The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) is a federal Crown corporation with the mandate to promote efficient and effective standardization in Canada. Located in Ottawa, SCC has a Governing Council comprised of up to 13 members and a staff of approximately 90. The organization reports to Parliament through the Minister of Industry and oversees Canada’s national standardization network.
The Subject Matter Expert is responsible to provide their expertise to deal with specific tasks allocated to the working group, ad-hoc group, project team, maintenance team, task force or committee.
Key Responsibilities and activities
Reporting to SCC management, Standards Solutions Branch, the Subject Matter Expert is responsible for the following:
- Commit the resources for drafting, reviewing and discussing projects within the agreed timeframes;
- Attend meetings whenever possible;
- Participate fully in all work and, based on the member’s knowledge and experience in the subject, provide technical input into the Standard being prepared;
- Be impartial broadly representing national interests and priorities;
- Follow international and SCC’s principles of transparency and consensus, actively contributing to reaching consensus;
- Work towards alignment with existing International Standards wherever practical and relevant;
- Fully and impartially consider public comment on drafts and providing meaningful reasons for the non-acceptance of proposed changes;
- Vote at the ballot stage and if the vote is negative, clearly present the technical justification;
- Track and monitor project progress;
- Raise project issues and risks that need to be recorded and resolved, and assist with their resolution;
- Work within ISO/IEC/SCC policies and procedures and other standardization guides;
- Ensure that relevant interests in the subject matter, not readily apparent, be made known to the committee i.e. declare conflicts of interest; and
- Comply with SCC’s Code of Conduct.
Essential Qualifications
- Relevant professional experience with standardization;
- Understanding of international and national standards development processes;
- Understanding and ability to speak the standards business terminology;
- Operation of national and international standards organizations, including the written rules, procedures and directives;
- Relevant professional experience or experience as a committee, working group, project team, maintenance team member;
- Ability to travel and attend meetings in accordance with the approved meeting schedule;
- Working knowledge and the ability to apply organizational rules, procedures and processes:
Knowledge
- Standards Council of Canada’s Act, mandate, structure, plans and priorities
- Understand the nature of international standards organizations’ work and its resulting benefits
- Be fully knowledgeable of the subject and market needs
- Project management principles, practices and techniques
Skills
- High proficiency to communicate, verbally and in writing in the English language
- Active listening skills
- Develop solutions through innovative and creative thinking in a consensus environment
- Advanced time management, prioritization and planning skills,
- Advanced computer skills and the ISO/IEC/SCC web-based IT tools and applications
Abilities
- Ability to think strategically to promote and to position the ISO/IEC/JTC initiatives and work activities
- Ability to lead and inspire delegates and experts from the sector towards consensus
- Ability to commit time and resources to the role
- Ability to act proactively and communicate diplomatically
- Ability to foster and value cooperation with other ISO and IEC Committees and partners including those from regulatory bodies
- Ability to ensure that all positions and views (at meetings and by correspondence) are given equal treatment
- Ability to manage projects according to agreed target dates in accordance with the project plan from preparation to completion
- Ability to propose decisions to progress or to stop work on the basis of its market or global relevance