Counsel, Technology

BMO•Toronto, ON

11d•Onsite

About The Position

Counsel, Technology, for BMO Financial Group will be an enthusiastic, generous, and creative attorney who is excited to be an in-house technology attorney for one of the world’s most innovative companies. They’ll join a diverse collaborative team that supports major initiatives advancing BMO as a high-performing, digitally-enabled, future-ready bank. The right candidate will have experience working on cutting edge technologies, preferably with knowledge of the financial services industry and its environment. They will provide advice that influences business decisions and will negotiate to achieve business objectives. They will help to achieve organizational goals while minimizing legal risk.

Requirements

Typically, 3-7 years of legal practice with a technology focus or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Degree in law (LLB or JD) and license to practice law in relevant jurisdiction.
Private practice, in-house experience or experience at regulatory body relating to the regulation of business/group activities may be required.
Knowledge in legal field, typically with a functional or business line specialization.
Knowledge of business and regulatory environment in which BMO Financial Group operates.
Knowledge of subject matter legal requirements and the operations of a single client group.
Negotiation skills - developed.
Professional with a combination of education, experience and industry knowledge.
Verbal & written communication skills - In-depth / Expert.
Analytical and problem solving skills - In-depth / Expert.
Influence skills - In-depth / Expert.
Collaboration & team skills; with a focus on cross-group collaboration - In-depth / Expert.
Able to manage ambiguity.
Data driven decision making - In-depth / Expert.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of the financial services industry and its environment

Responsibilities

Provides legal advice and representation in support of (i) software licensing, outsourcing and other third party vendor agreements, and (ii) sourcing, vendor management and technology-related matters
Performs legal support services on general technology-related matters, such as those relating to policies & procedures, third party risk management, internal training/seminars and internal working groups
Drafts, reviews and negotiates technology outsourcing, software, platform, subscription, hosted service, cloud-based service, electronic trading, data, service level, professional service and license agreements and other third party vendor agreements
Advises internal stakeholders on legal issues and standards for contracting with third party vendors, including responding to stakeholder questions regarding contract terms and related policies and procedures
Coordinates as necessary with subject matter experts for advice and support related to intellectual property, data privacy, cybersecurity, regulatory compliance, dispute resolution and other matters that intersect with third party vendor contract matters
Supports third party risk management program and sourcing team as a legal subject matter expert
Contributes to preparation of and updates to document templates and know-how relating to sourcing and technology matters
Keeps up-to-date on legal and regulatory developments regarding technology-related matters, third party risk management, cybersecurity and data privacy/security
Makes recommendations to senior leaders on strategy and new initiatives, based on an in-depth understanding of the business/group.
Participates in the design of legal advice strategies & approaches for the unit activity and making recommendations to minimize legal issues.
Acts as the prime subject matter expert for internal/external stakeholders.
Exercises judgement on complex, confidential and sensitive matters
Identifies and resolves moderately complex issues. Determines root causes and negotiates resolutions.
Delivers legal advice, instructs external counsel and ensures compliance with internal policies & procedures for a single or small number of function(s).
Acts as a subject matter expert on relevant laws, regulations, and policies.
Resolves daily issues and/or escalates with appropriate analysis and/or recommendations.
Identifies risks and implements appropriate actions to mitigate them.
Implements areas of improvement to ensure consistency with marketplace.
Builds effective relationships with internal/ external stakeholders.