This opportunity is a 2-year term position posted for Underwater Acoustics specialization only. 

ONC seeks an individual to support and help implement programs and projects related to underwater acoustics, with a focus on passive acoustics (e.g. hydrophone data). The candidate will have a M.Sc, but ideally a Ph.D. in a relevant oceanographic or engineering discipline with expertise in bioacoustics and marine soundscapes. The ONC observatories collect data from both active and passive acoustic instruments, representing both high-bandwidth data streams and a large, growing archive. The Staff Scientist will interact with and provide support to a diverse national and international user community, including researchers, ports, First Nations, not-for-profit organizations, and coastal communities to adopt and develop tools and data products to better utilize these important data. In addition, the candidate will assist with developing automatic underwater sound classification approaches, creation of data analysis tools, and advancement of deep/machine learning techniques for signal processing to deliver acoustic data services to communities with diverse needs.

*This position is eligible for a Hybrid Work Arrangement*

The salary range for this position is:
•    Recruitment range:  $83,094- $91,625 starting salary determined by the PEA Collective Agreement.
•    Performance range: $108,088 salary range ceiling is available through annual performance increases.

Mandate:
Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) is a world-leading organization in supporting ocean discovery and innovation. ONC operates infrastructure that monitors the west and east coasts of Canada and the Arctic to continuously deliver data in real-time for scientific research, societal benefits and technological innovation. ONC infrastructure supports ocean research within and across disciplines ranging from geophysics, oceanography, marine acoustics, marine ecology, geochemistry to microbiology to high-energy physics, facilitated by the co-location, at every observatory site, of sensors serving multiple fields of research. ONC is a Major Science Initiative funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and is governed as a not-for-profit society that operates world-class innovative cabled observatories on behalf of the University of Victoria. 

The observatories supply continuous power and Internet connectivity to a broad suite of scientific instruments located in coastal and deep-ocean environments. The strategically located instruments and data management enable evidence-based decision-making on ocean management, public safety and environmental protection and address key scientific and policy issues. Along with national and local governments, ONC also works in collaboration with educators, students, communities, and Indigenous peoples on ocean monitoring initiatives along all three of Canada’s coasts. 

ONC’s digital networks host thousands of sensors distributed in, on and above the seabed along with mobile and land-based assets (e.g., ferries, autonomous floats, moorings, and coastal radars) that provide essential data.  ONC’s powerful online data management system, Oceans 3.0, is the most visible aspect of ONC and how ONC’s diverse user communities can access, analyze, visualize, and present observatory data.

The ONC Science Services department consists of a team of staff scientists who bring expertise across many scientific disciplines and connect the community of researchers with the ONC infrastructure capabilities. 

Objectives:
Reporting to the Director Science, the Staff Scientist interacts with and provides support to a diverse research community within specific science and research areas, with the goal of increasing the number of scientific publications, the number and breadth of users accessing the facility, broadening the awareness and utility of the observatories in the science community, and encouraging its use by an ever-widening community of interdisciplinary users and research topics. 

The Staff Scientist assists in the planning, execution, and completion of research by the users of the facility, including planning and execution of annual maintenance expeditions and other field-based activities as they relate to instrument preparation, data integrity, and sample collection. Together with the other members of the Science Services Division, they support workshops, conference presence and other engagement activities as required. The Staff Scientists actively engage with students, researchers and ONC staff and contribute to building knowledge and capacity in ocean-based sciences.

This position may be required to travel nationally and internationally. This position may be required to participate in at-sea expeditions from time to time.

Job Requirements
This position requires a level of education, training, and experience equivalent to a PhD with a minimum of 2 years of post-graduate experience in a relevant science discipline. An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience may be considered.