Legal Counsel and Manager, Contracts and Governance

CHEO Research Institute Inc.; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 102,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

CHEO Research Institute seeks an experienced Legal Counsel and Manager, Contracts and Governance to deliver strategic legal advice across health research, IP, employment, governance, and commercialization matters. You will negotiate and draft complex contracts, manage risk, and support governance at executive and Board levels.

Reporting to the CEO and Director, Research Operations, you will oversee a small team of contracts professionals, coordinate with external counsel, and advise on

Qualifications

• JD or LL.B. from an accredited law school.
• Minimum five years of legal experience in healthcare, life sciences, or regulated sectors.
• Exceptional contract drafting and advisory skills.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, negotiate, and interpret complex agreements.
• Identify legal risks and develop mitigation strategies.
• Monitor regulatory developments affecting health research and compliance.
• Provide governance guidance to boards and leadership.
• Lead governance and risk management policies and procedures.
• Manage external counsel and collaborate with internal teams.

Skills

Contract drafting

Negotiation

Governance

Regulatory compliance

Leadership

Education

JD/LLB

Job description

Legal Counsel and Manager, Contracts and Governance

Job Details

Full-time (1.0 FTE, 37.5 hours per week), permanent.

$74.36 - $80.00 per hour, will be commensurate with skills and experience.

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer & Director, Research Operations.

Location: 401 Smyth Rd, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L1.

The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute Inc. ("CHEO RI") is the research arm of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario – Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre ("CHEO") and an affiliated research institute of the University of Ottawa.

We respectfully acknowledge that CHEO RI is located on the unceded, traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinabek People, who have lived on and cared for this land since time immemorial. We honour their enduring presence and the ways their culture and stewardship have shaped and continue to nurture this land. CHEO RI also recognizes and values the historic and ongoing contributions of all First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.

CHEO is a deeply trusted institution and workplace, widely regarded as a cornerstone of our community. CHEO RI advances this legacy by generating new knowledge and evidence to support CHEO in delivering world‑class care to children and youth. Our mission is to connect exceptional talent and innovative technologies to pursue life‑changing research for every child, youth, and family in our community and beyond.

The CHEO RI has an immediate requirement for a Legal Counsel and Manager, Contracts and Governance.

The CHEO Research Institute (CHEO RI) is seeking an experienced and strategic Legal Counsel to provide expert legal advice and leadership across a broad portfolio of health research, pharmaceutical, intellectual property, employment, governance, and commercial matters. This position will serve as a trusted advisor to executive leadership, researchers, clinicians, operational leaders, and external partners, supporting the Institute's mission to advance innovative child health research while ensuring legal compliance, effective risk management, and strong governance practices.

The successful candidate will serve as primary legal counsel to the CHEO Research Institute, providing strategic, practical, and risk‑based legal advice to executive leadership, researchers, administrators, and operational teams. In partnership with the Research Institute’s operational management team, advise on a broad range of legal matters, including health research, corporate, commercial, not‑for‑profit, regulatory, employment and labour, intellectual property commercialization, privacy, governance, and strategic partnership matters. Provide legal leadership in the negotiation, drafting, and management of complex health research agreements, while supporting collaborations with industry, government, academic institutions, and funding agencies. The successful candidate will balance legal risk with organizational objectives, ensuring compliance and enabling innovation within a complex and highly regulated health research environment.

Main Responsibilities

• Draft, review, negotiate, and interpret a wide range of agreements, including clinical trial agreements, sponsored research agreements, confidentiality agreements, data and material transfer agreements, funding and grant agreements, licensing agreements, commercialization agreements, service agreements, and other strategic partnership contracts.
• Identify legal risks and opportunities and develop mitigation strategies that align with organizational objectives, regulatory requirements, and risk tolerance.
• Monitor and interpret legislative and regulatory developments affecting health research and provide recommendations regarding organizational impact and compliance requirements.
• Conduct legal reviews and risk assessments related to emerging technologies, innovative research programs, and strategic organizational projects.
• Develop, review, and implement legal, governance, risk management, and compliance policies, procedures, frameworks, and best practices.
• Support corporate governance activities, including Board and committee processes, governance documentation, policy oversight, corporate records management, and regulatory compliance obligations.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders and act as a trusted advisor capable of influencing decision‑making at the executive and Board levels.
• Provide education, guidance, and training to stakeholders.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a small but mighty team of contracts and governance professionals, each with their own portfolio of clients, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, service excellence, and continuous improvement.
• Coordinate and manage external legal counsel where specialized expertise is required.
• Collaborate with other Team CHEO legal and privacy professionals (at the Hospital and Foundation) to support strategic alignment, knowledge sharing, and consistency in the delivery of legal services.
• Build and maintain relationships with external legal counsel in various areas of expertise as required.
• Perform other related duties as assigned in support of the strategic and operational objectives of the CHEO Research Institute.

Qualifications, Skill and Abilities

Required

• Juris Doctor (JD) or Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from an accredited law school.
• Minimum of five years of progressive legal experience in healthcare, life sciences, pharmaceutical, research, or similarly regulated sectors.
• Exceptional contract drafting, negotiation, and legal advisory skills.
• Experience negotiating healthcare, pharmaceutical, research, and commercial agreements.
• Demonstrated experience advising on governance matters, including board relations, policy development, regulatory compliance, risk management, and corporate governance best practices.
• Knowledge of employment and labour law.
• Highly developed risk management, strategic thinking, and problem-solving capabilities.
• Proven ability to influence and advise senior executives and Boards.
• Superior written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience operating successfully within a complex, multi‑stakeholder environment.

Preferred

• Demonstrated expertise in intellectual property, technology transfer, licensing, and commercialization matters.
• Experience supporting an academic health science centre, research institute, pharmaceutical organization, biotechnology company, or healthcare organization.
• Knowledge of:
• Clinical trial regulation
• Health research legislation
• Intellectual property commercialization frameworks
• Healthcare privacy legislation
• Research ethics and governance requirements
• Bilingualism (English/French).
• Privacy certification (CIPP/C, CIPM, or equivalent).

Working Conditions

• Ability to manage multiple complex legal matters simultaneously while maintaining a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast‑paced, dynamic environment with competing priorities and frequently changing organizational needs.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and make risk‑based recommendations under tight timelines and in ambiguous situations.
• Ability to communicate complex legal concepts clearly and effectively to executives, researchers, clinicians, administrators, and external partners.
• Ability to establish and maintain collaborative working relationships across diverse stakeholder groups, including industry partners, pharmaceutical companies, government agencies, academic institutions, and legal counsel.
• Ability to lead and support negotiations involving high‑value contracts, intellectual property rights, employment matters, and strategic partnerships.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision while contributing effectively as part of a collaborative leadership team.
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality when handling sensitive legal, employment, commercial, research, and intellectual property matters.
• Flexibility to accommodate critical deadlines, contract negotiations, Board meetings, and organizational priorities as required.
• Ability to identify opportunities for process improvement, innovation, and risk mitigation while supporting organizational growth and strategic objectives.
• Ability to work in a hybrid work environment, including both on‑site and remote work arrangements.

Other Requirements

• Eligible to work in Canada
• Reside in the province of Ontario
• Member in good standing with the Law Society of Ontario (LSO)
• Compliance with CHEO RI’s occupational health, immunization, and health‑surveillance requirements, as applicable to the role and work environment
• Completion of a Police Record Check, in accordance with institutional and regulatory requirements

The CHEO Research Institute values diversity and is an equal opportunity employer who value diverse perspectives and support people to be their authentic selves. We are committed to providing an inclusive and barrier‑free work environment, starting with the hiring process and welcome interest from all qualified applicants.

The CHEO Research Institute seeks to increase equity, diversity, and inclusion in all of its activities, including research, education and career development, patient, family and donor partnerships. We value diverse and non‑traditional career paths and perspectives, and value skills such as resilience, collaboration, and relationship‑building. We welcome applications from members of racialized minorities, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, persons of minority sexual orientations and gender identities, and others with the skills and knowledge to productively engage with diverse communities.

CHEO Research Institute does not use artificial intelligence during the selection and recruitment process.

L’Institut de recherche de CHEO valorise la diversité et est un employeur qui souscrit au principe de l’égalité d’accès. Nous nous engageons à fournir un environnement de travail inclusif et sans obstacle, en commençant par le processus d’embauche, et nous sommes heureux de recevoir les demandes de tous les candidats qualifiés.

L’Institut de recherche de CHEO cherche à accroître l’équité, la diversité et l’inclusion dans toutes ses activités, y compris la recherche, l’éducation et l’avancement de carrière, les partenariats avec les patients, les familles et les donateurs. Nous accordons de l’importance aux parcours de carrière et aux perspectives diversifiées et non traditionnelles et nous valorisons les compétences telles que la résilience, la collaboration et l’établissement de relations. Nous invitons les membres des minorités racialisées, les peuples autochtones, les personnes handicapées, les personnes ayant des orientations sexuelles minoritaires et des identités de genre ainsi que les autres personnes qui possèdent les compétences et les connaissances nécessaires à présenter leur demande afin de collaborer de manière productive avec des communautés diverses.

L’IR du CHEO n’utilise pas l’intelligence artificielle dans son processus de recrutement et de sélection.

Applications will only be considered from those that are eligible to work in Canada.

We thank all applicants for their interest.