Senior advisor, Legal affairs

Desjardins; Montreal West; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary and annual bonus

Flexible vacation (4 weeks)

Defined benefit pension plan

Group insurance including telemedicine

Reimbursement of health and wellness**

Job summary

Desjardins seeks a senior legal affairs advisor to protect the organization's legal interests, ensure compliance with laws, and support strategic initiatives. You will interact with stakeholders across multiple fields and may lead projects at a Mouvement level, providing expert guidance and legal opinions.

You will interpret regulations, draft and validate policies, and, if needed, represent the company in court, shaping the legal strategy and outcomes for complex matters.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in law.
• Minimum six years of relevant experience.
• Other combinations of qualifications and relevant experience may be considered.
• Knowledge of French is required.
• Intermediate advanced proficiency of English is required.

Responsibilities

• Act as a manager for projects, mandates and development activities specific to your area of expertise, whose scope and impact are major for the company.
• Advise and support customers and partners in the planning, development, implementation and follow-up of strategic projects and mandates.
• Identify and analyze major issues and challenges and make recommendations to authorities.
• Interpret laws and regulations, issue legal opinions, draft or validate regulations, standards, policies, procedures, forms and agreements.
• Represent the company before the courts if necessary, develop strategy, draft procedures, prepare witnesses and negotiate.
• Develop and evolve policies, standards, models and programs in support of projects and mandates.

Skills

Legal expertise

French fluency

English skills

Stakeholder management

Strategic mindset

Communication

Education

Law degree

Job description

Required

As a senior legal affairs advisor, you help protect the organization’s legal interests by ensuring it complies with all laws. You also play a key role in making sure that its rights are protected and obligations are met. You represent the organization in situations involving its legal interests. You may be responsible for one or more sub-specialties, such as contested matters and the Office of the Corporate Secretary (ethics and professional conduct, official registries, meeting minutes, the general meeting, etc.). You lead development projects and strategic initiatives that are complex and innovative. Your initiatives require extensive knowledge of your specialty area. You make recommendations on the planning and execution of operationally and conceptually complex projects and initiatives that require comprehensive analysis and understanding of the organization and line of business. Coordination is critical, so you frequently interact with stakeholders working in many other fields. Interpersonal savvy is therefore essential. You serve as specialist advisor and subject matter expert, as well as resource person and coach for decision-making bodies. More specifically, you will be required to:

• Act as a manager for projects, mandates and development activities specific to your area of expertise, whose scope and impact are major for the company and whose scope may be at the Mouvement level
• Advise and support your customers and partners in the positioning, planning, development, implementation and follow-up of various strategic projects and mandates under your responsibility
• Identify and analyze major issues and challenges. Establish diagnoses and make recommendations to the relevant authorities
• Interpret laws and regulations, issue legal opinions, draft or validate regulations, standards, policies, procedures, forms and agreements impacting the organization
• If necessary, represent the company before the courts. In this capacity, develop the strategy to be adopted, draft procedures, prepare witnesses and conduct pleadings or negotiate on the best possible terms in complex cases
• Ensure the development and evolution of policies, standards, models and programs in support of your unit's projects and strategic mandates
• Represent your unit before the relevant authorities.

Required

As a senior legal affairs advisor, you help protect the organization’s legal interests by ensuring it complies with all laws. You also play a key role in making sure that its rights are protected and obligations are met. You represent the organization in situations involving its legal interests. You may be responsible for one or more sub-specialties, such as contested matters and the Office of the Corporate Secretary (ethics and professional conduct, official registries, meeting minutes, the general meeting, etc.). You lead development projects and strategic initiatives that are complex and innovative. Your initiatives require extensive knowledge of your specialty area. You make recommendations on the planning and execution of operationally and conceptually complex projects and initiatives that require comprehensive analysis and understanding of the organization and line of business. Coordination is critical, so you frequently interact with stakeholders working in many other fields. Interpersonal savvy is therefore essential. You serve as specialist advisor and subject matter expert, as well as resource person and coach for decision-making bodies. More specifically, you will be required to:

• Act as a manager for projects, mandates and development activities specific to your area of expertise, whose scope and impact are major for the company and whose scope may be at the Mouvement level
• Advise and support your customers and partners in the positioning, planning, development, implementation and follow-up of various strategic projects and mandates under your responsibility
• Identify and analyze major issues and challenges. Establish diagnoses and make recommendations to the relevant authorities
• Interpret laws and regulations, issue legal opinions, draft or validate regulations, standards, policies, procedures, forms and agreements impacting the organization
• If necessary, represent the company before the courts. In this capacity, develop the strategy to be adopted, draft procedures, prepare witnesses and conduct pleadings or negotiate on the best possible terms in complex cases
• Ensure the development and evolution of policies, standards, models and programs in support of your unit's projects and strategic mandates
• Represent your unit before the relevant authorities.

What we offer*

• Competitive salary and annual bonus
• 4 weeks of flexible vacation starting in the first year
• Defined benefit pension plan that provides predictable, stable income throughout retirement
• Group insurance including telemedicine
• Reimbursement of health and wellness expenses and telework equipment
• Benefits apply based on eligibility criteria.

What You Bring To The Table

• Bachelor's degree in law or in a related field
• A minimum of six years of relevant experience
• Please note that other combinations of qualifications and relevant experience may be considered
• Knowledge of French is required
• Intermediate advanced proficiency of English due to the nature of the duties or work tools or because the position involves interactions with English-speaking partners, members and/or clients

Communicates effectively, Interpersonal Savvy, Persuades, Strategic mindset

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility

At Desjardins, we believe in equity, diversity and inclusion. We're committed to welcoming, respecting and valuing people for who they are as individuals, learning from their differences, embracing their uniqueness, and providing a positive workplace for all. At Desjardins, we have zero tolerance for discrimination of any kind. We believe our teams should reflect the diversity of the members, clients and communities we serve. If there's something we can do to help make the recruitment process or the job you're applying for more accessible, let us know. We can provide accommodations at any stage in the recruitment process. Just ask!

Job Family

Legal Affairs (FG)