Associate Vice President, Legal Counsel

​COMPETITION NUMBER: 884
CLOSING DATE: OCTOBER 25, 2024 @11:59PM MST

NorQuesters are difference makers and NorQuest College is a place of connection, a hub for business leaders and innovation, a catalyst for research focused on society’s biggest challenges and a vital partner to government, industry and the community.  We are growing and are looking for a talented individual to join the College in the role of Associate Vice President (AVP), Legal Counsel.
Reporting to the Vice President, Administration & Chief Financial Officer, the AVP, Legal Counsel will play a key role in managing the legal affairs and risks of the College. As a strategic partner to all divisions within the College, the General Counsel will provide strategic leadership while ensuring compliance with all legislative and regulatory requirements.  The AVP will act as the legal department to the College, and while being the sole lawyer, the role will be also responsible for overseeing other areas of responsibility including governance, information and records management, Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP), legislative compliance, safe disclosure and risk management.

The college’s AVP, Legal Counsel will work at a highly strategic level, with a strong focus on frameworks and approaches to support the college through significant growth coupled with an evolving legislative landscape associated with areas such as equity, diversity and inclusion, innovative technological advancements, political landscapes and environmental and, ethical and social considerations. 

HOW YOU'LL MAKE A DIFFERENCE:

The Associate Vice President, Legal Counsel will be responsible for:
 

Strategic Advisor

• Providing strategic and operational advice to employees at all levels of the college as well as working closely with the college’s Board of Governors, Chief Executive Officer, Board Coordinator, Executive Team, and a variety of other stakeholders at the college and provides legal services as well as expertise and leadership in the areas of governance, information and records management; privacy, legislative compliance; safe disclosure; and risk management.
• Staying up to date on changes within the legislative landscape and advising all relevant parties across the college on those changes and how it impacts college approaches, practices and processes. Following up and ensuring compliance with required changes as identified. 
• Providing education to employees and board members as required.

Legal Services

• Acting as the central point of contact for legal inquiries.
• Providing legal services to the college in the areas of contracts, legal liability, administrative law and risk. 
• Retaining and providing instruction and oversight to external legal counsel and/or subject matter experts, including oversight of human resource related matters from a legal perspective as required. 
• Advising on a range of legal issues such as contracts, legal liability, development of policies and procedures and any other legislative obligations the college is required to comply with.
• Attending Board meetings, providing advice to the Board of Governors, overseeing confidential Board matters, executing on relevant decisions and resolutions of the Board. Negotiates and drafts contracts as required. 
• Developing contract templates and advises on processes to follow throughout the various stages of contract development, finalization and execution.
• Drafting and advising on documents associated with College legal matters.

Risk Management

• Maintaining a policy and procedure framework that supports strong governance and ensuring alignment with the college's commitment to creating an antiracist, decolonial, equitable, diverse, and inclusive organization.
• Ensuring that policies and procedures are developed and maintained in a manner that effectively supports the colleges strategic goals and legislative requirements.
• Overseeing and advising the Information, Risk and Compliance division and supporting the Director’s efforts to constantly evolve and enhance the Enterprise Risk Management program and framework at the College. 
• Supporting the adoption and implementation of risk activities, enabling organization-wide accountability.

Strategic Leadership

• Setting the strategic direction for the divisions within their area of responsibility and being accountable for providing oversight to their divisions who are responsible for strategic business planning and implementation. 
• Providing oversight and strategic leadership to a diverse team including the Safe Disclosure Office, the Information, Risk and Compliance division, Business Intelligence, Insurance and Business Continuity. 
• Overseeing and upholding the College’s commitment to a safe disclosure process, ensuring confidentiality, and providing support to individuals who report concerns in good faith.
• Overseeing privacy assessments and breaches. 
• Advising the Information, Risk and Compliance (IRC) division on issues related to compliance with CASL (Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation) and FOIP (Alberta's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act) and the legislative compliance program.
• Overseeing administration of the FOIP Act by facilitating access to information through FOIP requests or routine disclosures.
• Overseeing the College’s insurance program.
• Overseeing effective information governance and management of college records, information and data.
• Overseeing the production of business intelligence, analytics and data to help predict trends as well as support and improve the institutions decision-making in pursuit of institutional goals.

WHAT YOU BRING:

• A law degree from an accredited institution and be a member in good standing with the Law Society of Alberta.
• At minimum of 10 years of progressive leadership experience, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.
• Significant public sector experience is required. Experience working as legal counsel at a post-secondary institution is considered a strong asset.
• A proven track of developing and executing on strategic plans that enable the achievement of short and long-term goals.
• Knowledge of CASL (Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation), FOIP (Alberta’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act), and the legislative compliance program.
• Broad legal expertise and the ability to advise on diverse subject matters that may concern the College.
• Direct experience working with boards.

WHAT MAKES YOU A DIFFERENCE MAKER?

• Strong analytical, communication and leadership skills.
• The ability to develop and cultivate strong collaborative relationships.
• The ability to lead without positional authority.
• A genuine commitment to the College’s values.

SALARY: $171,804 - $204,789 reflective upon what you bring, AKA your education and experience. This is a full-time permanent position with immediate access to our great pension and benefit programs.   

We offer flexible work options. We strive for balance between a flexible work environment, connectedness to the campus community, and ensuring NorQuesters are set up to succeed in their roles and responsibilities.

Additional Information: 

To support the College in this critical search, we have partnered with Mullen Leadership Recruitment.  If this opportunity excites you, we invite you to submit your resume and cover letter in confidence to connect@mullenleadership.com.

Pre-Employment Checks will be completed to assess the candidate’s suitability for a role. These checks may include (but are not limited to): references, criminal record check, academic verification, etc. For applicants who have completed post-secondary studies from outside of Canada, it is recommended they obtain an assessment of their credentials from a recognized Canadian Credential Evaluator, such as:

• International Qualifications Assessment Service https://www.alberta.ca/international-qualifications-assessment
• World Education Services https://www.wes.org/ca/

We encourage applicants to include the assessment certificate as part of their application.

Our Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion:
We're on a journey to become an inclusive, anti-racist, and decolonized organization. NorQuesters are trailblazers – we are curious, creative, and innovative - our lived experiences are honoured, creating accessibility and a sense of belonging for everyone.

NorQuest 2030 We Are Who We Include shares our strength and difference comes from who is included, and along with our students we are learning and growing to listen deeply and say what we feel.

NorQuest College is committed to being an employer of choice for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people by recognizing, respecting, and supporting Indigenous people's self-determination through the institution’s work in decolonization, reconciliation, and Indigenization.

Accessibility: At NorQuest, we are who we include. We strive to provide access and accommodation throughout the recruitment, application, and selection process. We want to create opportunities for you to confidently be your authentic self. If you would like an accommodation at any stage of the process, please reach out to Careers@norquest.ca.

PSST: Only candidates shortlisted for an interview will be contacted and we’ll make sure to do this within 28 days of the closing date.