Governance and Legal Support Specialist

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of the legal group at a national nonprofit foundation and to&nbsp;<span style="font-weight: 400;">work closely with a high-profile, senior Board of Directors as well as the Office of the CEO.</span>

Toronto, ON

Heart and Stroke

For more than 60 years, Heart &amp; Stroke has been dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. Our work has saved thousands of lives and improved the lives of millions of others. You&rsquo;ll probably run into someone today who is alive and well thanks to the countless Canadians who have supported our cause with their time and donations. http://www.heartandstroke.ca

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Mid Level

Overview: <p>Heart and Stroke is a special type of organization. We&rsquo;re a foundation that values championing health and has a bias for action as we tackle heart disease and stroke. Our mission is to promote health, save lives and enhance recovery. We do so by raising funds to support critical research, and by helping people reduce their risk of heart disease, stroke, and vascular cognitive impairment through risk factor awareness, promoting healthy lifestyles and advocating for healthy public policy. Six core values unite us: Champion Health, Practice Humility, Embrace Change, Drive Impact, Learn &amp; Grow and Be Heartfelt.</p> <p><strong>Who we need</strong></p> <p>Reporting to our General Counsel, we are adding a Governance and Legal Support Specialist to the team. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of the legal group at a national nonprofit foundation and to work closely with a high-profile, senior Board of Directors as well as the Office of the CEO. We need someone who thrives in an autonomous role and has a deep understanding of governance; corporate filings and legal processes and communications (familiarity with Estate law would be an added bonus); Minute Books; compliance and working with regulatory bodies; designing workflows; and planning projects. We want a self-driven Governance and Legal Support Specialist who is collaborative, intuitive, proactive and efficient; someone who excels at making things happen, facilitating communication and ensuring all requirements are satisfied.</p> <p><strong>What&rsquo;s in it for you?</strong></p> <p><em>National impact and exposure.&nbsp;</em>You will have the chance to create and implement processes and best practices for one of the biggest non-profit groups in the country. You want to work closely with highly valued and influential board members, and take ownership for ensuring compliance and good governance.</p> <p><em>Empowerment.</em>&nbsp;You will have the autonomy and the creative freedom to plan ahead, to be proactive and to create and optimize processes. You want the rare chance to put your stamp on projects, meetings, templates, and functions at a national foundation.</p> <p><strong>Who you are</strong></p> <p>You may be a Corporate Legal Assistant, a law clerk,&nbsp;a public policy coordinator, or a high level executive assistant with legal and governance experience. Either way, you want to apply your knowledge and expertise in a different way, at a non-profit with a national scope. You may be building out your career looking for that next step, or you may be seeking a place that will invest in you and give you purpose in your work. You are incredibly organized, independent and creative. You are self-motivated and you love to take action on detailed plans. Your strengths include: designing and maintaining clear processes, identifying gaps and solutions for improvement and tackling projects head on.</p>
Responsibilities: <p><strong>How you will make an impact every day. You will:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Provide general legal administrative support. You will: <ul> <li>Manage and file (digitally or manually) Minute Books and ensure compliance with by-laws for federal and provincial foundations.</li> <li>Oversee filings process for federal and provincial foundations.</li> <li>Ensure digital and paper filings are up to date as well as registries of officers, directors, and members.</li> <li>Support estate administration functions.</li> </ul> </li> <li>Support the Board of Directors and general governance functions. You will: <ul> <li>Coordinate Governance Committee logistics and diligently monitor the by-laws to ensure proper notice, proxy, quorum, and other requirements are met.</li> <li>Draft agendas, follow-up on action items, routine resolutions and oversee board calendar for compliance.</li> <li>Support succession planning.</li> <li>Draft and maintain board orientation and welcome package, competency matrix, education materials, work plans.</li> <li>Lead the review of and maintain board policies working with appropriate stakeholders to ensure they are relevant and accurate.</li> <li>Oversee timely collection of Governance pre-reads and timely upload of all pre-read materials to board books software (Diligent Books).</li> <li>Prepare bi-annual reports on complaints process, privacy updates with input from General Counsel.</li> <li>Plan Coordinate and implement the Annual General Meeting.</li> </ul> </li> </ul>
Requirements: <p><strong>What you bring:</strong></p> <ul> <li>The education and experience. You have a diploma or degree in Business Administration, Policy, Legal Support or related. You have 5+ years providing governance and legal support in a corporate environment and direct experience liaising with an oversight committee or board. Exposure to a larger nonprofit is an asset.</li> <li>The initiative. You thrive in an autonomous role, yet you are equally comfortable in a team environment. You can balance multiple projects simultaneously and you take ownership of your work.</li> <li>The communication skills. You have outstanding interpersonal skills and you can clearly and intelligently engage with an audience at any level. You have sound business acumen and can compose highly effective written work and correspondence. You are extremely well organized, detail-oriented and accurate. French is as asset.</li> <li>The technical skills. You have expertise with Microsoft Office including MS Project, SharePoint, and Board Books or another digital governance tool. Hand-on experience with a CRM is an asset.</li> </ul> <p>Apply now</p> <p>If you want to join the fight against heart disease and stroke while building an engaged and giving community, apply here.</p> <p>To learn more about our mission, our values and the difference our foundation makes in the lives of Canadians at every age, visit our website or check out our latest posts on&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/heartandstroke">Twitter</a>.</p> <p>Candidates from diverse groups are encouraged to apply. We are committed to fostering an inclusive, barrier-free and accessible environment. If you have been contacted for an interview and require an accommodation to participate in the recruitment and selection process, please advise, and we will work with you to meet your needs.</p>