Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Legal Officer & General Counsel will play a key role in setting the vision, strategic direction and priorities for the legal function and responsible for the provision of legal expertise of the newly established government agency.

Key Responsibilities

1. Sets the vision, strategy and priorities for the legal functions and responsible for the provision of legal services across range of BOF’s functions and compliance with applicable legal requirements.
2. In collaboration with the Chief Investment Officer and the investments team, responsible for the drafting of transaction documentation and/or the management of external counsel in the drafting of transaction legal documentation. Accountable for ensuring transaction documentation is filed and retained in accordance with best practice and applicable records retention policies.
3. Builds, manages and maintains external legal contractor relationships, vendors of record, and related contracts on behalf of the BOF. Responsible for all vendor contracts.
4. Responsible for supporting all BOF procurement activities and ensuring BOF compliance with applicable directives and policies regarding procurement and associated contracts.
5. Champions focus on client service, collaborative and forward-thinking culture within the legal function, and works with others to achieve this across the agency.
6. Build effective relationships with the other Executive Leadership team members, as well as the Board of Directors; advise and recommend to the CEO and as directed, to the Board, on issues, opportunities, and strategies including risk management matters.
7. Manages the Corporate Secretary function including strategies, plans, methods, tools and processes for the provision of advice and support including legal, governance and administrative support to the Board, its Committees and to executives on Board related matters.
8. Promotes and drives innovation and continuous improvement throughout the legal function and across BOF.
9. Provides executive leadership and accountability for the development and execution of strategies, frameworks, internal policies, processes, and program initiatives for the legal function.
10. As the Chief Legal Officer & General Counsel, provides executive leadership in the provision of a full range of legal services, expertise and strategic advice and provides input to policy and contractual agreements.
11. Leads the development of operational plans for legal, which align with the overall BOF strategic plan and the development, monitoring and reporting of performance metrics and risks across legal.
12. Provides advice and resources to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Board Chair and its committees in the discharge of their fiduciary duties, ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness of Board meetings and other initiatives.
13. Provides strategic executive level advice and support to the CEO, Board of Directors and leadership team on all legal initiatives, services, risks, and issues.
14. Develops an agile and flexible evolving organization structure and work environment which stays at the forefront of expertise, innovation, collaboration and positive employee experience through a diverse multi-disciplinary team. Champions and promotes an environment and culture of service excellence which respects diversity, encourages all employees to work together to achieve results and contribute to a healthy, rewarding and productive working environment where personal and team accountability are key to meeting the mandate of BOF. As a member of the senior executive team, works in close collaboration with leadership colleagues on enterprise-wide vision, strategy and priorities for BOF.

Key Qualifications

1. B of J.D. and member in good standing in the Law Society of Ontario
2. Minimum 15+ years post call and 5+ years’ experience at a leadership level including management of a legal function is an asset
3. Significant experience in transactional support, financing of Infrastructure and real estate projects, and negotiation of complex deals involving the public and private sectors.
4. Experience managing governance and compliance requirements with respect to Board and Committee interactions.
5. Experienced people leader with ability to lead, inspire and engage a cross functional team.
6. Strong understanding of public sector regulatory environment and experience leading teams in a complex public sector organization.
7. Strong understanding of public sector procurement policy and directives with experience executing and managing public sector procurements and associated vendor contracts.
8. Ability to work effectively with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders (e.g., CEO, Board members, Ministry, regulators, etc.).
9. Ability to demonstrate accountability for strategic decisions and experience with navigating challenging decisions in the best interest of the organization.
10. Strategic thinker with strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
11. Demonstrated ability to lead, inspire, and build a high performing team.

Application

1. To apply for this position, please email your resume to HR@buildingonfund.ca. We thank you for your interest in the Building Ontario Fund. Applicant selection is based on, but not limited to technical competence, in-depth experience in relevant sectors and educational background. Accommodations are available upon request for candidates with a disability taking part of the recruitment process.
2. At Building Ontario Fund, we are committed to diversity, transparency and inclusion. We believe our strength comes from having a team with the right diverse skills and abilities selected through a merit-based competitive process. We actively encourage applications from people regardless of nationality, religion gender, race, disability or sexual orientation.