Chief Legal Counsel

at  The Nature Conservancy of Canada

Taking care of our environment has never been more important than it is today. The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is looking for a Chief Legal Counsel to join a team committed to protecting our most important natural areas and the plants and animals they sustain.
NCC is the nation’s leading not-for-profit, private land conservation organization, working to protect our most important natural areas and the species they sustain. Since 1962, we have brought Canadians together to conserve and restore more than 15 million hectares. NCC takes a collaborative, science-based approach to achieve conservation success for the sake of nature and Canadians. With a national office in Toronto and seven regional offices across the country, NCC delivers results you can walk on.

POSITION SUMMARY

Reporting to the Vice President, Corporate Services, the Chief Legal Counsel is a key senior leadership role responsible for providing legal and policy advice, guidance and support on a wide range of matters relating to the organization’s operations and overall risk management program. This role provides strategic counsel to the executive team and its Board of Directors as well as providing overall oversight of the in-house legal function.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor of Laws (LLB) or Juris Doctor (JD) degree and admission to the bar of at least one province or territory.
• Minimum of 7 years of relevant experience in a law firm or in-house including in the following areas:
• Real estate law and real property conveyancing including experience in negotiating and drafting agreements of purchase and sale and other legal documents related to the acquisition and management of real estate
• Experience related to conservation agreements under the Conservation Land Act, commercial and residential tenancies, mining law, liability issues and civil litigation preferred.
• Experience with Indigenous relationships preferred.
• Great attention to detail combined with ability to maintain an overall vision
• Creative problem solver with sound judgement in identifying solutions to complex legal and risk management issues
• Strong skills in negotiating and drafting various agreements
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written) with ability to explain issues concisely to audiences with varying degrees of subject knowledge
• Understanding of the subtleties of working in a senior capacity within a large multi-provincial organization, including the need to influence leaders, build functional relationships, and provide superior support to staff in their delivery of effective operations.
• Demonstrated ability to multi-task and manage a high volume of files and transactions effectively and efficiently.
• Ability to succeed, thrive and adapt in a constantly changing environment
• A genuine passion and connection to nature, with a strong commitment to the cause and mission of NCC.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite and land management systems
• Bilingual (French/English) is an asset
• A limited amount of travel within Canada will be required.

• Provide leadership for legal support services across NCC delivering day-to-day legal advice to various operating units and work in partnership to develop and implement solutions to legal & risk management issues in support of the attainment of NCC’s overall strategic objectives.
• Develop and execute a functional department strategy to optimize delivery of legal services to internal clients including leading periodic procurement exercises for legal or risk management services for the organization.
• Prepare and review securement-related (eg. land donations, land purchases, conservation agreements) or other legal documentation (eg. service contracts, partnership agreements).
• Manage complex legal files and support key relationships across NCC’s operations including those with Indigenous communities and government partners.
• In conjunction with internal clients and the in-house legal team, manage the referral of issues to outside counsel as required to effectively balance NCC risk, client service and overall costs to the organization.
• Manage litigation, from time to time, in collaboration with external lawyers.
• Develop and manage functional budgets for organizational legal costs.
• Develop, draft and maintain policies, procedures, and contract templates to meet regulatory requirements and improve internal workflows
• Support and provide advice to the VP, Corporate Services to ensure compliance with relevant privacy laws, regulations and data protection requirements
• Advise the executive team and other operational leaders on changes to relevant laws and regulations and provide recommendations on changes required by NCC to maintain compliance and support attainment of its mission.
• Provide training or coordinate externally supported training, from time to time, for internal teams.