Information & Privacy Officer, Office of General Counsel

Information & Privacy Officer, Office of General Counsel

Position No.: JOBPOST-

Salary: $ 83,462 - $ 104,045 per year

Competition ends: Tuesday, February 10th at 4:30 pm

Reporting to the Senior Legal Counsel, and adhering to strict requirements of confidentiality, the Information & Privacy Officer is responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining the university’s privacy and access to information framework, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation, and fostering a culture of privacy and transparency across all academic and administrative units. This role involves leading privacy initiatives, managing access to information requests, and providing expert advice within a dynamic university environment.

Compliance & Reporting

• Develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive process for Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs) in accordance with amended Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (‘FIPPA’) requirements, including leading PIA work and collaborating with IT on the system.
• Provide advice on the interpretation and application of complex privacy legislation, including, but not limited to, the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA), Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA), Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). Advise on all related access and privacy matters affecting the institution, guiding institutional compliance and risk mitigation.
• Primary institutional liaison for privacy-related matters with external government regulatory bodies, including the Information and Privacy Commissioner. Coordinate and submit mandatory reporting to the Commissioner and prepare annual privacy reports for the Board of Governors.
• Lead the institutional response to internal and external incidents, privacy breaches, complaints, and privacy inquiries. This includes managing Freedom of Information (FOI) requests from initial record gathering and exemption application to redaction, mediation, and preparing representations for appeals.
• Develop and deliver training in both official languages to staff on legislative requirements, university policies, and procedures, promoting privacy awareness and records management across the university.

Information & Records Management

• Coordinate the retrieval of records, draft decisions, track and process requests, and maintain detailed records to ensure compliance with deadlines.
• Interpret privacy legislation in order to make informed decisions regarding the application of exemptions and exclusions to the information requested, if applicable, including researching relevant orders and judicial review decisions.
• Coordinate the implementation, education, maintenance, and adherence to institutional records and privacy-related policies and procedures.
• Monitor directives from the IPC office as well as legislative, regulatory, best practice and sector developments in privacy and records management, advising management on operational impacts and ensuring policies and practices remain compliant.
• Develop audit procedures for privacy and records management programs and liaise with enterprise risk management and insurance for privacy audits.
• Analyze records for possible disclosure, coordinate retrieval of records, apply exemptions, and draft decisions, in compliance with FIPPA requirements.
• Build and maintain dashboards and reporting tools for regulatory filings and compliance activities.
• Work collaboratively and constructively with all academic and administrative units to gather required information, fostering a culture of accountability, transparency, mutual respect and build trust for timely FOI responses and overall alignment.
• Communicate complex privacy and access requirements clearly and patiently, building trust and understanding across diverse groups.
• Evaluate complex and sensitive information, assess time extensions, fees, and exemptions, and provide clear, practical advice and recommendations.
• Work with administrative and academic units and lend expertise, as requested and assigned, to support the university’s records,…