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 International Convenor, including Co-Convenor, Project Team, or Maintenance Team lead, of a committee is responsible for managing a group project(s) by organizing and chairing meetings, preparing drafts of project-related working documents, and reporting to the chair or secretary of the parent technical or sub-committee.
Key Responsibilities and activities
Reporting to SCC management, Standards Solutions Branch, the International Convenor is responsible for the following:
- ensure that all points of view expressed are adequately summed up so that they are understood by the group and any other interested parties involved;
- act in a purely neutral and international capacity, divesting him- or her- self of any SCC, and/or Canadian or other national position;
- manage projects according to agreed target dates in accordance with the project plan.
- use modern electronic means to carry out their work (for example, e-mail, groupware and teleconferencing) wherever possible;
- arrange for meetings with members of the working group or project team in whose country the meeting is to be held;
- coordinate arrangements with the secretariat of the parent committee where a working group meeting is to be held in conjunction with a meeting of the parent committee;
- ensure working group members receive all relevant information for meetings;
- report to the parent technical committee or subcommittee;
- be prepared to act as consultant, when required, regarding technical matters arising at the proposal stage through to the publication stage; 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 Convenor/Leader
- Ability to travel and attend meetings in accordance with the approved meeting schedule
- Working knowledge and the ability to apply the 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 lead meetings effectively with a view to reaching agreement and to ensure that positions and decisions are clearly understood
- 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