General Counsel

SmartRecruiters, Inc.; Quebec; On-site; CAD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Group insurance

RRSP

Telemedicine

Flexible work environment

Training and development

Performance-based bonus

Employee recognition

Employee discounts

Free parking

Job summary

Techo-Bloc is seeking its first General Counsel to build and lead the legal function across Canada and the United States. You will provide strategic legal guidance, strengthen governance, and manage risk in a fast-growing manufacturing and distribution environment.

You will own executive advisory, commercial contracts, corporate transactions, and regulatory matters, partnering with leaders across operations, sales, HR, finance, IT, and innovation to protect the company’s interests.

Qualifications

• Law degree, member in good standing.
• 7+ years of legal experience with commercial, governance, and regulatory matters.
• Experience advising senior executives and managing external counsel.
• Experience with acquisitions and enterprise-level initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Serve as principal legal advisor to the CEO and leadership team.
• Lead drafting, review, and negotiation of commercial agreements.
• Build scalable contract frameworks and in-house capabilities.
• Oversee external counsel, regulatory matters, and risk management.
• Support M&A activity and integration.

Skills

Commercial contracts

Governance

M&A

Regulatory

Litigation

Education

Law degree

Job description

Techo-Bloc is a North American manufacturer and distributor of landscape products, with 9 manufacturing facilities, 15 distribution centres, and more than 900 employees across 20+ locations. We combine entrepreneurial drive with innovation, operational excellence, and a strong commitment to customer experience.

Job Description

We're hiring our first General Counsel to build and lead the legal function at Techo-Bloc. Reporting to the CEO, you'll provide clear legal guidance, strengthen governance, and manage risk across our operations in Canada and the US — inheriting an active portfolio while building the processes and external counsel relationships the function needs.

Your mandate spans commercial, governance, risk, acquisitions, employment, litigation, IP, privacy, and regulatory matters, balancing sound judgment with commercial pragmatism. We're looking for a commercially minded, resourceful lawyer and strong negotiator, comfortable moving between daily business needs and enterprise-level decisions.

This is a rare chance to become Techo-Bloc's first General Counsel and a trusted advisor to the CEO — with real influence, autonomy, and the opportunity to build something lasting.

First 6–12 Month Mandate

• Review key contracts — insurance, employment, warranty, customer, lease, supplier, service, confidentiality, and other commercial agreements — and identify gaps, risks, and template improvements.
• Meet with all external legal counsel in Canada and the U.S.; assess scope, quality, spend, open matters, and what should move in-house.
• Review policies, governance practices, approval processes, and escalation points; recommend practical improvements to reduce risk and improve consistency.
• Review NDAs, non-competes, non-solicits, confidentiality, employment, and restrictive covenant templates; recommend what to update, standardize, or replace.
• Review active legal files, disputes, warranty claims, insurance, employment, and other open matters; prioritize issues, make recommendations, and establish a clear handoff process.
• Support M&A activity, including due diligence, risk review, contract analysis, and integration support.

What You'll Own

Executive Leadership & Strategic Advisory

• Serve as the principal legal advisor to the CEO and senior leadership team.
• Provide strategic guidance on growth initiatives, investments, corporate transactions, organizational changes, and enterprise-wide risk.
• Partner with leaders across Operations, Manufacturing, Sales, HR, Finance, IT, Marketing, and Innovation to support business objectives while protecting the organization's interests.
• Identify legal, regulatory, governance, and reputational considerations that may affect strategic decisions and long-term business objectives.

Commercial Contracts, Corporate Transactions & Growth Initiatives

• Lead the drafting, review, and negotiation of commercial agreements, including dealer, distribution, supplier, service, technology, confidentiality, licensing, and warranty agreements.
• Develop scalable contract frameworks, templates, and approval processes that improve efficiency, consistency, and risk management.
• Lead the legal aspects of acquisitions, strategic partnerships, financings, and other corporate transactions.
• Direct legal due diligence, transaction negotiations, and integration support for strategic growth initiatives.

Litigation, Claims & Regulatory Matters

• Serve as the escalation point for significant disputes, claims, investigations, and regulatory matters.
• Oversee external litigation counsel, legal strategy, exposure reporting, and legal spend.
• Partner with business leaders to proactively manage legal risks and resolve disputes efficiently and pragmatically.
• Advise on consumer protection, environmental, manufacturing, product-related, and other regulatory obligations.

Employment, Insurance & Regulatory Matters

• Partner with HR on employment agreements, policies, investigations, and compliance across Canada and the United States.
• Oversee liability insurance and workers' compensation matters, including CNESST, WSIB, and U.S. equivalents.
• Advise on consumer protection, environmental, manufacturing, product-related, and other regulatory obligations.
• Protect Techo-Bloc's trademarks, brand assets, confidential information, and broader intellectual property portfolio.
• Advise on privacy, data governance, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, software, SaaS, licensing, and data-processing agreements.
• Partner with IT, Marketing, Product Development, Innovation, and HR to identify risks early and coordinate specialized counsel when required.

Building the Legal Function

• Build a scalable, business-focused legal function and a trusted network of Canadian, U.S., and specialist external counsel.
• Manage external counsel relationships and legal spend, deciding what should be handled in-house, what requires specialist support, and how to achieve practical, cost-effective outcomes.
• Coordinate specialist support for workers' compensation, product liability, construction defect claims, environmental matters, land-use and permitting issues, and acquisition due diligence.

Qualifications

• Law degree, member in good standing of a Canadian law society.
• 7+ years' legal experience, with solid exposure to commercial, corporate, and governance matters.
• Track record advising senior executives with practical, business-minded counsel.
• Experience with acquisitions, negotiations, and enterprise-level initiatives.
• Working knowledge of governance, risk, compliance, privacy, IP, and regulatory matters.
• Manufacturing, distribution, or industrial sector experience an asset.
• Experience building legal or governance functions in a growing company an asset.
• Comfortable with both Canadian and U.S. legal environments.
• Bilingual in French and English.
• Pragmatic, collaborative, and effective in a lean, fast-moving environment.

Additional Information

Techo-Bloc offers a fast-growing dynamic environment where you can build a long-term career. We offer competitive compensation along with a comprehensive benefits package:

• Group insurance and RRSP with employer contributions
• 24/7 telemedicine and Employee Assistance Program
• Flexible work environment
• Training and development programs
• Performance-based bonus
• Employee recognition programs
• Employee discounts and on-site perks (snacks, events, free parking)

We thank all applicants for their interest, however only those candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.