / assessed at a later date

Competencies

• Judgement and Critical Thinking
• Resilience and Adaptability
• Integrity and Respect
• Partnerships, Networking and Relationships
• Autonomy
• Self-awareness
• Digital Literacy

Abilities

• Ability to share information in writing in a clear, logical and concise manner.
• Ability to share information verbally in a clear, logical and concise manner.

Language requirements (essential for the job)

Applied / assessed at a later date

• Bilingual - Imperative(CCC/CCC) - Selected candidates who meet all essential qualifications except the official language proficiency requirements may be hired under ab initio status. Ab initio candidates will receive full-time, paid official language training for up to 52 weeks, compensated at 80% of the FS-01 salary. Under this arrangement, candidates are not considered employees under the Public Service Employment Act.
• To be eligible for FS-01 appointment, ab intio candidates must successfully complete their language training and achieve the required official language proficiency levels (CCC/CCC). Candidates who do not meet these requirements will not be eligible for appointment and will no longer be considered in this selection process.
• To help you determine whether you should apply for a bilingual position, optional self‑assessment tests are available to evaluate your reading comprehension and writing skills in your second official language.

May be applied / assessed at a later date

Education

• Graduation by June 30, 2027, with a degree* from a recognized post-secondary institution in one of the following fields of study:
  • Business administration, and international business;
  • Economics, international economics and development economics;
  • Political science, history, international relations, international studies or global or area studies;
  • Human geography, environmental studies, international development or globalization;
  • Law (LL.B., B.C.L. or LL.L.).
• Completion by June 30, 2027, of a master's degree in one of the following fields of study:
  • Business Administration
  • International Business
  • International Development
  • International Economics
  • International Relations
  • International Trade or Investment
  • Regional studies focusing on China, Russia, the Middle East or polar regions
  • Law (LL.M.)
• Certificate, diploma or qualification obtained through a program of study in one of the following fields:
  • International Politics
  • International Negotiations
  • International Trade or Investment
  • International Security
  • Data Analytics
  • Regional studies focusing on China, Russia, the Middle East or polar regions
• Eligibility for admission to, or membership in good standing with, a law society (bar) in a Canadian province or territory.

Experiences

• Experience living independently outside one’s country of residence for at least three months through work, study or volunteer activities.
• Experience applying business and market knowledge including macroeconomic concepts (such as GDP, fiscal/monetary policy, inflation, interest rates) to support decision‑making or strategic planning.
• Experience in economic analysis.
• Experience in legal analysis.
• Experience serving for a minimum of one year in a formally designated, appointed, or elected role as a representative, spokesperson, advocate, or leader of a defined group of at least 10 individuals, within a lawful and legitimate organization, association, community, or cause, with responsibilities for promoting or advancing the group's collective interests, objectives, or mission with external stakeholders.

Organizational Needs

• Employment equity may be used to address the underrepresentation of the following designated groups: women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, visible minorities.

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.

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 apply.

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 apply.

Learn more about diversity and inclusion in the public service.

Global Affairs Canada (GAC) is committed to advancing equity and embracing diversity and inclusion by implementing meaningful actions that are founded in respect, collaboration and accountability. GAC is dedicated to ensuring that its workforce both at home and abroad is representative of Canada’s current and evolving population. GAC leverages disaggregated data in order to address underrepresentation and identify barriers to employment equity groups. We encourage all individuals who consider themselves qualified to apply, including Black, other racialized individuals and Indigenous peoples, women, persons with disabilities and members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community. Knowing that diverse teams foster innovation we strongly encourage you to complete the Employment Equity (EE) section in your application.

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.

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