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Opportunities

Associate Vice President, Legal Counsel

NorQuest College

Status: Open Location: Edmonton, AB

The Organization

NorQuest College is the largest Community College in Alberta. Located on traditional lands referred to as Treaty 6 territory, it serves 12,573 full-time and part-time credit students, and 7,894 non-credit or continuing education students, including assessment examinations.

NorQuest has always been shaped by the people and communities it serves. Its alignment between people and place defines its capacity for social, economic, and cultural impact beyond our campus. NorQuest is devoted to changing lives, fulfilling dreams, and creating belonging for everyone and will accomplish this goal, in part, by continuing to deliver workforce-relevant education.

At NorQuest, creating an engaging, supportive, and vibrant culture is a top priority. The College believes that it can best elevate its learners and the community when its people are doing their best, most gratifying work. Today, Norquest’s culture is shaped by its purpose, its values (known as “the nine Qs”), and its commitments to anti-racism, equity, diversity, and inclusion. It is further shaped by the practical changes to its processes and systems it has made and intends to make. This commitment to culture has resulted in Norquest being named one of Alberta’s Top 75 Employers in 2022 and being recognized as a Most Admired Corporate Culture by Waterstone Human Capital in 2023.

NorQuest is a place of connection, a hub for business leaders and innovation, a catalyst for research focused on society’s biggest challenges, and a vital partner to government, industry, and the community. NorQuesters can engage in work they are passionate about, constantly learn, try new ideas, and know that being bold is behavior that’s sought after.  

For more information on NorQuest, please visit our website.

The Opportunity

Reports to:Vice President, Administration & Chief Financial Officer
Direct Reports:Safe Disclosure Office
Information, Risk, and Compliance Department Business Intelligence Department
Location:Edmonton, Alberta.
 

Mandate

The Associate Vice President, Legal Counsel will play a key role in managing the legal affairs and risk of the College. Working cross-divisionally and serving as the College’s legal expert, the AVP Legal Counsel will provide strategic leadership and ensure compliance with all legislative and regulatory requirements. At the time of hiring, the AVP Legal Counsel will be the sole lawyer in the organization and will oversee two related divisions.

The College’s AVP Legal Counsel will work at a highly strategic level, with a strong focus on frameworks and approaches to support the College through significant growth and the evolving legislative landscape associated with areas including equity, diversity, and inclusion; innovative technology advancements; political landscapes and environments; and ethical and social considerations.

As a key enabler of success, the AVP Legal Counsel will develop and maintain strong relationships with a variety of internal and external stakeholders. While this position holds authority, their ability to be successful will correlate directly with their ability to influence rather than direct. The AVP Legal Counsel will lead their teams with a focus on the College’s Strategic Plan.

Efficacy is essential in this role: poor decisions made by the AVP Legal Counsel could have significant financial and reputational impacts on the College. The level of responsibility, accountability, autonomy, and influence in this role is more significant than in many roles at the College. Nearly all aspects of the AVP Legal Counsel’s work are confidential, high risk, and sensitive. Failure to take initiative in this role would be of significant detriment to the College.

Key Accountabilities

Strategic Advisor

  • Provide strategic and operational advice to employees at all levels of the College;
  • Work closely with the College’s Board of Governors, Chief Executive Officer, Board Coordinator, Executive Team, and a variety of other stakeholders at the College to provide legal services, expertise, and leadership in the areas of governance, information and records management, privacy, legislative compliance, safe disclosure, and risk management;
  • Stay up to date on changes within the legislative landscape and advise all relevant parties across the College on the implications of those changes;
  • Follow up and ensure compliance with required changes; and
  • Educate employees and board members on legal matters, as required.

Legal Services

  • Act as the central point of contact for legal inquiries;
  • Provide legal services to the College in the areas of contracts, legal liability, administrative law, and risk;
  • Engage external legal counsel and/or subject matter experts when appropriate;
  • Provide instruction and oversight to external legal counsel and/or subject matter experts, including human resource related matters from a legal perspective, as required;
  • Advise on a range of legal issues such as contracts, legal liability, development of policies and procedures, and any other legislative obligations with which the College is required to comply;
  • Attend Board meetings, providing advice to the Board of Governors, overseeing confidential Board matters, executing on relevant decisions and resolutions of the Board; and
  • Negotiate, draft and advise on documents and contracts.

Risk Management

  • Maintain a policy and procedure framework that supports strong governance, reinforces the College’s strategic goals, and respects all relevant legislative requirements;
  • Ensure policy and procedural alignment with the College’s commitment to creating an antiracist, decolonial, equitable, diverse, and inclusive organization;
  • Oversee and advise the Information, Risk, and Compliance division, enabling a cross-organizational approach to risk management and encouraging a distributed commitment to strategically managing risk; and
  • Support the Director’s efforts to constantly evolve and enhance the college’s Enterprise Risk Management program and framework.

Strategic Leadership

  • Set the strategic direction for the divisions within their area of responsibility;
  • Provide oversight, strategic leadership, and mentorship to a diverse team including the Safe Disclosure; Information, Risk, and Compliance; Business Intelligence; and Insurance and Business Continuity divisions;
  • Oversee and uphold NorQuest’s commitment to a Safe Disclosure process, ensuring confidentiality, and providing support to individuals who report concerns in good faith;
  • Investigate privacy assessments and breaches;
  • Advise and support the Information, Risk, and Compliance (IRC) division on issues related to compliance with CASL (Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation), FOIP (Alberta’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act), and the legislative compliance program;
  • Oversee the administration of the FOIP Act by facilitating access to information through FOIP requests or routine disclosures;
  • Oversee the College’s insurance program;
  • Collaborate and build strong relationships across the College;
  • Oversee the effective information governance and management of College records, information, and data as it relates to legal matters; and
  • Oversee the production of business intelligence, analytics, and data to help predict trends as well as support and improve the institution’s decision-making and pursuit of institutional goals.

First-Year Deliverables / Measures of Success

Success in the first year will be determined by the candidate’s ability to:

  • Effectively build strong and trusted relationships within the NorQuest community, and be seen as a collaborative legal partner to the organization;
  • Learn NorQuest’s existing frameworks, policies, and culture;
  • Transition previously outsourced legal functions into the AVP Legal Counsel’s portfolio;
  • Proactively implement strategies that ensure the effectiveness of the Safe Disclosure Office;
  • Effectively support the Information, Risk, and Compliance (IRC) division with their deliverables;
  • Champion cross-departmental risk mitigation approaches; and
  • Demonstrate leadership expertise via the mentorship and development of their team.

Candidate Profile

The successful candidate will have the following:

Education:

  • A law degree from an accredited institution. The successful candidate will also be a member in good standing with the Law Society of Alberta.

Experience:

  • At least 10 years of progressive leadership experience which includes at least 5 years in a leadership role;
  • 5 or more years of experience as legal counsel at a post-secondary institution is welcomed;
  • An established track record of developing and executing on strategic plans that enable the achievement of short and long-term goals;
  • Knowledge of CASL (Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation), FOIP (Alberta’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act), and the legislative compliance program;
  • Broad legal expertise and the ability to advise on diverse subject matters that may concern the College;
  • Significant public sector experience; and
  • Direct experience working with boards.

Competencies and Attributes:

  • Strong analytical, communication, and leadership skills;
  • The ability to develop and cultivate collaborative relationships;
  • The ability to lead without positional authority;
  • A genuine commitment to the College’s values; and
  • Excitement about taking initiative in ambiguous environments.
 

Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

NorQuest College is on a journey to become an inclusive, anti-racist, and decolonized organization. NorQuesters are trailblazers – we are curious, creative, and innovative – our lived experiences are honoured, creating accessibility and a sense of belonging for everyone.  

NorQuest 2030 We Are Who We Include illustrates that NorQuest’s strength and our difference comes from who is included, and along with our students, we are learning and growing to listen deeply and say what we feel.  

NorQuest College is committed to being an employer of choice for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people by recognizing, respecting, and supporting Indigenous people’s self-determination through the institution’s work in decolonization, reconciliation, and Indigenization.  

NorQuesters are Difference Makers.

So, how do we make a difference?

  • We empower NorQuesters. When it comes to working, we offer flexibility in terms of where and how you work (on campus or at home). NorQuesters are expected to embody our Qs—lead from where you are, be dependable, find ways forward, to name a few — but how you do that is your choice!
  • We unlock potential. Whether it’s newcomers to Canada who want to improve their English, students who want to complete their academic upgrading, learners pursuing post-secondary education, or anyone who wishes to strengthen their skills through professional development, our passion to educate touches people of all levels and all backgrounds.
  • We strengthen Alberta. From our graduates who hit the ground running, to our partnerships with government, industry, and business, to our commitment to communities, including a dedicated focus on Indigenous communities, we contribute to the province and make it stronger. We strive to be an employer of choice for First Nations, Metis and Inuit people in Canada by leading, supporting, and being an ally through our work toward decolonization, reconciliation, and Indigenization.

Application Instructions

If this opportunity excites you, please send a resume and cover letter to connect@mullenleadership.com with the job title in the subject line of your email before 11:59 PM MDT on October 25th 2024.

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