Maintenance and Manufacturing Staff Instructions (MSI) No. 7: Appendix A

Statement of Merit Criteria
Civil Aviation Safety Inspector Aircraft – Maintenance & Manufacturing Transport Canada

Our Vision:  A transportation system in Canada that is recognized worldwide as safe, secure, efficient, and environmentally responsible.

The future Transport Canada is building towards is one where industry operates at the maximum level of delegation possible, with the flexibility to meet safety requirements in the most cost-efficient manner.  This means that the regulatory framework must be increasingly performance-based to permit the implementation of systematic approaches to provide continuous improvement in safety performance.

How we manage risk in aviation or what we do to prevent accidents from occurring in the first place becomes the logical and necessary focus of our endeavours.  For the purposes of the Civil Aviation Program and to bring our strategic goals into focus, Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) defines safety as the condition where risks are managed to acceptable levels, which translates into our mission.

Our Mission:  To develop and administer policies and regulations for the safest civil aviation system for Canada and Canadians, using a systems approach to managing risks.

Inspectors must be leaders and skilled communicators capable of working effectively with others and adapting to the different needs of our clients.  They must sometimes take rapid, decisive action and must be able to negotiate, facilitate behaviour change and develop new competencies in client industries.  Inspectors work in an environment of high stress due to the possible impact of error and real or potential conflict.  In the course of ensuring that regulations are respected, Inspectors carry significant responsibility and accountability, their decisions have a direct impact on the safety of Canadians.

1) Essential Qualifications:

a) Official Languages Proficiency

Linguistic requirements are job specific and are independently determined by area and function.  Proficiency in either official language must be demonstrated.

b) Written Communication Assessment

Candidates will be required to successfully complete the Written Communication Proficiency Test (WCPT 351).

c) Education

Successful completion of a post-secondary diploma in aircraft maintenance or an acceptable combination of education, training and experience related to aircraft Maintenance and/or Manufacturing.

d) Occupational Certification

  • For Civil Aviation Safety Inspectors – Aircraft Maintenance & Manufacturing: a valid Canadian Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) Licence.
  • For Civil Aviation Safety Inspectors – Aviation Manufacturing: a valid Canadian Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) Licence, or an aviation related university degree, or college diploma, or an acceptable CGSB certification, or an acceptable combination of education, aviation experience and aviation related training.

e) Experience

A record of holding progressively more responsible positions in an aviation Maintenance and/or Manufacturing organization demonstrating:

  • Experience in the inspection, modification, repair and/or manufacturing, of aeronautical products; and,
  • Experience in the development, application, supervision or management of quality assurance systems or other equivalent aviation Maintenance and/or Manufacturing activities in an approved aviation Maintenance and/or Manufacturing organization.

f) Technical Knowledge

The ideal candidate will have the technical knowledge required to perform in the following situations:

  • Evaluating the Maintenance and/or Manufacturing of aircraft and conformance to the Canadian Aviation Regulations (including related documents);
  • Evaluating aircraft Maintenance and/or Manufacturing standards and their application/implementation within an approved system;
  • Assessing/evaluating a client’s quality assurance systems and Maintenance and/or Manufacturing programs;
  • Developing evaluation criteria for the assessment of Maintenance and/or Manufacturing requirements and/or Maintenance and/or Manufacturing performance within an approved organization;
  • Evaluating conformance of foreign aeronautical products used in Canada to ICAO and applicable foreign regulatory instruments;
  • Conducting regulatory audits and investigations.
  • Use of computer software such as Microsoft Word and Excel.

g) Personal Suitability:

The ideal candidate will, through previous experience, have had an opportunity to develop and demonstrate the following suitability:

  • Effective interpersonal skills demonstrated through an ability to:
    • Deal with difficult or conflict situations and bring them to a constructive focus while maintaining positive relationships;
    • Demonstrate integrity and objectivity when confronting or being confronted with challenging situations;
    • Negotiate mutually acceptable solutions by actively trying to understand the positions of others;
    • Deal with everyone in an open, fair, honest and respectful manner.
  • Effective self-management skills demonstrated through an ability to:
    • Take the initiative and seek out opportunities to influence events and originate action;
    • Approach work in an optimistic manner;
    • Pursue continuous learning and development opportunities.
  • Ability to impact and influence others demonstrated through an ability to:
    • Be persuasive and convince others, including those who are initially resistant to or uninformed regarding the message;
    • Get cooperation and action from others;
    • Gain respect quickly and make favourable first impressions and take on a leadership role when necessary;
    • State and defend ideas and convictions while recognizing other options.
  • Effective problem-solving and decision-making skills demonstrated through an ability to: 
    • Apply a logical approach when analyzing situations, evaluating conformance, resolving problems or making decisions;
    • Draw sound conclusions from available information and, when necessary, make decisions based on limited information;
    • Find the real cause of problems before taking action;
    • Quickly and accurately size up situations and determine the best course of action;
    • Assess the impact of a course of action and devise appropriate strategies to alleviate the impact;
    • Probe beneath the surface to uncover information.
  • Effective communication skills demonstrated through an ability to:
    • Use appropriate vocabulary and grammar;
    • Actively listen to verify understanding;
    • Ask probing questions to gain a broader understanding;
    • Use Microsoft computer software including Word and Excel.
  • Effective business partnering skills demonstrated through an ability to:
    • Establish a collaborative relationship with clients where all parties take ownership for activities, results, and the sharing of pertinent information;
    • Be assertive in ensuring that your expertise is respected when working with and advising clients;
    • Carry out a “challenge function” when appropriate, by providing unwelcome information or advice and by saying “no” if warranted;
    • Initiate contacts and establish professional relationships.                                  
2) Asset Qualifications:

a) Experience

Extensive experience working in an environment dealing with:

  • Rotor Craft operations, and/or;
  • Airline operations, and/or;
  • Air Taxi operations, and/or;
  • Recreational aircraft, and/or;
  • Manufacturing processes (welding, plating, etc.), and/or;
  • Avionics maintenance and repair, and/or;
  • Non-destructive testing methods.

b) Knowledge

  • Knowledge of Safety Management Systems, and/or;
  • Knowledge of assessing Safety Management Systems, and/or;
  • Knowledge of Q850, or other equivalent, Risk Management process.

c) Abilities/Skills

  • Ability to speak a language other than one of Canada’s two official languages.
3) Operational Requirements
  • Occasional work outside core business hours and on weekends.
  • Occasional inspection/oversight activities to be performed several metres above ground, and/or in enclosed or confined spaces.
4) Organizational Needs

Membership in one of the following designated Employment Equity groups:

  • Persons with disabilities.
  • Aboriginal people.
  • Members of visible minority groups.
5) Conditions of Employment/Work
  • Security Clearance:  secret level.
  • Possession of a valid provincial or territorial automobile driver’s licence.
  • Willingness to travel frequently.