Legal Counsel

Employee Working Location : Partially Virtual / Hybrid (Ottawa, ON)

Employment Status : Permanent Full-time

Salary Band : $97,013 - $110,000 / year

The Canadian Red Cross (CRC) – an inspirational not for profit organization, helps people and communities in Canada and around the world in times of need and supports them in strengthening their resilience. As a Canada’s Best Employers 2024, we are committed to having an accessible, diverse, inclusive, and barrier-free work environment.

In this role, you will :

Responsibility 1 : General Legal Support

• Support senior legal counsel on providing advice and managing legal issues related to commercial, privacy, insurance, charities, litigation and regulatory law.
• Assist, as required, relevant non-HR parts of the organization in drafting, reviewing and negotiating commercial legal agreements such as confidentiality agreements, licensing agreements, corporate sponsorship agreements, and funding agreements.
• Undertake research and prepare relevant legal memorandums on various matters including new legislation or regulatory matters relevant to the CRC.
• Provide legal support to operational teams while mitigating legal risks and ensuring adherence to corporate policies, laws and regulation.

Responsibility 2 : Employment / Labour Law Support

• Be a strategic advisor, particularly to the CRC HR team in helping them create strategies, policies and practices to meet the needs of the CRC as a major humanitarian actor both domestically and internationally.
• Provide legal advice to the CRC HR team on a variety of topics such as contract and policy drafting, compensation and benefits, workplace investigations, contract/temporary workforce issues as well as discipline and terminations.
• Manage employment and human rights related litigation or demands.
• Build and foster internal relationships with CRC internal clients, including the CRC HR team to better facilitate proactive forward-looking solutions.
• Support the CRC HR team with respect to occupational health, safety and pension matters.
• Identify and manage relationships with external legal counsel with respect to employment/labour related matters.

What we are looking for :

• Completion of a J.D. or LL.B. from a recognized institution.
• Licensed to practice law in Canada (preferably Ontario), in good standing with the Law Society.
• Minimum 2 years’ experience in private practice, in-house, or a combination of both.
• Employment/labour experience is preferred although we are open to candidates with a transactional, commercial and/or litigation background; the role will best suit a young lawyer with a longer-term goal of providing employment/labour related support.
• Experience in corporate governance or related administrative role, preferably within a not-for-profit environment is an asset.
• Experience in managing multiple priorities, stakeholders and deadlines.
• Strong attention to detail and the ability to work independently.
• Good judgment and professional discretion that guides elevating matters up for senior review versus exercising autonomous decision-making.
• The ability to think “outside-the-box” to find creative solutions.
• Exceptional relationship-building and interpersonal skills and a high level of client service standards.
• Familiarity with governance best practices, corporate law, and compliance regulations.
• Strong communication and organizational skills.
• Fluency in English is required, French is an asset.

Working Conditions :

• This position will require working non-traditional hours during times of emergency response. Must be available and on-call to respond to legal needs in an emergency context.
• This position offers the ability of candidates to work virtually from home.
• Domestic and international travel may be required.
• Eligibility to work in Canada: At this time, we welcome applications from candidates eligible to work in Canada. If you are not a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, we encourage you to carefully review your visa to find out whether you are eligible to work in the job you are considering applying for. Refer to our FAQ for more information.
• If you are selected for this role, you will be required to complete a successful pre-employment screening process which includes a satisfactory Enhanced Police Information Check (E-PIC).