Our client is seeking a highly experienced Contracts & Legal Operations Lead. This position is a strategic partner to the business, supporting corporate governance operations, compliance with privacy and regulatory requirements, and assisting with insurance programs.

This role serves as the first point of review and coordination of legal and contractual matters, manages the legal and contract email inboxes with a primary focus on contract intake, review and escalation and provides proactive guidance to leadership and project teams on contractual obligations and risk awareness.

OBJECTIVE

 The objective of the incumbent is to ensure effective legal, contractual and compliance support across our esteemed client and its subsidiaries, with primary emphasis on contract review, coordination and commercial risk management.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Contract Review, Coordination and Management
 • Manage and coordinate the contractor and client contract process, including detailed review of commercial and contractual terms, preparation and coordination of contracts, tracking revisions and approvals, maintaining an up-to-date contracts register, and supporting negotiations with project teams and senior leadership.
 • Provide advice, guidance, support, and training for project staff on reviewing, interpreting, and applying standard contract templates, identifying non-standard or high-risk terms. Ensure consistent application of internally approved fallback positions and escalation expectations.
 • Review contracts for commercial, operational, and legal risk indicators including scope clarity, deliverables, change mechanisms, termination rights, indemnities, liability, insurance, confidentiality, and intellectual property.
 • Support tendering and procurement processes, including review of contractual terms associated with RFPs, MSAs, and Statements of Work.
 • Support contract lifecycle management including renewals, expiries, monitoring contractual obligations, flow through conditions, version control and filing.
 • Liaise with leadership to develop, improve and implement processes for contracts, trademarks, copyright, IP and other legal matters.

Legal Advisory Support
 • Acts as a contract review and coordination function and does not provide legal advice or legal sign-off; ensures appropriate Legal review is obtained for complex, non-standard, or high-risk matters.
 • Coordinate with external counsel for complex negotiations and litigation matters as required.
 • Conduct legal research and provide summaries of relevant statutes and regulation changes.
 • Liaise with external counsel on maintenance of corporate minute books, resolutions, and statutory registers.
 • Supports the implementation and monitoring of privacy compliance program under applicable legislation.
 • Maintain privacy policies and procedures and coordinate responses to access requests.
 • Liaise with IT, Corporate Services, and People & Culture to ensure alignment of privacy and data security practices.

Risk Management
 • Coordinate corporate insurance programs including general liability, professional liability, D&O and other coverages.
 • Assist in renewals, policy reviews and claims management.
 • Coordinate company response to insurance events.
 • Maintain insurance schedules, certificates of insurance and claims files.
 • Support risk management assessments and liaise with broker, insurers and internal stakeholders.
 • Manage corporate governance and legal aspects of events leading to investigations, ensuring proper documentation, notification and reporting of such events.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS:

 The Incumbent will exercise their mandate through a series of key relationships:

 • The position reports to the VP Finance & Legal and supports the corporate growth objectives including the foundational elements of our esteemed client’s strategic plan associated with growth.
 • Works closely with the Executive and Senior Management team to provide legal, governance, risk and privacy guidance and support informed decision making.
 • Collaborates with Finance and Business Operations including IT, Corporate Services and People & Culture.
 • Engages with external Legal Counsel and Insurance Broker, to manage complex contracts, claims, litigation matters, and corporate governance compliance.
 • Coordinates with Project Teams to identify, assess, and mitigate risks associated with projects and contractor engagement.

CORE COMPETENCIES:
Business Acumen
 The ability to understand and apply insights related to business or organizational operations, including products, services and customers as well as market, legal, regulatory and economic trends and indicators.
Level 4: Demonstrates an in-depth understanding of the operations related to a functional area or a major business or organizational segment. Understands and monitors internal and external developments and develops action plans or responses to ensure the achievement of business or organizational objectives. Works with external stakeholders to influence external factors (e.g., regulatory developments) to advance the agenda of the business or organization.
Managing Information
 The ability to gather, maintain, protect and share information to support organizational decision-making and organizational learning.
Level 5: Develops strategies and policies and defines the architecture required for maintaining, sharing and protecting information. Ensures that there are consistent standards in place across the organization to ensure data is compiled, stored, interpreted and protected in a consistent manner. Ensures all compliance requirements with respect to data reporting and record keeping are met. Develops strategies for fostering organizational learning and continuous improvement.
Problem Solving
 The ability to find ways to overcome obstacles or resolve issues so that objectives may be achieved.
Level 4: Resolves complex, sensitive or contentions problems or issues that are typically cross-functional in nature. Applies advanced analytical tools and processes to dissect problems or issues and to see broader patterns. Demonstrates the ability to think outside established norms or parameters and encourages others to look beyond conventional thinking. Supports others in resolving moderately complex problems or issues. Effectively engages multiple stakeholders in creating solutions and builds consensus when faced with competing agendas or divergent points of view.
Strategic Orientation
 The ability to align organizational plans and actions with the intended vision and direction for the organization in a manner that optimizes organizational performance and the achievement of stated objectives.
Level 4: Translates business or organizational plans into objectives for a functional area or major business or organizational segment. Identifies the resources (e.g., people, dollars, technology) required to deliver on objectives and negotiate cross-functionally to secure these resources. Identifies opportunities to support organizational growth and/or enhance organizational effectiveness. Anticipates potential challenges and develops contingency plans to support the achievement of objectives. Engages in work with a medium-term planning horizon that looks out one to two years. Accepts challenges and persists in finding solutions. Takes responsibility to get things done without waiting for others to initiate action and responds to issues and/or brings concerns forward rather than waiting for them to be discovered by someone else.
Communication
 The ability to clearly and effectively express information, ideas and opinions through formal or informal written formats to deliver messages that are clearly understood by the intended audience.
Level 5: Prepares highly sensitive or high-impact business correspondence or communication materials aimed at the organization’s most strategic or influential internal and external stakeholders. Develops correspondence that has legal or financial implications or that influences how the organization is perceived externally. Delivers detailed or technical information in a clear, timely and professional manner that is easy to understand. Asks questions to test for understanding. Considers how body language influences the message being delivered. Develops fairly routine business correspondence such as letters and basic reports which convey clear and consistent messages. Understands and applies specialized terminology in an accurate and appropriate manner, using correct spelling, grammar and punctuation.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

 • A degree in business, legal studies, supply chain or related field.
 • 3-5 years of experience in contract administration, insurance management, legal coordination or procurement support.
 • Coursework on contract law or Contract Management Certificate would be considered and asset.
 • Experience in supporting contract development would be considered and asset.
 • Strong skills in legal research, drafting documents, familiarity with court procedures.
 • Knowledge around Corporate Governance
 • Strong written and oral communications
 • Strategic and Critical thinker
 • Proven ability to manage a large workload in a fast-paced environment
 • Works well in a team environment

WORKING CONDITIONS:

 • Some local and out-of-town travel may be required;
 • normal office environment that requires sitting for extended periods of time;
 • prolonged exposure to computer keyboards and computer screens; and
 • sometimes requires long hours of work.

APPLICATION PROCESS
Candidates are asked to apply via LinkedIn or email their resume in confidence to Shona Tischner at: shona@urbanlegal.ca

At Urban Legal Recruitment, we guarantee discretion and confidentiality. We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.