Legal Counsel

**About SkillsWave**

**Catch the Wave with Us**

Dive into an exciting role as Legal Counsel Reporting to the Head of Operations, you’ll ride the wave of growth in a pivotal role that blends sharp legal expertise with practical, hands-on execution. Your mission? To guide SkillsWave through the dynamic waters of Canadian and U.S. law while supporting our people, protecting our innovations, and enabling our expansion.

This role requires curiosity, adaptability, and sound judgment, paired with the ability to simplify complexity and provide clear, business-friendly guidance. As a trusted advisor, you’ll shape SkillsWave’s legal foundation, manage external counsel relationships, and play a critical role in building the organization’s legal maturity as we scale.

**Your Location. Your Workspace. Your Wave.**

We are looking for the right person to join our team. This position offers a remote option along with a hybrid option if you are located in the Kitchener/Waterloo area and want to enjoy our amazing space at Catalyst Commons. We can’t wait to welcome exceptional individuals that will bring their skills and passion to our team

**How Will You Make an Impact**:

- Proven ability to draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of agreements — including SaaS, licensing, vendor, and partnership contracts — with strong attention to IP, liability, and risk allocation.
- Keep us aligned with compliance currents like privacy, corporate governance, and workplace regulations.
- Support growth opportunities such as new incorporations, financing, and strategic transactions.
- Manage relationships with external counsel in areas like IP, tax, and litigation.
- Familiarity with Canadian and U.S. employment law to provide practical guidance on workplace matters such as hiring, policies, employee relations, and terminations.
- Create scalable templates, playbooks, and processes to help the business ride the next wave more smoothly.
- Act as a trusted advisor who translates legal complexity into clear, actionable business guidance.

**What You Need to Be Successful**:

- L.L.B. or J.D. and called to the bar in Canada and/or the U.S. (dual admission is a huge wave in your favor)
- 3-5 years of legal experience, ideally with a mix of law firm and in-house exposure.
- Demonstrated ability to draft, review, and negotiate complex SaaS/software agreements and other commercial contracts, with a sharp understanding of IP, liability, indemnity, and regulatory considerations.
- Solid grounding in cross-border employment law and general commercial practices, with the ability to provide practical, business-focused guidance when issues arise.
- A steady balance of risk awareness and business-minded pragmatism.

**Your Super Skills and Expertise We Need**:

- Excellent written and oral communication, you make complex legal issues simple and clear.
- Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
- Organized, detail-oriented, and capable of working independently in a fast-paced environment.
- Technologically inclined and comfortable with modern collaboration tools.
- Ability to juggle multiple priorities while staying cool under pressure.

**What You Will Bring to the Team**:

- ** An Enthusiastic Perspective**: An independent self-starter, someone who is curious about what and why, is able to solution with empathy for stakeholders, and drive successful change through yourself and leveraging others
- ** Entrepreneurial Spirit**: Demonstrating initiative, creativity, and ownership by proactively identifying opportunities, solving problems, and taking calculated risks to drive innovation and organizational growth.
- ** Analytical Excellence**: Capacity to interpret complex contracts, regulations, and compliance requirements, translating them into actionable, business-friendly insights.
- ** Hands-on Execution**: Comfortable drafting, reviewing, and negotiating agreements directly while also overseeing broader compliance and governance responsibilities in a lean, start-up environment.
- ** Communication & Influence**: Exceptional ability to distill complex legal concepts into clear, simple language, building trust with leadership, employees, and external partners.
- ** Adaptability & Agility**: Proven ability to thrive in fast-paced, evolving start-ups, adjusting quickly as priorities shift while maintaining sound legal judgment.
- ** Collaboration & Partnership**: Skill in working cross-functionally with teams such as People & Culture, Finance, and Product, acting as a true business partner rather than just a legal gatekeeper.
- ** Integrity and Ethics**: Commitment to upholding the highest ethical standards, confidentiality, and integrity in all matters, safeguarding the organization’s reputation as we grow.

**Who You Are**:

- ** You Own It**:You approach every challenge with the mentality of a surfer tackling a perfect wave—taking full ownership of your work and responsibilities, driving projects forward with confidence and initiative.
- *