Created in 2002 as a result of the merger of the Toronto Housing Company and the Metropolitan Toronto Housing Corporation, Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) is the largest social housing provider in Canada and, after New York City, the second largest in North America. It plays a key role in providing homes to many of Toronto's most racialized, economically disadvantaged and marginalized tenants, but the people and families who live in TCHC homes represent hope and possibility for the city, and have the ability and skills to contribute significantly to its growth.

TCHC is home to 164,000 tenants in 58,500 households - about six per cent of Toronto's population, and tenants reflect the city's diversity, which includes age, education, language, sexual orientation, mental and physical abilities, religion, ethnicity and race, as well as an increasing diversity in lifestyles and values. TCHC's social housing portfolio includes 58,500 units in over 2,240 high, medium and low-rise apartment buildings and houses within 365 communities across the city, and the organization employs 1,400 employees who serve the needs of tenants on a daily basis. TCHC has an annual budget of about $600 million, $6 billion in assets, an investment portfolio of over $150 million, and 10 property development projects underway -- representing $1 billion of new construction - including the revitalizations of Lawrence Heights and Regent Park.

The General Counsel Role

Reporting to the President and Chief Executive Officer, the General Counsel is responsible for managing the delivery of high quality, proactive legal services, representation and legal risk management to TCHC staff and the Board of Directors. The position oversees, directs, and is accountable for all legal actions and decisions, including negotiation of commercial contracts, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and compliance, labour and employment, development and construction, redevelopment, litigation management, and overall risk management for the organization. In carrying out this mandate, the General Counsel will be a member of the executive team and have extensive interaction with the Board of Directors, City officials, external legal counsel and sector organizations. Key responsibilities will include:

• Leading and managing the legal function and acting as key legal advisor on all major business transactions.
• Establishing and maintaining appropriate corporate governance with respect to legal matters.
  Negotiating and advising on strategic initiatives and transactions, providing strategic and tactical advice.
• Being champion of the corporation's goals, objectives and strategies by ensuring compliance with all levels of law and regulations.
• Analyzing and minimizing business risks and seeking opportunities for the corporation to maximize profitability, while providing solutions to legal and corporate challenges.
• Monitoring business activities to ensure legally sound practices are securely in place and effectively managed.
• Participating in new business bids, contract negotiations and preparation.
• Staying current on legislative/regulatory changes and providing advice and counsel where appropriate.
• Directing outside counsel, developing policies and procedures.

Desired Qualifications

• Bachelor of Laws (LLB), as well as membership in the Law Society of Upper Canada.
• Ten (10) to fifteen (15) years of broad legal experience with a focus in municipal law, corporate finance, banking and commercial transactions, corporate governance and compliance, construction and real estate matters, corporate commercial law(including procurement), civil and/or administrative litigation, landlord and tenant law, and labour and employment law.
• Progressive experience managing a legal team and departmental budget.
• Solid judgment and contract negotiation experience.
• Expert knowledge of a wide range of laws, regulations and judicial precedent; expert knowledge in a wide variety of issues related to corporate compliance, tenders, procurement, corporate affairs and contract issues in a social housing environment.
• Team player with strong strategic, analytical and organizational skills; proven track record developing high performance teams.
• Demonstrated leadership, critical thinking, coaching and influencing, and relationship-building skills.
• Strong oral and written communication skills and exceptional business and legal acumen.
• Ability to provide practical legal advice in connection with complex business strategies and initiatives.
• Proven ability to interact effectively with and engage a variety of stakeholders including: staff, tenants, business partners, external legal counsel, other levels of government and community groups.
• Experience in a social housing and/or non profit organization is a key asset.

For further information and consideration, email your resume to:

Patrick Rowan, Partner
Feldman Daxon Partners, Inc.
45 St. Clair Avenue West, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario
(416) 515-7600 ext. 254
prowan@feldmandaxon.com