FR
Senior Legal Counsel
Forge Recruitment
🇨🇦 Canada
Hybrid
Senior
9 months ago
9 months ago
University of Toronto Faculty Association (UTFA)
Forge Recruitment is proud to partner with the University of Toronto Faculty Association (UTFA) to recruit a Senior Legal Counsel to join its Legal & Advice Services team.
This is a rare opportunity for a seasoned labour and employment lawyer with academic-sector experience to work at the strategic core of one of Canada's most prominent faculty associations - advising on complex litigation, grievance arbitration, and high-level policy and governance matters.
The Role
As Senior Legal Counsel, you will be a key member of UTFA's management team, working closely with the Director, Legal & Advice Services, elected political officers, and senior stakeholders. You will lead sophisticated legal files, provide strategic advice, and help strengthen UTFA's in-house legal capacity.
Key Focus Areas
- Lead complex grievance arbitrations, litigation, and strategic legal projects
- Provide senior-level advice on labour relations, academic governance, and employment matters
- Advise UTFA leadership on politically sensitive and high-stakes issues
- Support collective bargaining, policy development, and sector research
- Draft clear, persuasive legal and briefing materials for academic audiences
- Mentor and collaborate with in-house counsel and staff representatives
The Ideal Candidate
You are a confident, politically savvy lawyer who thrives in complex, values-driven environments. You combine strong advocacy skills with sound judgment, diplomacy, and exceptional written communication.
Qualifications
- 5+ years' experience in labour relations and/or union-side representation
- Juris Doctor (JD) and strong grounding in labour and employment law
- Experience with grievance arbitration, litigation, and collective bargaining
- Familiarity with post-secondary or academic-sector environments is a strong asset
- Excellent writing, advisory, and stakeholder-management skills
Compensation & Work Environment
- Salary range: approximately $150,000–$170,000, commensurate with experience
- Permanent role with comprehensive benefits and pension
- Hybrid work environment (Toronto preferred)
- Strong internal legal, executive, and professional development support
Start Date
Target start date: April 1 (earlier start possible)
Next Steps
If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, please apply, in confidence. For a full Position Profile, please apply to link, or email Stavros Kanichis at: SKanichis@forgerecruitment.com.
Thank you for your interest in the position and in Forge Recruitment.
Senior Legal Counsel · Forge Recruitment