General Counsel

About This Role

Reporting to the Secretary-General, the General Counsel serves as the University's principal legal officer and most senior legal advisor. This role provides trusted, strategic, and solution-oriented counsel to senior leaders on sensitive, high-stakes matters, safeguarding the University's legal interests, reputation, and public mission. As head of the Legal Counsel Office, the General Counsel sets the strategic direction for legal services, leads the internal legal team, and oversees the effective use of external counsel.

Responsibilities

• Provide timely, practical, and strategic legal advice to the President, Secretary-General, Vice-Presidents, and senior leaders on significant institutional matters
• Lead the Legal Counsel Office, establish service priorities and standards, allocate resources, and supervise, mentor, and develop legal and administrative staff
• Anticipate, assess, and communicate legal, regulatory, operational, and reputational risks, and recommend proportionate strategies that protect the University while advancing its academic and administrative objectives
• Provide legal and strategic guidance on institutional governance, decision-making authorities, policies, procedures, and regulatory obligations, promoting defensible and transparent practices
• Oversee the drafting, negotiation, review, and interpretation of contracts, agreements, settlements, pleadings, tribunal materials, and other legal instruments involving significant institutional interests
• Direct the University
• Select, retain, and instruct external counsel and other legal service providers; manage performance, costs, and outcomes to ensure high-quality and cost-effective support
• Monitor legislative, regulatory, and common-law developments affecting the University and translate emerging requirements into practical compliance, policy, and operational responses
• Build strong, trusted relationships across the University and promote early consultation, coordinated legal services, and effective collaboration among specialized functions
• Strengthen institutional legal capability through education, tools, templates, and training that support informed decision-making and consistent risk management
• Undertake other strategic or legal responsibilities assigned by the Secretary-General

Requirements

• LL.B. or J.D., with membership in good standing in the Law Society of Ontario
• At least 12 years of progressively responsible legal practice, including substantial experience as a General Counsel, senior in-house counsel, or legal leader in a university, public-sector, or comparably multifaceted organization
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in both English and French
• Demonstrated success leading an in-house legal function, managing professional staff, setting priorities, and overseeing external counsel and legal budgets
• Broad expertise across the principal areas of practice relevant to the University, with the judgment and agility to address unfamiliar or rapidly evolving issues
• Superior strategic judgment, legal analysis, negotiation, advocacy, drafting, and presentation skills, with a record of providing clear, practical, and defensible advice on high-stakes matters
• Strong understanding of governance, administrative decision-making, regulatory compliance, and enterprise risk in a large, multi-stakeholder institution
• Strong business acumen and demonstrated comfort with complex transactional matters or files across multiple practice areas
• Exceptional relationship-building and influencing skills, including the ability to reconcile divergent perspectives, foster consensus, and maintain trust in sensitive or contentious situations
• Highly developed organizational skills, with the ability to prioritize competing demands, lead through ambiguity, and respond calmly and effectively in a crisis
• Impeccable integrity, discretion, independence of judgment, and commitment to professional ethics

Important Details

• Application deadline: 2026/11/06
• This position may be subject to a telework agreement

About the Company

The University of Ottawa is a large, bilingual post-secondary institution with a 160-year tradition of bilingualism.