Senior Legal Counsel

Metrolinx is connecting communities across the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Metrolinx operates GO Transit and UP Express, as well as the PRESTO fare payment system. We are also building new and improved rapid transit, including GO Expansion, Light Rail Transit routes, and major expansions to Toronto’s subway system, to get people where they need to go, better, faster and easier. Metrolinx is an agency of the Government of Ontario.

At Metrolinx, equity, diversity and inclusion are essential to living our values of serving with passion, thinking forward and playing as a team.

What we offer:

Work that makes an impact across all of Metrolinx as well as the GTHA
Learning and development opportunities
An open and inclusive work environment
Comprehensive health and dental benefits, and wellness spending account
Defined Benefit OMERS Pension plan

Role Summary
Our award-winning Legal Services team is seeking a labour, employment, and human rights lawyer to join our busy and collegial legal team, headquartered in downtown Toronto. Ideal candidates will have a strong interest in problem solving, contributing to setting key strategic direction, and partaking in the leadership and strategic development of a busy labour and employment legal team.

Reporting to a Director, Legal Services, the successful candidate will provide proactive, timely and strategic advice to senior business leaders and their teams, including labour and employment issues arising from operating a busy bus and train transit network; complex infrastructure construction projects; issues that may impact upon Metrolinx customers and the general public; and a wide range of human resources-related files arising from long-range planning as well as day-to-day operations.

Metrolinx has both unionized and non-union employees, and the workforce is both office-based and front-line. Our bus and rail operations operate within a highly regulated environment. Our capital programs entail delivery of complex transit infrastructure, sometimes involving consideration of contractor and/or construction-related labour issues. As a safety-critical and safety-centric organization, experience working within or advising within some or all of these contexts (or analogous) would be an asset.

What will I be doing?
Works independently with a wide variety of business units and stakeholders
Provides labour, employment law and human rights legal advice to internal clients, including on litigation or potential litigation
Undertakes and provides advice regarding litigation on behalf of Metrolinx by representing Metrolinx in legal proceedings, including attendance at the Grievance Settlement Board (grievances), Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (regarding applications brought by both employees and/or customers), in Court (in particular, wrongful dismissals), before the Ontario Labour Relations Board, and/or before other adjudicative or investigatory bodies, including preparing pleadings, written submissions and any other materials needed to undertake litigation files on Metrolinx’s behalf
Provides legal and/or strategic advice regarding negotiations and/or represents Metrolinx in negotiations with individual or commercial claimants, including related to collective bargaining, including preparing correspondence, memoranda and/or other documentation related to negotiations and binding settlements
Directs and manages external counsel on litigation, solicitor-type work, transaction matters and other work, making recommendations, as necessary, to the Labour & Employment lead (Director), Legal Management Team (Directors, VPs, EVPs), Chief Legal Officer and others, including client groups
Provides high-quality and timely legal advice, strategic advice, research, opinions, guidance and service on matters pertaining to labour law, employment law, human rights law and/or other related legal matters
Directs external counsel on litigation, solicitor work and/or transaction matters, and makes recommendations to client groups, portfolio leads and Chief Legal Officer
Drafts and reviews complex contracts, memoranda of understanding and other legal documentation
Works effectively with various agencies, departments and levels of management within and external to the organization, including program managers, business and financial analysts, consultants and executives
Advises and leads presentations to all levels of management, including briefings of Senior Management and Division Heads
Understands how to prioritize tasks, push files…