Counsel, Commercial and Aircraft Finance

Air Canada; Dorval; On-site; CAD 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading airline is seeking a counsel to join its legal team in Montreal. The role involves working on commercial transactions in aviation, drafting and negotiating agreements, and providing legal advice. Ideal candidates should have a strong commercial law background with a minimum of 5 years of experience. Bilingual candidates are preferred and this role allows for collaboration with senior counsel while handling diverse workloads.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in a major law firm or established in-house legal department.
• Strong drafting, negotiating, and analytical skills.
• Ability to work autonomously and under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Work on a variety of commercial transactions focused on aviation.
• Draft, review, and advise on commercial agreements.
• Provide advice on contractual matters and legal issues.

Skills

Strong written communication

Oral communication

Commercial law

Negotiation skills

Analytical skills

Teamwork

Strategic thinking

Education

Membership in the Bar of a Canadian Province or U.S. State

Strong academic credentials

Civil law training

Job description

Overview

Air Canada is Canada's largest airline, the country’s flag carrier and a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network. Air Canada provides scheduled service directly to more than 180 airports in Canada, the United States and Internationally on six continents. It holds a Four-Star ranking from Skytrax. Air Canada’s Aeroplan program is Canada’s premier travel loyalty program, where members can earn or redeem points on the world’s largest airline partner network of 45 airlines, plus through an extensive range of merchandise, hotel and car rental partners. Through Air Canada Vacations, it offers more travel choices than any other Canadian tour operator to hundreds of destinations worldwide, with a wide selection of hotels, flights, cruises, day tours, and car rentals. Its freight division, Air Canada Cargo, provides air freight lift and connectivity to hundreds of destinations across six continents using Air Canada’s passenger and freighter aircraft. Air Canada’s climate-related ambition includes a long-term aspirational goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

We have an innovative legal team that continues to earn the respect and confidence of our internal colleagues, participating as true business partners to support Air Canada’s strategic objectives. When you join Air Canada and its Legal Department, you’ll become a vital part of a team of driven professionals that fly the flag every day, sharing the best of Canada with the world.

Responsibilities

We are looking for a counsel to join our team of professionals in Montreal. The successful candidate will work on a variety of commercial transactions primarily focused on aircraft and other aviation equipment-related transactions. The candidate will have a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in a major law firm or an established in-house legal department, strong written and oral communication skills, good business judgment, and be strategic, pragmatic and thorough with a solid ability to assess legal risk. The role requires strong drafting, negotiating and analytical skills, self-motivation, and the ability to thrive in a dynamic environment alongside a cohesive team.

The ideal candidate should have a strong commercial law background with experience in drafting and negotiating a variety of commercial agreements, including sale and purchase agreements, leasing agreements, and agreements for the procurement of “mission critical” goods and services. The successful candidate will provide advice on contractual matters and other legal issues, and will draft, review and comment on contractual and other documentation, while negotiating and supporting the client at all phases of a project, from conception through the letter of intent to completion of the final transaction.

Qualifications

The candidate should have a track record demonstrating the following qualities or characteristics:

• drive for results and urgency and motivation towards achievement of goals;
• ability to understand, anticipate and meet “client” needs, effectively communicating and always remaining cognizant of related risks;
• strong desire to participate as part of a team;
• be strategic and creative and have the ability to consider, refine and merge different approaches to achieve workable solutions;
• inclination to take initiative and be proactive and resourceful;
• be supportive of innovation, and adaptable and flexible to work effectively in a context of rapid change and to grasp opportunities to learn and build knowledge;
• capacity to work autonomously and under pressure, displaying composure in difficult situations;
• thoroughness, tenacity and resilience to persevere towards goals, despite challenges and obstacles, maintaining enthusiasm through to the attainment of the goals;
• have a practical and business-oriented approach, recognizing the operational and commercial implications of any commercial arrangement.
• Demonstrate punctuality and dependability to support overall team success in a fast-paced environment.

The successful candidate will be someone who is willing to go beyond a defined role, to tackle issues oneself as a means to increase overall effectiveness and who looks at the broad context to decide what action is called for to achieve the desired result. They will be prepared to pursue the tough option if it means doing the right thing for the business. They will consider the financial, operational or strategic impact of all actions and decisions and ensure that these factors are appropriately considered.

The ability to convey messages clearly and concisely, to listen and question appropriately to gain full understanding, and to tailor the message to listeners, is essential. Integrity, including a strong work ethic, high personal standards, discretion with sensitive information, dedication to follow through on commitments, and respectful demeanor, is assumed. The successful candidate will take pride in representing Canada’s flag carrier.

Solid academic credentials and a proven track record must be demonstrated. Membership in the Bar of a Canadian Province or U.S. State is essential and civil law training is an asset. Based on equal qualifications, preference will be given to bilingual candidates.

Intangible Benefits

The selected candidate will often work autonomously but will have the benefit of collaborating with senior counsel and internal clients who have a broad understanding of all commercial aspects of the business. Workloads can be high and unpredictable, but the environment is diverse and challenging. There are regular opportunities for exposure to new mandates with a wide range of high-quality work. An international dimension is present for those attracted to an international practice based in Montreal.

Conditions Of Employment

• Candidates must be eligible to work in the country of interest, and must obtain any required work permits/visas. The responsibility for securing these permissions rests with the candidate.

Linguistic Requirements
Based on equal qualifications, preference will be given to bilingual candidates.

Diversity and Inclusion
Air Canada is strongly committed to Diversity and Inclusion and aims to create a healthy, accessible and rewarding work environment which highlights employees’ unique contributions to our company’s success. As an equal opportunity employer, we welcome applications from all to help us build a diverse workforce which reflects the diversity of our customers and communities in which we live and serve.

Air Canada thanks all candidates for their interest; however only those selected to continue in the process will be contacted.