Assistant Corporate Secretary and Legal Counsel

SCC is a small but impactful Crown corporation that reports to Parliament through Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. Using our expertise and vast network, SCC helps organizations by opening a gateway to possibilities, both at home and abroad. We bring people together, foster collaboration and expand their horizons in trade, sustainability, and global connectivity. We represent and advance Canada’s interests on the international stage in ways no other organization can.

As Canada’s national standardization body, SCC offers more than a few pieces of the standards development and conformity assessment puzzle. We provide comprehensive strategies that allow Canadian businesses and innovators to contribute to shaping established and emerging markets. We help knock down trade barriers and create opportunities for businesses to innovate and expand into new markets by laying the foundation for their success.

SCC’s work also helps drive Canada’s health, well-being, and economic prosperity. Whether it’s the food we eat, the products and technologies we use, or how we get to work, every aspect of our lives is touched by standards. Standards and conformity assessment not only provide confidence in the quality and safety of products and services, but they also play an integral role in improving the overall health and safety of Canadians, and of their environment. At SCC, everything we do is aimed at improving Canadians’ quality of life and economic prosperity.

Our culture

A 2020 - 2023 winner of Waterstone’s Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures award, we foster a culture founded on our values of respect, professionalism, and integrity. At SCC, we believe that an empowered and engaged workforce is essential to deliver on our vision and mission. A people-centric culture means that we are all working together to achieve a common goal.

Our diversity is our strength. We believe that leveraging our unique backgrounds helps to create a stronger, more cohesive team. Proudly, we can report that 30% of our team identifies as belonging to a visible minority, 60% of our team is female, and 62% of our leadership team is female. Not only do we serve the public in both Official Languages, but we are able to go above and beyond: with a staff complement of 150, we speak over 20 languages at SCC.

SCC has implemented a hybrid working model. Our model balances remote work with coming together in person when it is purposeful. This position can work remotely most of the time, while requiring in-person work regularly. SCC's office is located at 55 Metcalfe Street in downtown Ottawa.

The Assistant Corporate Secretary and Legal Counsel is responsible for supporting the Vice-President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary and providing legal and governance advisory services to SCC, including SCC’s Council, CEO and Senior Management Team.

• Law degree from a recognized institution and membership in good standing with a provincial bar.
• Five to seven (5-7) years post-call of experience.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Knowledge of the Standards Council of Canada Act, other applicable laws, and regulations.
• Advanced legal research and drafting skills.
• Ability to exercise tact, discretion, and diplomacy to effectively communicate and perform the position's requirements.
• Ability to communicate SCC expectations of partners and regulators clearly.
• Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with all stakeholders, including government/industry officials and international organizations.
• Ability to maintain a high degree of discretion and confidentiality at all times.
• Ability to manage multiple files under tight deadlines.
• Language Requirement: Bilingual imperative SISS (Reading/Writing/Understanding/Speaking), which means superior skills in reading, intermediate skills in writing, and superior skills in both understanding and speaking the two official languages.

• Assists in ensuring that appropriate policies, procedures, systems, and practices are in place in order to achieve an efficient and effective Council and committee structure, including statutory committees.
• Ensures that all legislative and statutory requirements are met in an appropriate manner. Supports the Vice-President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary with monitoring and managing changes to legislation.
• Assists with implementing appropriate governance procedures, to meet or exceed all legislated and regulatory requirements in all applicable jurisdictions.
• Ensures that the corporate records are properly maintained and safeguarded, according to legislated requirements, corporate by-laws, and records management standards, to fully protect the corporation.
• Provides research, policy and advisory services to the Vice-President, Chief Legal Officer, and Corporate Secretary with respect to procedural and governance issues so that the Council is able to function ethically, credibly and effectively in the execution of its mandate.
• Promotes an environment that is sensitive to ethical concerns through compliance with SCC’s Vision, Mission and Values and its Code of Conduct.
• Works with the Vice-President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary to oversee and ensure the delivery of all Council and associated committee meetings. Prepares briefing notes, presentations and reports for meetings, working in collaboration with the VP, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary.
• Assists the Vice-President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary to develop and implement business objectives, policies and strategic pillars to ensure compliance with applicable laws and contractual obligations.
• Responds to incoming legal requests by providing legal opinions and information. Works in collaboration with the VP, Chief Legal Officer, and Corporate Secretary.
• Provides legal advice and interpretation in French and English on corporate matters, including but not limited to corporate law, intellectual property, employment law, employer policies and applicable legislation, commercial, contracting and procurement matters.
• Conducts research and provides advice and opinions on legal issues concerning SCC. Analyzes and conducts research as it relates to jurisprudence, applicable legislation, and Treasury Board policies to establish merit of legal proceeding.
• Reviews and advises on commercial matters including agreements, memoranda of understanding and contracts. Recommends for approval of the Vice-President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary all template legal documentation and any deviations from these templates.
• Assists the Vice-President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary in managing legal proceedings on behalf of SCC in provincial and federal courts as well as administrative tribunals and provides instructions to SCC’s external legal firms in these matters.
• Conducts and participates in formal and informal dispute resolution processes.
• Gathers, prepares, and disseminates to SCC’s senior management information on legal cases and precedents of interest. Conducts briefings, training seminars and information sessions on legal matters affecting SCC, such as new legislation and cases of interest and relevance.
• Participates in the maintenance of a centralized information resource of a legal nature, updating legal opinions, precedents, and analysis to the legal services information management system.
• Assists with the confidential declaration process under the Code of Conduct and advises the CEO on matters relating to conflicts of interest.
• Participates in initiatives to increase knowledge sharing among staff on legal issues applicable to SCC. Works on special projects in support of the Corporate Secretariat and Legal Services.

Note 1: Priority will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

Note 2: SCC is responsible for the Personnel Security Clearance process. Typically to be eligible for a 'Reliability' clearance, you must have five years of verifiable background information and to be eligible for a 'Secret' clearance, you must have 10 years of verifiable background information. The process usually involves reference inquiries, verification of qualifications, criminal records checks, and credit checks (as required) and may require fingerprints. For more information about obtaining a security clearance, please review the Standard on Security Screening.

Please attach a detailed cover letter to your resume. In addition to learning about your education, training and experience, we want to hear your story We’d love to hear about how your accomplishments, and the skills you applied to achieve them, relate to the role and why you think this opportunity is a good fit for you.

We are committed to creating and fostering a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment that reflects the peoples’ lives that we impact and the Canadian community that we work within. We strive to create an environment where everyone is comfortable being their authentic selves. We welcome Indigenous peoples and persons from all races, ethnicities, gender identities and expressions, sexual orientations, and physical or mental abilities to be part of our team.

We strive to ensure a barrier-free selection process. If you are contacted regarding a job opportunity, testing or interview, please advise the HR representative of the accommodation measures that you require to enable you to be assessed in a fair and equitable manner.

Please apply directly on SCC’s Careers Page before the closing date of November 15, 2024. Upon our review of all applications, those who appear to be the best fit with the mandate of this role and with SCC’s mission and vision will be contacted. You will receive confirmation that your application has reached us. Thank you for your interest in SCC and for taking the time to review this ad.