Sr. legal counsel (research) - temporary full-time - legal services 2025-12155

Classification: Temporary Full-Time (until approx. October 2026)

Position

Sunnybrook Legal Services has an opening for a Senior Legal Counsel (Research) to join its team in providing services to both Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Sunnybrook Research Institute (together “Sunnybrook”). This is an 18 month parental leave replacement position. As a senior member of the Legal Services team, the Senior Legal Counsel (Research) will report directly to the General Counsel and will oversee the work of legal counsel and legal paraprofessionals supporting research and technology transfer/commercialization at Sunnybrook. In addition to these management responsibilities, the Senior Legal Counsel (Research) will have carriage of a file load of complex research agreements, attend and provide advice at internal committee meetings with Sunnybrook research leadership, and act as the liaison between the Legal Services Department and SRI as well as legal representatives at other Ontario hospitals. The Senior Legal Counsel (Research) will be part of a collaborative and supportive team of legal counsel, legal paraprofessionals, legal administrative assistant and file coordinator in which mentorship and teamwork is considered a priority.

Summary of Duties

Leadership responsibilities:

• Management and oversight of Legal Counsel and Legal Paraprofessionals supporting research at Sunnybrook, including guidance on substantive legal work, file management and departmental procedural matters;
• Represent Legal at and actively participate in internal meetings including the Research Executive Committee, Research Operations Committee, Intellectual Property Commercialization Committee and other meetings as required or requested by General Counsel;
• Represent Sunnybrook Legal at and actively participate in or lead external initiatives/meetings with other hospitals and research institutions;
• Advance research strategic directions and the strategic direction of Sunnybrook as a whole;
• Attend and actively participate in weekly Legal Services team meetings, leading meetings when necessary;
• Respond to concerns or inquiries from Sunnybrook staff on research related matters; and
• Other leadership duties as assigned.

Substantive Legal File Work and Advice:

• Provide advice on a variety of matters to the Vice President Research and Innovation, Platform and Program Research Directors and investigators;
• Draft, review and provide advice to researchers and research administration personnel on a broad range of complex clinical and pre-clinical research agreements;
• Support the Sunnybrook Technology Transfer Office on the commercialization of intellectual property, including drafting and negotiation of technology licenses and other IP agreements;
• Liaise with the Human Research Protection Program office to support in research misconduct investigations;
• Work with Sunnybrook’s Centre for Clinical Trial Support team to support investigator led study initiation;
• Provide advice on strategic research initiatives and large research projects;
• Suggest and implement process improvements for the review and finalization of research agreements with the aim of ensuring that research studies at Sunnybrook are initiated in an efficient manner; and
• Other duties as assigned.

Sunnybrook has established partnerships with an external hospital to provide similar legal services for such hospital. The role of the Senior Legal Counsel (Research) will include supporting the provision of such services.

Qualifications:

• Law degree from a Canadian law school or equivalent;
• Member in good standing of the Law Society of Ontario;
• Five to seven years of relevant experience gained in an in-house setting or leading law firm;
• Fully proficient with MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook.

Additional Qualifications:

• Exceptional leadership, inter-personal and communication skills, with effective group presentation skills and stakeholder engagement abilities;
• Excellent organizational and time management skills;
• High level of composure with the ability to exercise sound judgment, discretion and tact, with the ability to work well under pressure and to maintain strict confidence;
• Excellent drafting skills, particularly in dealing with a broad range of research contracts;
• Enthusiastic, energetic, results-oriented;
• Demonstrated strategic thinking, creative problem solving and good business acumen;
• Experience working in an academic hospital or research institute setting and/or the broader medical research industry will be considered an asset.