General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Smith Legal Search; Calgary; On-site; CAD 100,000 - 160,000; Part time

Job summary

Energy Safety Canada in Calgary seeks a General Counsel and Corporate Secretary to join its senior management team on a part-time basis (0.6 FTE). The role combines strategic legal advisory with governance responsibilities, reporting to the President & CEO and serving as Corporate Secretary.

The ideal candidate has extensive corporate/commercial law experience, in-house counsel background, and familiarity with employment and privacy law, ideally with energy sector exposure.

Qualifications

• At least ten years of legal practice with in-house experience.
• Experience as a corporate secretary; public company familiarity is a plus.
• Strong knowledge of corporate and commercial law applicable to energy sector.

Responsibilities

• Advise on legal, commercial, and ethical issues related to business strategy.
• Oversee corporate secretarial functions and board governance activities.
• Draft, review, and negotiate contracts and commercial relationships.
• Manage regulatory, employment, privacy, and data security matters.
• Monitor AI and data privacy issues; coordinate disputes and IP matters as needed.

Skills

Corporate and commercial law

Corporate secretary

Employment law

Privacy law

In-house counsel experience

Energy sector knowledge

Education

Juris Doctor / Bachelor of Laws

Job description

General Counsel and Corporate Secretary - Energy Safety Canada

For more than 75 years, Energy Safety Canada and its predecessors have served as the national safety association for Canada's energy industry. Created by industry, for industry, this not-for-profit organization advances workplace safety through training, certification, resources, and data-driven insights. It also serves as the industry-certifying partner for the Certificate of Recognition program in Alberta and British Columbia. Working with more than 200 training providers and 300 auditors across the country, Energy Safety Canada issues over 250,000 training certificates and 1,200 Certificates of Recognition annually, generating approximately $30 million in revenue. Based in Calgary, Energy Safety Canada works with industry associations, safety training providers and instructors, employers, workers, and industry leaders to help everyone in the sector go home safe.

Energy Safety Canada is seeking a General Counsel and Corporate Secretary to join its senior management team. This is an excellent opportunity for a seasoned counsel seeking a meaningful mandate that combines strategic legal advisory work with hands‑on commercial and governance responsibility at an organization dedicated to keeping Canada's energy workers safe. This is a part-time 0.6 full time equivalent role, by working three days per week.

Reporting directly to the President and CEO, this individual will serve as Energy Safety Canada's principal legal advisor, providing strategic legal advice grounded in sound commercial and business judgement. The General Counsel will advise and work with the Board, senior management, managers and staff and will also serve as Corporate Secretary. Although Energy Safety Canada is a private not‑for‑profit corporation and registered charity, its Board follows governance practices similar to those of a public company.

Key responsibilities include:

• advising on legal, commercial, and ethical issues related to the development and implementation of business strategy
• advising on Energy Safety Canada's commercial relationships by reviewing, drafting, and negotiating contracts and commercial relationships to ensure that Energy Safety Canada's interests are identified and protected
• overseeing corporate secretarial functions - administration of Board matters, organization of regular and ad hoc Board and Member meetings, keeping minutes and official records, and liaising between the Board of Directors, senior management, and the organization’s Members
• advising on Energy Safety Canada's regulatory requirements, human resources, governance, conflicts of interest, and privacy law matters
• maintaining awareness of artificial intelligence and emerging technology issues as they relate to contracts, data security and cybersecurity, with a willingness to stay current in this evolving area
• advising on and managing disputes and litigation involving Energy Safety Canada including coordinating external counsel where appropriate
• advising on and managing intellectual property matters, principally copyright and trademark, with assistance from external IP counsel.

The ideal candidate will be an experienced lawyer with extensive knowledge of corporate and commercial law who can see the "big picture" and translate legal matters into practical advice. Experience acting as a corporate secretary with a public company is preferred, as is familiarity with employment and privacy law matters. You will be comfortable working amid ambiguity in an evolving organization, assessing risk, and setting priorities as business needs change. You will also be skilled at collaborating across departments and functions. Strong organizational and communication skills, attention to detail and a high degree of accuracy complete the profile.

Candidates must have at least ten years of experience practising law, together with in-house counsel experience. Previous in-house experience in the energy industry is an asset. The role is based in a professional office setting in Calgary, Alberta.

Smith Legal Search is conducting this exclusive search on behalf of Energy Safety Canada.