VP, Legal & General Counsel

Wawanesa Insurance•Edmonton, AB

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Vice President, Legal & General Counsel is the enterprise functional leader for Wawanesa’s Legal teams. Reporting to the SVP, Chief Legal & Strategy Officer, the role is accountable for the effective operation, coordination, capability, delivery and continuous improvement of legal services across Wawanesa. The role ensures Wawanesa’s Legal function delivers practical, timely, consistent, business-savvy and risk-informed advice across the enterprise. The role operates within the enterprise legal strategy, governance expectations and escalation protocols established by the SVP, Chief Legal & Strategy Officer, and supports that office on material enterprise, governance, strategic transaction, regulatory, reputational and Board-related matters as requested.

Requirements

LLB, JD or equivalent law degree and membership in good standing with a Canadian law society or other applicable law society.
A minimum of 12 years of professional legal experience, including significant experience in a complex corporate, insurance, financial services or regulated environment.
Demonstrated experience leading legal teams, legal operations, matter management, functional planning, external counsel management and legal service delivery at scale.
Strong knowledge across multiple legal disciplines relevant to Wawanesa, such as corporate/commercial, insurance, regulatory, privacy, employment, litigation, intellectual property, technology, governance, transactions and risk-related legal matters.
Experience advising senior leaders and translating legal analysis into practical business-oriented guidance.
Experience developing legal talent, strengthening team capability and building effective professional standards and operating routines.

Nice To Haves

Business, governance, risk management, compliance, insurance or leadership education, such as an MBA, LLM, ICD.D or equivalent senior business experience, is an asset.

Responsibilities

Lead Wawanesa's Legal function, including legal service delivery, legal operations, talent, practice management, external counsel management and functional effectiveness.
Implement enterprise legal strategy through functional plans, operating routines, practice standards, work allocation and performance expectations.
Build and maintain an engaged, capable and collaborative Legal team that delivers practical, commercially aware and risk-informed advice aligned with Wawanesa's values and enterprise priorities.
Design and oversee Legal operating routines, including matter intake, triage, prioritization, assignment, escalation, reporting and closure practices.
Establish service standards, performance measures, knowledge management practices and continuous improvement initiatives that support timely, consistent and high-quality legal support.
Maintain visibility over significant legal matters, demand drivers, capacity pressures and emerging legal risks.
Provide senior legal advice and oversight on assigned corporate, commercial, insurance, regulatory, governance, employment, litigation, privacy, technology and transaction matters.
Oversee legal support for material disputes, investigations, regulatory matters, commercial arrangements and enterprise initiatives.
Ensure material legal, regulatory, governance, strategic, financial, operational and reputational matters are identified, managed and escalated appropriately, while helping business leaders understand legal considerations, options, trade-offs and implementation implications.
Oversee external counsel selection, engagement, performance, budgeting, billing discipline and value management.
Establish expectations for the use of external counsel, matter scoping, advice integration and knowledge transfer, and monitor legal spend and resource effectiveness.