Director, Legal

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board

Toronto

On-site

CAD 180,000 - 280,000

Full time

10 days ago

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Job summary

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board in Toronto seeks a senior lawyer to provide strategic legal support across Credit Investments with a focus on restructurings. You report to the MD, Legal, and collaborate with global teams on leveraged finance, real estate and infrastructure lending, and special situations.

Travel may be required. You will guide negotiations, manage lenders and intercreditor dynamics, and lead risk assessment across investment lifecycles, from workouts to enforcement.

Qualifications

Qualification to practice law in Ontario or an equivalent common law jurisdiction.
8+ years of post-qualification legal experience with leveraged finance, real estate and infrastructure lending, structured credit, or special situations.
Experience leading creditor-side strategy in restructurings, workouts and distressed situations.

Responsibilities

Provide strategic, commercially focused legal advice across Credit Investments strategies.
Advise on restructurings, workouts, liability management, distressed exchanges, and intercreditor dynamics.
Direct external legal and financial advisors while maintaining internal ownership of strategy and decisions.
Manage legal risks from evolving liability management practices and regulatory changes.
Partner with deal teams to develop practical recommendations in complex, fast‑moving situations.
Support development and implementation of Credit Investments policies, procedures, systems and training.
Contribute to Legal Department and CPP Investments-wide initiatives.

Skills

Leverage finance knowledge

Private credit documentation

Lender/intercreditor dynamics

Negotiation strategy

Commercial judgment

Stakeholder collaboration

Strategic legal advisory

Education

Qualification to practice law in Ontario or equivalent jurisdiction

8+ years post-qualification experience in law (credit/finance)

Job description

Purpose. Performance. People. Joining CPP Investments means joining one of the world’s most admired and respected institutional investors to drive a single mandate: to deliver strong, sustainable returns for generations of Canadians. With a long-term horizon and global reach, we deploy capital at scale across public and private markets. Our size, stability, and disciplined investment philosophy allow us to pursue complex opportunities and build enduring partnerships worldwide. For our people, this means meaningful work with tangible impact, real opportunity, and collaboration with exceptional colleagues who value partnership and performance. Here, you’ll contribute to outcomes that matter alongside team members committed to excellence and shared success.

The Role

This newly created Toronto-based role combines broad legal support across Credit Investments with a targeted focus on restructuring matters. Reporting to the Managing Director, Legal supporting Credit Investments, you will provide strategic and commercially focused legal advice across the department’s investment and asset management activities. The team invests globally across leveraged finance, real estate and infrastructure lending, structured credit and special situations. The team manages investments throughout their lifecycle, including restructurings, workouts and other stressed and distressed situations, consistent with CPP Investments’ Guiding Principles and investment mandate. As a member of the global Investment Legal team, you will work closely with Credit Investments deal teams, senior lawyers in CPP Investments’ international offices and partners across the organization. The role provides exposure to investments and situations across North America, Europe and other markets and may periodically involve travel.

Accountabilities

Provide strategic, creative and commercially focused legal advice across Credit Investments strategies, including leveraged finance, real estate and infrastructure lending, structured credit and special situations, as well as asset management matters throughout the life of an investment
Provide senior-level legal advice on restructurings, workouts, liability management exercises, distressed exchanges, enforcement and insolvency proceedings, including negotiation strategy, lender group and intercreditor dynamics, documentation and risk allocation
Select, direct and critically engage with external legal and financial advisors while maintaining strong internal ownership of legal strategy, judgment and decision-making
Anticipate, identify and support the management of legal risks arising from evolving liability management practices, new investment strategies and changes in laws or regulations affecting CPP Investments’ credit strategies
Partner with deal teams and senior stakeholders to develop practical recommendations in complex, contested and fast‑evolving situations where the legal or commercial path may not be immediately clear
Support the development and implementation of Credit Investments policies, procedures, systems and training
Contribute to Legal Department and CPP Investments-wide initiatives and projects

What You Bring

Qualification to practice law in Ontario or an equivalent common law jurisdiction
8+ years of post-qualification legal experience with a major international law firm or the in‑house legal department of an asset manager, credit fund, bank or other financial investor, including substantial restructuring, workout and special situations experience and broader credit and finance transactional practice
Demonstrated experience leading creditor‑side strategy in complex restructurings, liability management exercises and distressed situations, including lender and steering group dynamics, intercreditor negotiations and contested outcomes
Strong knowledge of leveraged finance and private credit documentation across direct lending, structured credit and asset‑backed strategies, together with practical familiarity with restructuring and insolvency regimes relevant to CPP Investments’ credit portfolio, including Canada and the United States; European experience is an asset
Strong legal and commercial judgment, with the ability to assess ambiguous or novel situations, distinguish material issues and make practical recommendations with incomplete information
Ability to operate independently and effectively in fast‑moving and potentially adversarial situations while managing multiple priorities and maintaining important market relationships
Strong communication, interpersonal and organizational skills, including the credibility to advise and influence investment professionals and collaborate effectively with a broad range of stakeholders

You are motivated to contribute to something larger than yourself, approach complex challenges with rigor, and hold yourself to high standards in a collaborative, performance‑driven environment. We provide colleagues with cutting‑edge AI tools, dedicated learning time, and practical support to help them deliver with greater impact.

Inclusion & Accessibility

CPP Investments is committed to equitable access to employment and building a workforce that reflects diverse talent and perspectives. If you require accommodation at any stage of the recruitment process, please let us know and we will work with you to meet your needs.

Attention: Protect Yourself from Fraud

CPP Investments is committed to a secure and transparent recruitment process. We will never ask candidates for payment or financial information at any stage of hiring. All legitimate opportunities are posted on our careers page, and communications will come from our applicant tracking system, Workday. CPP Investments may use AI tools to help screen and assess applicants by analyzing resumes and applications for relevant skills and experience. These tools support, but do not replace, human decision‑making.

About Us

Why Work With Us

For 25 years, we’ve proudly invested the Canada Pension Plan Fund, helping to secure retirement for more than 22 million Canadians. We invest for the long term — and that includes our people. Here, you’ll work alongside high‑calibre colleagues on meaningful challenges that have real‑world impact. Our purpose drives us, our performance sets us apart, and our people make it possible.

Our Guiding Principles

Our guiding principles shape our culture. They define how we work and represent the values that guide our behaviours. They are Integrity, Partnership and High Performance.

Our Impact

We invest globally across public and private markets, managing capital on behalf of millions of contributors and beneficiaries. We focus on long‑term value creation and responsible investing, with offices in major financial centres around the world.

What You Can Expect