Assistant Secretary & Corporate Paralegal

Cadillac Fairview • Toronto, ON

9d • CA$100,712 - CA$134,283 • Onsite

About The Position

The Assistant Secretary and Corporate Paralegal role exercises significant judgment and independent decision-making to support the Legal department. The role is pivotal in coordinating comprehensive Board and Committee activities, including the management of agendas, accurate minute-taking, and the facilitation of annual effectiveness evaluations. Beyond governance, the role will provide transaction and portfolio management support, maintain corporate records, review contracts to support due diligence and compliance efforts, and other transactional support. They interact with various internal and external stakeholders.

Requirements

• Post-secondary education in business, legal or finance
• Paralegal certification
• Minimum 7-10 years of progressive corporate paralegal and board governance experience working in a corporation or law firm, demonstrating with a firm understanding in commercial transactions and contracts as well as corporate governance practices

Nice To Haves

• Prior experience in Assistant Secretary role is an asset
• French language skills would be an asset, but not a requirement
• Effective use of AI Tools (MinuteBox, Gemini, Claude and/or Harvey) are considered an asset.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary liaison for Executive leadership and Board members
• Organize all Board of Directors and Committee meetings, including scheduling, travel plans, agendas, and materials distribution using Diligent Boards.
• Coordinate and calculate Board and Committee retainer and attendance fees, ensuring accurate and timely submission to Payroll.
• Respond to enquiries from board members, as required and maintain the utmost discretion and confidentiality.
• Attend Board meetings, support logistics and liaise with D&T in case of technology issues.
• Maintain the Diligent Resource Centre to ensure latest approved documents are posted in a timely manner.
• Manage Board meeting schedule.
• Conduct the onboarding, orientation, and ongoing education/training of Board members.
• Prepare and maintain accurate meeting minutes, corporate records and draft regular and special Board/Committee resolutions.
• Participate in ongoing compliance within guidelines from OTPP, preparation of approvals / resolutions, management of board meetings, maintenance of board meeting/minutes database for portfolio companies
• Conduct an analysis and recommend opportunities to improve effectiveness and efficiency for all related Board activities
• Ensure compliance with corporate governance requirements and applicable regulatory obligations.
• Maintain corporate minute books, entity records, director and officer registers, and governance documentation across jurisdictions.
• Use of MinuteBox to manage minute books – management of minute books in conjunction with external law firms and corporate services providers.
• Lead the facilitation process for new entity creation, including managing OTPP approvals, coordinating external counsel, reviewing constating documents, and executing approving resolutions.
• Manage and direct all internal and external Know Your Customer (KYC) lifecycles, collaborating with Investments, Tax, Finance, and Legal to address queries and resolve red flags.
• Support multi-jurisdictional transactional dispositions and acquisitions by coordinating data rooms, fulfilling due diligence requests, and managing document executions.
• Develop and maintain standard transaction legal templates. Review standard agreements (NDAs, standard vendor agreements) for alignment with precedents/ playbooks.
• Streamline processes leveraging artificial intelligence tools to assist in the above.
• Manage all annual corporate filings and registrations of approximately 50 entities, including creation and maintenance of list of current requirements within each platform and liaising / coordination with external counsel and corporate services firms
• Support Finance team with annual tax filings as required.
• Manage and direct the completion of ongoing external Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements within portfolio. This role will support compliance by managing corporate records, tracking beneficial ownership, and organizing JV partners or entity identification documentation
• Support corporate compliance programs, including ethics, anti-corruption and disclosure obligations.
• Manage reporting on Code of Conduct training and annual confirmations.

Benefits

• performance – based incentive plan
• comprehensive pension and benefits plan
• paid time off including vacation, well-being & volunteer days
• support for continued growth and development

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree