Head of Legal - Burnaby, BC

Specsavers Norge; Burnaby; Hybrid; CAD 190,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation + paid day

Birthday day off

Health benefits

RRSP matching

Wellbeing support

Profit sharing

Gym access

Free parking

Job summary

Specsavers is seeking a senior legal leader in Canada to provide strategic and practical legal guidance to support growth in the optical and retail market. You will partner with executives to drive commercial initiatives, manage risk, and enable informed decision‑making across corporate matters.

You will lead and develop the Canadian Legal Team under the Legal & Risk Director, delivering high‑quality legal services in a fast‑paced environment while aligning with global standards and local

Qualifications

• LLB or JD required and eligible to practice in British Columbia
• Canadian legal qualification with good standing
• Minimum 10 years of broad corporate/commercial legal experience
• Strong people leadership and team development experience
• Excellent commercial acumen with ability to structure and draft protections for business objectives
• Clear, business‑oriented communication of complex legal issues

Responsibilities

• Lead the Canadian Legal Team and align delivery with strategic priorities
• Provide strategic and day‑to‑day legal advice across commercial contracts, franchising, leasing, governance, and regulatory matters
• Identify and mitigate legal risk in collaboration with the business
• Lead drafting and negotiation of significant commercial and joint venture agreements
• Partner with senior leaders and cross‑functional teams to support growth and decision making
• Develop and empower team through coaching, objective setting, and succession planning
• Support the Director in budgeting, planning, and resource allocation of the Legal & Risk function
• Escalate matters appropriately and report to senior leadership on key issues

Skills

People leadership

Commercial acumen

Analytical thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

Strategic mindset

Communication

Education

Bachelor of Laws (LLB) or Juris Doctor (JD)

Qualified BC lawyer in good standing

Job description

Location: Burnaby, British Columbia, CA, V5G 4W3

Company: Specsavers

Location: This hybrid role requires 3 days on-site at our Burnaby, BC office and 2 days remote per week.

Welcome to Specsavers – where we’re not just about eyecare and eyewear, but changing lives through better sight. Ranked the 5th Best Workplace™ in Canada and 12th globally by Great Place to Work®, we’re proud of our optometrist-owned model that makes high-quality, eyecare and eyewear accessible to all Canadians.

Founded 40 years ago in the UK by visionary husband and wife optometry duo Doug and Mary Perkins, Specsavers has remained privately owned since day one. Today, we are a $7.8 billion global business with over 45,000 colleagues across more than 2,700 retail optical locations.

In Canada, our support office is based in Burnaby, BC. Since entering the market in 2021, we’ve been scaling rapidly, now with over 270 locations nationwide. With advanced clinical equipment and a wide range of affordable, high-quality eyewear, we’re transforming the way Canadians experience eyecare.

If you’re passionate about making a difference and want to be part of a values-driven organization, join us as we continue to grow. Together, we can change lives through better sight.

What You’ll Do

As a senior legal leader, you'll provide strategic and practical legal advice to support Specsavers' continued growth in the Canadian optical and optometry market. Partnering closely with leaders across the business, you'll help drive commercial initiatives, manage legal risk, and enable informed decision-making across a broad range of corporate and commercial matters.

You'll play a key role in shaping the legal strategy for the Canadian business while delivering hands‑on support on day‑to‑day legal issues. Working closely with the Legal & Risk Director (General Counsel, Canada), you'll lead and develop members of the Canadian Legal Team, helping ensure the effective delivery of legal priorities and fostering a high‑performing team. This is an opportunity to combine strategic leadership with practical, business‑focused legal guidance in a fast‑paced, evolving, and growth‑oriented environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the day‑to‑day delivery of legal services by the Canadian Legal Team, working closely with the Legal & Risk Director to align delivery with the function’s strategic priorities.
• Provide strategic and day‑to‑day legal advice across the Canadian business, including in relation to commercial contracts, franchising, joint ventures, leasing, corporate governance, regulatory matters, privacy and data protection, marketing, employment and broader business initiatives.
• Proactively identify, assess and communicate legal risk, and partner with the business to develop proportionate, practical mitigation strategies that support informed decision‑making and commercial outcomes.
• Oversee and, where appropriate, lead the drafting, review and negotiation of complex and strategically significant commercial, franchise, joint venture, partnership and leasing arrangements.
• Act as a trusted business partner to senior leaders and cross‑functional stakeholders, including Finance, Operations, Business Development, Regulatory, Marketing, Human Resources, Information Security, Information Technology, Product, Procurement and Data teams, building strong relationships through open communication, clear advice and updates, meaningful follow‑through, healthy debate and constructive challenge.
• Lead, develop and empower members of the Canadian Legal Team by setting clear objectives and priorities, allocating work effectively, monitoring capacity and performance, and ensuring consistent, high‑quality service to the business.
• Coach and develop team members through regular feedback, career development and succession planning, fostering an inclusive, engaged and accountable culture that encourages collaboration, knowledge sharing, constructive challenge and continuous improvement.
• Support the Legal & Risk Director in setting and delivering the Legal and Risk function’s strategic priorities, including annual planning, budgeting and resource allocation, workforce planning, and the continued development of the Legal Team’s operating model, structure and ways of working.
• Exercise sound judgment in determining when matters require escalation and support the Legal & Risk Director with clear and timely reporting to senior leadership and governance forums on significant legal, regulatory, reputational and business issues, emerging developments, key trends and recommended actions.
• Develop, implement and continuously improve legal documents, templates, policies, training materials, procedures and self‑service resources, including the suite of franchise and joint venture documentation supporting the Specsavers partnership model across Canada.
• Lead continuous improvement in legal operations and governance, including matter management, company secretarial arrangements, contract production, approval, execution and storage, knowledge management, and the use of systems, data and processes to improve service delivery.
• Collaborate with Group Legal and regional counterparts, contributing to projects and initiatives with cross‑border or global impact and ensuring appropriate alignment with Group standards and ways of working.
• Establish and maintain effective relationships with external legal providers across Canada, ensuring that external support is strategically deployed, appropriately managed and delivers quality, timely and cost‑effective outcomes.
• Perform other duties as required from time to time.

What We’re Looking For

• Bachelor of Laws (LLB) or Juris Doctor (JD)
• Qualified lawyer in good standing with a Canadian law society, with the ability to practice in British Columbia or become licensed in BC if required.
• Motivated, self‑starter lawyer with at least 10 years of broad‑ranging corporate/commercial legal experience gained in both a legal firm and in‑house environment
• Demonstrated people leadership experience, with the ability to set direction, manage performance, coach and develop team members, allocate work effectively and build an inclusive, engaged and accountable team.
• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to negotiate, structure, and draft agreements that align legal protections with business objectives
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills with a practical, solutions‑focused approach to managing legal and commercial issues
• Ability to balance legal risk with commercial objectives and provide business‑oriented advice that enables decision‑making
• Collaborative and collegial leader who builds trusted relationships with senior business stakeholders and works effectively with the Legal & Risk Director through open communication, sound judgment, discretion and constructive challenge.
• Experience supporting organizations operating across Canada and advising in‑house stakeholders in one or more of the following areas is considered an asset: (i) data protection and (health) privacy matters (ii) marketing law (iii) employment law (iv) commercial leasing and/or (v) franchise law
• Clearly communicates complex legal issues to a non‑legal audience
• Ability to manage competing priorities across the Legal Team, make sound decisions about the allocation of work and resources, and maintain effective delivery in a high‑volume, fast‑changing environment.

Compensation:

$190,000 - $210,000 base salary, plus quarterly bonus, profit sharing, and benefits. Actual compensation will be determined based on experience

• 5 weeks of vacation and 1 paid volunteer day per year
• 1 extra paid day off plus an eyecare voucher to celebrate your birthday.
• Health and dental benefits, RRSP matching and a Healthcare Spending Account active from your first day.
• Mental health and wellbeing support, including $3,000 annually for practitioner care and access to our Employee Assistance Program.
• Quarterly bonuses, based on your performance.
• Annual Profit Share program to recognize your part in Specsavers’ success.
• Free parking, access to the building gym, and a fully stocked kitchen with snacks and coffee/tea.
• On‑site wellness offerings in‑office, including RMT and yoga sessions.
• Team and company social events, including holiday and annual celebrations.
• Collaborative : We work together as one Specsavers to deliver on our purpose
• Curious : We question, explore , and seek out diverse perspectives to develop our knowledge and understanding
• Courageous : We challenge the status quo, we experiment with good ideas, and we are brave, bold , and fast in our decision making
• Compassionate : We care, support , and help each other
• Commercial : We treat money wisely and make decisions that are good for our customers, our partners, our people and for the long term

We hope that in applying with us, you value these things as well!

Our Hybrid Work Model

Experience the best of both worlds. At Specsavers, we embrace a hybrid approach that balances in‑office collaboration with the flexibility to work from home. We come together in office three days a week to connect, innovate, and keep our culture thriving.

Equal Opportunity Employer

At Specsavers, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. We believe that a diverse team enriches our work environment and enables us to achieve our goals. We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage candidates of all backgrounds and abilities to apply. If you believe you can contribute to our mission and vision, we welcome your application, even if you don’t meet every qualification listed. We value the unique skills and perspectives each individual brings to our team.

Accessibility and Accommodations

We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible workplace. If you require accommodations at any stage of the application or interview process, please let us know by contacting us at [e-mail] . We will work with you to meet your needs and ensure a fair and equitable experience.