General Counsel / Avocat(e) général(e)

Canada Soccer; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Canada Soccer is seeking a General Counsel to lead strategic legal guidance for the Executive Team and Board, overseeing all legal affairs and contract negotiations. The role includes governance support, risk management, and ensuring compliance for a not-for-profit national sports body in Canada.

The position offers on-site work in Toronto or a hybrid arrangement, with a competitive compensation package and comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• Law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) and membership in good standing with a Canadian law society.
• 4–7 years progressive legal experience, ideally including in-house counsel within a multi-stakeholder organization.
• Demonstrated experience advising on corporate/commercial law, governance, and regulatory compliance.
• Experience with employment and labour relations, policy development, and dispute resolution.
• Experience working with boards of directors and senior executives in public, not-for-profit or regulated environments.
• Experience with labour relations matters including interpretation, administration, and negotiation of collective bargaining agreements (assets).
• Experience in sport sector or with national/provincial sport organizations is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary legal advisor to the organization, including the Executive Team and Board of Directors, on legal, commercial, regulatory, and governance matters.
• Provide practical, business-oriented legal advice supporting the organization’s strategic plan and commercial activities.
• Monitor legal developments affecting sport and not-for-profit entities; recommend policy or operational changes.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate legal risks across the organization.
• Provide legal and governance support to the Board, Board Committees, and Corporate Secretary; advise on bylaws, policies and delegations.
• Lead drafting and review of commercial agreements including sponsorship, marketing, broadcast, event hosting, licensing, technology, and vendor agreements.
• Develop standard contract templates and contractual risk-management practices.
• Advise on employment, human rights, and labour relations matters; support CBAs and relationships with member associations.

Skills

Corporate/non-profit law

Employment law

Privacy law

Administrative law

Education

Law degree (LL.B. or J.D.)

Canadian law society membership

Job description

CANADA SOCCER JOB DESCRIPTION

Position: General Counsel

Reports to: Chief Operating Officer, with direct access to the CEO on strategic and governance matters.

Department: Executive / Legal

Location: Toronto, Ontario Employment Type: Full-time

Vacancy Status: Existing Vacancy

OVERVIEW

Canada Soccer is seeking a General Counsel to be responsible for providing strategic legal guidance to the Executive Team overseeing all legal affairs of the organization, and managing key legal responsibilities, including the drafting, review, and support of negotiation of contracts. The role ensures Canada Soccer operates within applicable laws and regulations, manages legal risk, and supports sound governance and ethical decision making across the organization and its member associations.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as the primary legal advisor to the organization, including the Executive Team and Board of Directors, on a broad range of legal, commercial, regulatory, and governance matters.
• Provide practical, business-oriented legal advice that supports the organization’s strategic plan, commercial activities and sport development objectives.
• Monitor legal developments affecting sport and not-for-profit entities and recommend policy or operational changes.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate legal risks across the organization.

Governance, Board and policy support

• Provide legal and governance support to the Board of Directors, Board Committees, and Corporate Secretary, including advising on governance procedures, fiduciary obligations, bylaws, policies, committee mandates, and delegations of authority.
• Support the preparation and review of governance documentation, and assist the Governance Committee in maintaining key governance instruments, including bylaws, resolutions, codes of conduct, and disciplinary frameworks

Contracts and commercial matters

• Lead the drafting and review and advise on the negotiation and ongoing compliance of commercial agreements, including sponsorship, marketing, broadcast, event hosting, licensing, technology, and vendor agreements.
• Develop and maintain standard contract templates and contractual risk-management practices.
• Support major events and competitions by advising on venue agreements, insurance and indemnity clauses, participant waivers, and third-party service contracts.

Employment, human rights and member relations

• Advis e on employment, human rights, and labour relations matters, including agreements, investigations, terminations, and compliance with applicable legislation.
• Provide guidance on relationships with member associations, athletes, coaches, officials, and other stakeholders.
• Advise on and support the administration of the players’ collective bargaining agreement, including interpretation, compliance, disputes and amendments.

Intellectual property and communications

• Oversee protection and management of the organization’s intellectual property, including trademarks, logos, and digital assets, and advise on licensing and brand use by partners and member organizations.
• Review key public-facing materials (e.g., major communications, campaigns, and position statements) for legal and reputational risk.

Sport integrity, discipline, and safe sport

• Provide legal advice on complex or escalated disciplinary, complaint, and appeal matters related to safe sport, ethics, anti-doping, and competition integrity, in collaboration with the Director, Compliance & Regulatory Affairs.
• Support the Director, Compliance & Regulatory Affairs in managing high-risk compliance and integrity issues, and ensuring alignment with applicable legislation, sport policies and regulatory expectations.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education & Experience

• Law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) and membership in good standing with a Canadian law society.
• 4 - 7 years of progressive legal experience, ideally including in-house counsel experience within a multi-stakeholder organization (e.g., national sport body, public sector, not-for-profit, or corporate environment).
• Demonstrated experience advising on corporate/commercial law, governance, and regulatory compliance.
• Experience with employment and labour relations matters, policy development, and dispute resolution.
• Experience working with boards of directors and senior executives, including in a public, not-for-profit, or regulated environment.
• Experience with labour relations matters, including the interpretation, administration, and negotiation of collective bargaining agreements, particularly in a professional sports or similarly complex environment, is considered a strong asset
• Experience in the sport sector or with national/provincial sport organizations is considered a strong asset.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong knowledge of Canadian corporate, not-for-profit, employment, privacy, and administrative law.
• Excellent judgment, with the ability to balance legal risk with organizational objectives and stakeholder expectations.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to explain complex legal concepts in clear, practical terms to non-lawyers.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, event-driven environment.
• Collaborative team player comfortable working in a cross-functional environment.
• Bilingual (English/French) preferred; additional languages considered an asset.

Work Environment

• On occasion, work staggered hours, evenings, and weekends
• Periodic travel within Canada and, at times, internationally to attend meetings, competitions, and conferences.

Job Details

This full-time, permanent role has a competitive salary, with a comprehensive benefits package. The final compensation will be determined based on the successful candidate's experience and qualifications. This is a new position and offers flexibility to work either fully on-site in Toronto or in a hybrid arrangement out of the Toronto Office.

WHY JOIN CANADA SOCCER?

As the governing body for soccer in Canada, Canada Soccer plays a key role in growing and developing the sport nationwide. Joining the organization provides an opportunity to contribute to programs that create meaningful pathways, strengthen participation, and support the continued growth of soccer communities across the country.

Canada Soccer is the official governing body for soccer in Canada. In partnership with its members, Canada Soccer promotes the growth and development of soccer in Canada, from grassroots to high performance, and on a national scale. Soccer is the largest participatory sport in Canada and continues to grow across communities nationwide.

Canada Soccer is committed to creating an inclusive and accessible recruitment process and work environment. Canada Soccer provides equal opportunity for all applicants and does not discriminate on the basis of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, record of offences pardoned or suspended, marital status, family status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Self-identification by candidates in the process is completely voluntary. We welcome and encourage applications from people with disabilities.

More information on our IDEA action plan can be found here: https://canadasoccer.com/play/idea/

September 21, 2026.

Canada Soccer is the official governing body for soccer in Canada. In partnership with its members, Canada Soccer promotes the growth and development of soccer in Canada, from grassroots to high performance, and on a national scale.

Le soccer est le plus grand sport participatif au Canada et est considéré le sport à la croissance la plus rapide au pays. Il y a près de 1 000 000 de participants actifs inscrits à Canada Soccer au Canada, répartis dans 1 200 clubs qui opèrent dans 13 associations membres provinciales et territoriales.

Nos processus de recrutement, de sélection et notre environnement de travail sont inclusifs et sans obstacles. Canada Soccer croit qu'une équipe diversifiée renforce notre organisation.

Canada Soccer offre l'égalité des chances à tous les candidats et ne fait aucune discrimination fondée sur la race, l'ascendance, le lieu d'origine, la couleur, l'origine ethnique, la citoyenneté, la croyance, le sexe, l'orientation sexuelle, l'identité de genre, l'expression de genre, l'âge, le casier judiciaire d'infractions graciées ou suspendues, l'état civil, la situation de famille, le handicap ou toute autre caractéristique protégée par la loi applicable. L'auto-identification par les candidats dans le processus est entièrement volontaire. Nous accueillons et encourageons les candidatures des personnes en situation de handicap. Plus d'informations sur notre plan d'action IDEA sont disponibles ici : https://canadasoccer.com/fr/jouer/idea/