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Learn about the skills and requirements to become one of Canada’s Free Agents, including valued attributes, to determine if this transformational way of working is right for you.
Recruitment status
There are no current or forecasted recruitments for Canada’s Free Agents at this time. To be notified when there is a recruitment, register to our distribution list. And for other questions, please contact us at freeagents-agentslibres@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca.
What is a Free Agent?
A Free Agent is an indeterminate Government of Canada employee who has been officially deployed to Canada’s Free Agent Program, which has positions at a participating Home Department (currently Natural Resources Canada). Free Agents go on continuous assignments throughout the core departments of the federal public service. Free Agents come from many different personal and professional backgrounds but are united by their collaboration skills and ability to hit the ground running.
Finding assignments
Free Agents find their assignment opportunities through their professional networks and pursue assignments submitted directly to the Program by government departments.
While they are responsible for finding their assignments, Free Agents are supported by their Home Departments’ Talent Manager, who provides guidance and manages their performance agreements, professional development, leave requests, and much more. Moreover, Talent Managers are available to host organization who wish to discuss work objectives for the assignments, including growth opportunities for the Free Agent.
Free Agent eligibility
If you are a permanent employee in the Government of Canada and your role is below the executive (EX-01) level, you can apply to become one of Canada’s Free Agents during an active recruitment period. Should you be successful, you will be deployed at level to a participating Home Department (currently Natural Resources Canada).
Free Agents are united by key personal attributes, including being quick learners, problem-solvers, and collaborators. Free Agents enjoy change, connect quickly with people, and are motivated by new challenges.
The 14 essential qualities that are assessed when hiring new Free Agents are:
- Action orientation: Takes action, even when information is incomplete or ambiguous.
- Courage: Having mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand discomfort, or difficulty.
- Creativity: Possessing the ability to bring something into existence.
- Curiosity: Having a marked desire to investigate and learn.
- Empathy: Involving, characterized by, or based on the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another without having them fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner.
- Humility: Having a modest opinion or estimate of one’s own importance, rank, etc.
- Focus on outcomes: instead of the ability to both identify a desired end result, and to remain committed to that goal.
- Passion: To be capable of, or affected by, intense or driving feelings or convictions.
- Persuasiveness: The ability to move another by argument, entreaty, or expostulation to a belief, position, or course of action.
- Problem-solving: Demonstrating an ability to employ a combination of intuition and logic to arrive at a solution.
- Quick learning: Demonstrating the ability to understand new concepts quickly.
- Reflectiveness: The ability to think quietly and calmly, and capacity for thoughtful contemplation.
- Resilience: Capable of recovering from or adjusting easily to change, challenge or shock.
- Team orientation: Ability to work well with others.
If that sounds like you, consider becoming one of Canada’s Free Agents and bringing your unique skills to the team; keep your eyes open for future recruitment periods or register to our distribution list to be advised of our recruitment activities.