Professional Standards Counsel

CPA Ontaro; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

An accounting regulatory body in Toronto seeks a Professional Standards Counsel to prosecute professional misconduct and provide legal advice. The ideal candidate has an LL.B/J.D, at least 15 years of experience, and skills in communication and negotiation. This role offers a hybrid work environment and professional development opportunities to enhance your career and well-being.

Benefits

Industry leading benefits

Healthy lifestyle allowance

Mental health resources

Career advancement opportunities

Ongoing learning programs

Qualifications

• Minimum of 15 years at the Bar with prosecution and/or litigation experience.
• Ability to assume independent carriage of investigation and prosecution files.
• Experience in the disciplinary process or criminal prosecutions preferred.
• Experience working in high volume, deadline-driven environments.

Responsibilities

• Prosecute allegations of professional misconduct.
• Provide legal advice to the Professional Conduct Committee.
• Oversee investigations and appoint investigators.
• Collaborate with internal teams in the complaints process.
• Advise on legal issues and formulate policies.

Skills

Prosecution experience

Litigation experience

Communication skills

Judgment

Interpersonal skills

Presentation skills

Negotiation skills

Organization skills

Multi-tasking

Education

LL.B / J.D in good standing

Tools

MS Suite

E-discovery software

Job description

Prosecute Professional Misconduct

As a Professional Standards Counsel

With proven prosecution and / or litigation experience, preferably obtained in the professional self-regulation context, as a Professional Standards Counsel (Regulatory Prosecutor) you will prosecute allegations of professional misconduct before the Discipline and Appeal Committees of CPA Ontario and before the courts, provide legal advice to the Professional Conduct Committee, and oversee investigations. This role may also involve Provincial Offences Act prosecutions for misuse of the CPA designation.

Your expertise empowers you to :

• Prosecute matters before the Discipline and Appeal Committees and before the courts.
• Appoint investigators on behalf of the Professional Conduct Committee.
• Review investigator reports and provide supervision, direction, and advice to in-house and external investigators.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with other internal teams in complex matters in the course of the complaints process.
• Be accountable to the Professional Conduct Committee and the SVP, Enforcement for decisions taken on an investigation or prosecution file.
• Advise the Professional Conduct Committee and Enforcement team on legal issues.
• Formulate and apply policies and strategies within the Enforcement team, impacting the Regulatory & Standards group and the CPA profession broadly.
• Provide legal advice or other related work product to other Departments within CPA Ontario.

You are the ideal candidate if :

Education and Experience :

You are an accomplished LL.B / J.D in good standing with the Law Society of Ontario and licensed to practice law in Ontario with a minimum of 15 years’ at the Bar with demonstrated prosecution and / or litigation experience.

Proven skills and abilities :

You have the proven ability to assume independent carriage of investigation and prosecution files. Prior experience with the disciplinary process of self‑regulating professions or with criminal prosecutions is preferred.

You have strong abilities in the areas of communication and judgment, and possess superior interpersonal, presentation, public speaking, and negotiation skills.

You have excellent organization and multi‑tasking skills with prior experience working in a high volume, deadline driven environment.

You are digitally fluent with the MS suite of products. Familiarity with e‑discovery software is an asset.

You are inspired by :

• A fast‑paced environment. Collaboration, innovation and passionate professionals are at our core. We relentlessly pursue what’s next to unlock the full potential of you and us together.
• Hybrid work environment. As part of our Hybrid work culture, we include a portion of remote work within an overall approach that places a high value on in‑office teamwork and collaboration.
• Diversity and inclusion. We recognise the value in our differences and prioritise inclusivity to bring together the best talent to protect the public, advance the profession and enable CPAs to lead business and society forward.
• Ongoing learning and career growth. We want your career to skyrocket. We support career advancement and professional development opportunities with learning investments to promote your future growth. Thrive with us.
• Focus on your well‑being. With industry leading benefits and wellness programmes, including a healthy lifestyle allowance, mental health resources and more, we’re committed to your well‑being.

Why the next step in your career is CPA Ontario

We protect the public. We advance the profession. We enable CPAs to lead business and society forward. We ensure that our 103,000 members and 18,000 students meet the highest standards of integrity and expertise. We help them stay ahead of global market trends and abreast of regulatory change. CPAs represent a globally recognised, premium designation. Our Chartered Professional Accountants are valued by organisations in all industries for their financial expertise, strategic thinking, management skills and leadership. We believe that success happens when both business and society benefit. For information on the profession visit : cpaontario.ca.

We appreciate your interest in CPA Ontario and this position

At CPA Ontario, we are committed to building high‑performance teams. Our selection process is thorough, and all candidate applications are reviewed. Should your qualifications and experience meet the requirements of this role, a member of our recruitment team will contact you. We encourage you to set up CPA Ontario job alerts for positions that align to your experience and career goals.