Vice President, Legal Services

Job Description

Permanent Full Time

Posting Date: May 2, 2024

Posting Close Date: May 15, 2024

Location: any HCCSS location across Ontario

Are you a strategic senior legal professional that drives effectiveness, system modernization and high quality performance related to legal operations and provision of expert counsel to senior leaders? Do you have experience overseeing legal operations and providing professional legal guidance as a lawyer in a complex healthcare or government sector during times of transformation? Are you passionate about exceptional health care and driven by a desire to help others? 

If so, take a look at this rewarding career opportunity working alongside a supportive and collaborative team of over 8,000 regulated health care and other professionals. ​​​ We are amid a momentous time for health care in Ontario as we move to a more connected health care system through the Ontario Health Teams model of care.

Home and Community Care Support Services is looking for an experienced senior legal professional with in depth knowledge of Crown agency governance and applicable legislation in the health care sector, experience in corporate commercial legal roles, and expertise in providing legal counsel to executive level staff, including Boards of Directors and senior government officials.

The Ontario government has embarked on an exciting transformation of the home and community care sector. As part of that transformation, a new crown agency called Ontario Health atHome will be established when Bill 135, the Convenient Care at Home Act, 2023 , is proclaimed into force. Once proclaimed into force, the Convenient Care at Home Act, 2023 will amend the Connecting Care Act, 2019 to amalgamate the 14 Local Health Integration Networks, known to the public as Home and Community Care Support Services organizations (HCCSS), to establish Ontario Health atHome, the new single service organization.

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the Vice President, Legal Services will be responsible for the strategic leadership and oversight of the legal services required for the organization. The inaugural Vice President will be responsible to establish an internal legal services team and develop an external legal services roster to support all of the organizations legal services needs while supporting a newly appointed Board of Directors.

This is a pivotal role for the organization at a unique time. Once established, Ontario Health atHome will be the heart of the ongoing delivery of home and community care services in Ontario as well as future modernization efforts to facilitate more localized home and community care services delivery. As a key member of the executive team, this individual will support the organization to modernize the delivery of home care services, impacting the lives of thousands of patients across Ontario. This position will be responsible for providing proactive and solutions based legal advice, ensuring that the organization complies with its legal obligations and mitigates business and legal risks. This position will manage legal issues arising on an enterprise, departmental and program-level, providing strategic legal advice to the CEO, the executive team and the Board of Directors.

The Vice President, Legal Services will develop and implement strategic initiatives and act as a legal representative on organization-wide strategy initiatives. As part of this role, the individual will be accountable for the administration of the legal operations, management of associated resources, and engagement of key internal and/or external stakeholders. They will also be a key advisor to the Board of Directors and support compliance with government policies and directives. As the subject matter expert within the organization on a broad base of legal matters, this role will provide counsel and support directly to organizational portfolios and Senior Leaders on complex legal matters.

Once established, Ontario Health atHome, will be comprised of 9,150 staff who serve or support more than 651,850 patients of all ages, including seniors, persons with physical disabilities and chronic diseases, children and others who require ongoing health and personal care to live safely and independently in the community. Annually, HCCSS facilitates more than 28,750 long-term care home placements. Every day, Home and Community Care Support Services provide approximately 27,490 nursing visits, 4,200 therapy visits, and 100,570 hours of personal support care with the help of over 100 service provider organizations.

Currently, HCCSS helps reduce the need for hospital and long-term care, while supporting timely hospital discharge for acute care patients. HCCSS services support people living with chronic conditions. HCCSS long-term care home placement team provides equitable access to long-term care homes, benefiting patients, families and caregivers. In addition, HCCSS helps patients navigate Ontario’s health system, help them understand their options, and connect them with community-based resources. 

As one agency we provide a strong and centralized foundation to support stability of home care services, and as care is planned, delivered, and managed through Ontario Heath Teams (OHTs) in the future. As OHTs mature and take on responsibility for home care delivery, the service organization would provide necessary operational supports to those teams as a support partner for OHTs in planning and delivery.

At HCCSS, our people are our best resource, and this is reflected in the first of our four strategic priorities: 

• Invest in Our People 
• Advance Health System Modernization
• Accelerate Innovation and Digital Delivery 
• Drive Excellence in Care and Service Delivery 

Our People Strategy was, in part, born out of a need to stabilize our workforce in a rapidly changing health care environment. Our teams are in the community every day, working with patients and connecting with our partners, to achieve our Mission, Vision and Values.

Mission: Helping everyone to be healthier at home through connected, accessible, patient-centred care .

Vision: Exceptional care – wherever you call home.

Values: Collaboration. Respect. Integrity. Excellence.

Note : This recruitment process is subject to the Convenient Care at Home Act, 2023 being proclaimed into force. For additional information about Ontario Health atHome, applicants are encourage to review the Connecting Care Act, 2019 (in particular Part III.1 which, once proclaimed into force, establishes Ontario Health atHome) and visit the Ontario Newsroom: Ontario Making it Easier and More Convenient to Connect to Home Care | Ontario Newsroom. For more information about HCCSS please visit healthcareathome.ca.

What do we offer?

We know wellness is supported with work-life balance.  In an inclusive culture committed to support your passion for continuous learning, growth and innovation, we offer: ​

• Attractive comprehensive compensation packages and benefits​
• Valuable development opportunities​
• Membership in a world class defined benefit pension plan. 
• Flexible work location [this position can be located at any of the 14 Home and Community Care Support Service offices] ​

What will you do?

• Provide practical, solution-oriented, risk-based legal advice on a broad spectrum of the agency’s operational and strategic work.
• Facilitates engagement of external legal counsel, as necessary.
• Advise the Board on corporate governance matters and as part of the executive team, attend all Board and Board Committee meetings.
• Act as a strategic partner with the Chief Executive Officer and the executive team members, to define, action and model the agency’s vision, mission and values and actively contribute to developing and articulating a vision for the agency’s role in the public health sector.
• Champion the organization's values and ethical standards in all agency business.
• Develop and maintain various corporate and Board policies, processes and practices to enable the organization to meet its obligations and accountabilities as a Crown agency, and follow best practices in Board governance.
• Ensure that the leadership team of the organization receives the necessary strategic legal advice.
• Demonstrate commitment to and experience in leading by example, exercising sound judgment in interpersonal engagements, displaying integrity and emotional intelligence in decision-making and prioritizing respect and authenticity in relationships.

What must you have?  

• Law degree (LLB, JD) and membership in good standing as a lawyer with the Law Society of Ontario.
• 10 or more years of corporate commercial legal experience, preferably in the public and/or healthcare sector.
• Proven ability to produce high-quality work under tight deadlines with changing and competing demands.
• Experience with government decision-making processes and procedures is preferred.
• Proven expertise in developing and maintaining executive level relationships with senior government officials, members of Boards of Directors and health system leaders. 
• Demonstrated knowledge of relevant legal practice areas, including Crown agency governance (relevant legislation, regulations, and government directives), procurement, conflict of interest, freedom of information and privacy law in the health sector, information technology, and contract and employment law.
• Ability to communicate complex legal concepts to a variety of audiences.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills to convey complex legal concepts to both internal and external stakeholders.
• Proven ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with senior leadership to advise on, facilitate, mitigate and resolve legal matters.
• Ability to influence others to engage in solution-focused dialogue and follow a recommended course of action.
• We have a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy. As a condition of employment, all employees are required to submit proof of COVID-19 vaccination status prior to start date.

What would give you the edge?

• Experience working in the healthcare sector

We are Home and Community Care Support Services, ready to serve every person in Ontario. We partner with patients and caregivers, family physicians, hospitals, long-term care and retirement homes, service providers and Ontario Health Teams, to deliver responsive, accessible, integrated, patient-centred care.

If you’re interested in driving excellence in care and service delivery , and seeking an unparalleled opportunity to lead and learn, partner and connect, care and be cared for, this is your home.

Home and Community Care Support Services is committed to a culture of equity, inclusion, diversity and anti-racism. We are committed to attracting, engaging and developing a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve. We welcome and encourage applications from all qualified applicants. Accommodations for persons with disabilities required during the recruitment process are available upon request.

Interested candidates should submit their resume and cover letter no later than 4:30pm on May 15, 2024.

All applications will be reviewed; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.