Director, Lawyer Services and Payments (24 months)

Legal Aid Ontario; Toronto; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Pension program

Professional development

Job summary

Legal Aid Ontario seeks a Director, Lawyer Services & Payments to lead the Lawyer Services & Payments, the Lawyer Service Centre, and the Provincial Case Management Office. The role oversees over $200 million in annual payments to roster lawyers, ensuring governance, accuracy, and service excellence.

The position requires a law/finance-related degree, 10+ years of senior operational experience, and strong leadership skills to drive transformation and compliance.

Qualifications

• University degree in Law, Finance, Economics, Business Administration, or related discipline.
• Accounting designation or equivalent is an asset.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive operational management experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight of payment operations and financial controls.
• Ensure timely, accurate processing of lawyer payments and related transactions.
• Lead process improvement and risk management initiatives across functions.
• Drive large-scale projects and organizational change with measurable outcomes.
• Develop performance measures and reporting for executive decision-making.
• Coach and develop a high-performing team and manage stakeholder relationships.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Financial controls

payments operations

Risk management

Process improvement

Project management

Stakeholder management

Executive reporting

Communication skills

Mentoring teams

Education

Law / Finance / Economics / Business Administration degree

Professional accounting designation (asset)

Job description

Apply By:Monday, November 16, 2026 11:59 pm EST

Director, Lawyer Services and Payments (24 months)

Building a diverse workforce that represents the communities we serve while promoting a safe culture and work environment while dismantles systemic barriers, welcomes fresh perspectives and embraces differences as a priority is a core value at LAO. LAO encourages applicants from equity-seeking groups, including but not limited to individuals who are First Nations, Inuit or Métis, Black and racialized, as well as persons with disabilities, women and members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community. We recognize the value of equity, diversity and inclusion and are committed to addressing systemic barriers, and prioritizing, attracting and retaining diverse staff. All interested and eligible people will be considered, with due consideration to all protected grounds under the Ontario Human Rights Code. Legal Aid Ontario values integrity, respect, responsiveness, excellence, independence, accountability, openness and consistency. Our recruitment process reflects our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. Accommodations are available throughout the recruitment process as well as during employment at LAO. Please direct any accommodation requests to our recruitment team.

About the job

Primary function

The Director, Lawyer Services & Payments (LSP) provides strategic leadership and oversight of Lawyer Services & Payments, the Lawyer Service Centre, and the Provincial Case Management Office. The role is responsible for ensuring compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements while overseeing more than $200 million in annual payments to roster lawyers, including Big Case Management budgets and payments for court-appointed counsel on behalf of the Ministry of the Attorney General and the Department of Justice. The Director ensures strong financial controls, payment accuracy, operational efficiency, and service excellence across all functions. This role leads or supports business transformation, process improvement, risk management, and modernization initiatives that enhance service delivery, strengthen governance, and improve organizational performance. Working collaboratively across the organization, the Director drives cross-functional projects, leverages data and performance metrics to support decision‑making, and promotes sustainable change through the integration of people, processes, technology, and communications.

What you bring to the team

Key accountabilities

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight of payment operations, billing adjudication, service standards, and financial controls.
• Ensure timely, accurate, and compliant processing of lawyer payments and related financial transactions.
• Lead operational excellence and continuous improvement initiatives to improve efficiency, reduce risk, and strengthen internal controls.
• Identify, assess, and resolve complex business and operational challenges through analysis, risk assessment, and implementation of effective solutions.
• Support large‑scale business transformation and payment modernization initiatives, including process redesign, technology implementation, and change management.
• Oversee multiple projects and strategic initiatives, ensuring delivery within scope, budget, timelines, and quality expectations.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to align operational priorities, business requirements, and organizational objectives.
• Develop and monitor performance measures, service standards, and reporting frameworks to support data‑driven decision‑making.
• Prepare and present business cases, financial analyses, and executive‑level recommendations to support strategic priorities.
• Evaluate systems, processes, and technologies to identify opportunities for automation, innovation, and service enhancement.
• Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, continuous improvement, and client service excellence.
• Lead, coach, and develop a high‑performing team while supporting employee engagement, talent development, and succession planning.
• Act as a subject matter expert in operational excellence, financial administration, process improvement, and project delivery.

Required skills & experience

• University degree in Law, Finance, Economics, Business Administration, or a related discipline.
• Professional accounting designation or equivalent combination of education and experience considered an asset.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive operational management experience, including leadership of complex business, financial, and process improvement initiatives.
• Strong financial, analytical, and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to evaluate risks, opportunities, and business impacts.
• Proven experience leading large‑scale projects and organizational change initiatives.
• Knowledge of business process improvement, operational excellence, governance, risk management, and performance measurement practices.
• Strong stakeholder management, influencing, negotiation, and relationship‑building skills.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, presentation, and executive reporting skills.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and develop high‑performing teams.
• Experience using data, metrics, and performance reporting to drive decision‑making and continuous improvement.
• Experience managing payment operations, financial administration, or large‑scale service delivery functions is an asset.
• Experience working within a highly regulated, public sector, legal services, or professional services environment is preferred.
• Project management, business process improvement, or change management certification is considered an asset.

Don't meet every qualification?

If you are excited about this position and meet most, but not all, of the listed qualifications, please still consider applying. We recognize that no one person might have every qualification in this job ad, and you just might be the right candidate!

How we support diversity, inclusion and accessibility

We are building an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We encourage everyone interested in working with us to apply, including people with disabilities, Indigenous, Black and racialized individuals, as well as people from all ethnicities, cultures, sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions.

Our hiring process is accessible, consistent with Ontario's Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. We are working to prevent and remove barriers in our hiring processes and can offer accommodation to address specific needs related to Code‑protected grounds such as disability, family status and religion. For more information about accommodation during the hiring process please contact us.

Learn more about the work the OPS is doing to create an inclusive, anti‑racist, accessible and diverse workplace:

• diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives
• accessibility
• Anti‑Racism Policy

What we offer

What do we Offer? At Legal Aid Ontario, we are committed to fostering a supportive and rewarding work environment for our employees. Our comprehensive benefits package reflects our commitment to enhance employees' professional and personal well-being, reflecting our values of equity, inclusion, diversity and belonging.

Your health and wellness

Our health and wellness program includes:

• Dental, health and life insurance
• Short‑Term Disability and accidental death & dismemberment insurance
• Permanent employees are eligible for long‑term disability insurance
• An employee assistance program (EAP) that offers professional, confidential counselling services to employees and members of their immediate families. The EAP operates programs that address common life issues such as childcare, smoking, financial difficulty, and more.
• Legal Aid Ontario offers a Health Spending Account (HSA) which is an allotment of funds provided by LAO for health and dental expenses, above what the regular plan provides.

Your work‑life balance

Employees enjoy generous paid time‑off including:

• 17 vacation days at hire,
• Sick days
• Discretionary days
• Three paid days for religious or cultural observances
• Statutory holidays and The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Remembrance Day and Easter Monday

Your career

LAO supports your career development by offering professional development and networking through several programs, including training to support a positive culture of equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging (EDIB), and lunch and learns to build client service skills

• Informal Employee Networks for staff with shared identities to connect, support each other and build professional networks
• Law Society of Ontario (LSO) accredited training to support learning and professional development for all employees
• EDIB‑focused training
• Mentorship programs, including an Indigenous‑focused mentorship program

Your future

Employees are eligible to enroll in the defined benefit Public Service Pension Plan which provides financial security during retirement.

Additional information:

• 1 English Temporary, duration up to 24 months, 20 Dundas St W, Toronto, Toronto Region

Language requirements and assessment:All external Ontario Public Service (OPS) job ads are posted in English and French. Check the "position(s) language" section at the top of each job ad for the language requirements. For all roles, candidates are assessed in English, the business language of the OPS. If the position is bilingual (English/French), you'll also need to pass a French-language proficiency test.

All external applicants (including former employees of the Ontario Public Service) applying to a competition in a ministry or Commission public body must disclose (either in the cover letter or resume) previous employment with the Ontario Public Service. Disclosure must include positions held, dates of employment and any active restrictions as applicable from being rehired by the Ontario Public Service. Active restrictions can include time and/or ministry-specific restrictions currently in force, and may preclude a former employee from being offered a position with the Ontario Public Service for a specific time period (e.g. one year), or from being offered a specific ministry (either for a pre‑determined time period or indefinitely). The circumstances around an employee's exit will be considered prior to an offer of employment.

Information collection notice

We are collecting your personal information to assess how well you meet the qualifications for employment with the Ontario Public Service, and for related recruitment purposes. The collection of personal information is necessary to the proper administration of OPS Careers, which is an authorized common service in accordance with s. 6 of the Ministry of Government Services Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.25.

Please do not include any more personal information than is needed for your application (for example, do not include your photograph or social insurance number).

If you have any questions about how your information is collected, used, shared or saved, please contact us .