Associate General Counsel, Risk & Enterprise

Associate General Counsel, Risk & Enterprise in Edmonton, Canada

Canadian Western Bank (CWB) is the only full-service financial institution in Canada with a strategic focus to meet the unique financial needs of businesses and their owners.

CWB provides nation-wide full-service business and personal banking, specialized financing, comprehensive wealth management offerings, and trust services.

Its teams deliver a uniquely proactive and differentiated level of service to clients in targeted industries where we have deep expertise.

Clients choose CWB for its highly personalized service, specialized expertise, customized solutions, and faster response times.

CWB is a winner of Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Culture (2021) and recognized as one of 50 Best Workplaces in Canada (2021) & Best Workplaces for Mental Wellness in Canada (2021) by Great Places to Work.

This is an incredible opportunity for a talented lawyer to join CWB at an exciting point in its history and work alongside an inclusive, collegial, and high-performing legal team.

CWB offers an award-winning benefits package that includes hybrid work environments, everyday flexibility, 100% company-funded health coverage, health care spending account, a flexible wellness program, and generous time-away options to unplug, rest, and recover.

Due to ongoing growth, CWB seeks an Associate General Counsel, Risk & Enterprise to join its Legal Services team, which provides and manages the delivery of legal services and advice on products, services, initiatives, policies and developments for and on behalf of CWB Financial Group to achieve organizational goals while minimizing legal risk.

Reporting to the Senior Vice-President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, the Associate General Counsel, Risk & Enterprise will be responsible for delivering legal solutions in a variety of areas across the enterprise, managing risk, providing strategic and proactive legal advice, and supporting business leaders in creating the best full-service bank for business owners in Canada.

The ideal candidate must be a naturally inquisitive, analytical, and change-ready leader who is inspired by a growing and flexible organization committed to excellence, learning and diversity.

The role requires an experienced and astute professional, with a proven ability to deliver results. A strong sense of ownership and independent accountability, judgment, and thought leadership are crucial, along with the ability to handle a multitude of tasks simultaneously and to thrive, with grace and humour, under pressure.

Success in this position requires highly developed legal and problem-solving skills paired with strong interpersonal abilities with an impressive history of forging lasting relationships.

Ability to manage sensitive situations with tact and handle highly confidential information with discretion are critical.

Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities

Leads the Risk & Enterprise team within Legal Services, responsible for all litigation, claims and disputes including proactive claim prevention;

third party demands; regulatory; human resources and workplace matters; investigations; financial crime mitigation; incident response; and insurance.

• Responsible for appropriate management of all claims and litigation, including the effective management of external counsel and the thoughtful development and delivery of practical, strategic, and cost-effective approaches.
• Oversees CWB’s response to a wide variety of third-party demands including freezing orders and production orders.
• Responsible for the delivery of the Ethics Program across the organization, including acting as CWB’s Chief Ethics Officer.
• Delivers effective legal advice in a variety of regulatory areas, including consumer protection, AML / ATF, privacy and data governance, and all investigation and enforcement matters.
• Ensures delivery of high quality and practical advice on employment and workplace law, including partnering with our Human Resources team in a variety of areas such as employee relations, investigations, claims, regulatory considerations, and key strategic projects.
• Identifies, defines, and analyzes a wide variety of complex legal issues that may arise across CWB businesses, utilizing judgment and experience to develop appropriate risk-based solutions or decisions, in conjunction with applicable CWB business units or corporate teams.
• Work closely with a wide variety of internal stakeholders, including business leaders, regulatory compliance, human resources, corporate services, fraud and special investigations, group risk management, and information security teams.
• With a high degree of independence and autonomy, oversees and drives the satisfactory resolution of complex or sensitive issues.
• Provides direct specialized legal advice and support to the Board, Executive Committee, and Senior Leadership Council.
• Represents CWB as a member of our leadership team within the legal community and at various industry committees and events.
• Manages and develops a high-performing, engaged team, ensuring a high-trust environment and professional growth of team members.
• Responsible for creating and sustaining a collaborative, diverse, and inclusive work environment.

Education and Professional Skills / Knowledge

• LL.B. or J.D. degree (or equivalent).
• Good standing with a Canadian Law Society.
• Minimum 10 years of relevant legal experience, including in-depth knowledge of commercial litigation and strategic risk management, employment and workplace law, and regulatory enforcement and / or litigation.
• Experience delivering legal services to a business operating in a highly regulated environment.
• Strong analytical capability and the ability to comprehend complex business, legal and regulatory situations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with an ability to inspire confidence and demonstrate credibility with a wide variety of stakeholders.
• Highly developed legal, drafting, and problem-solving skills.
• Sharp focus on relationship building across the enterprise and delivering legal solutions that facilitate the objectives and strategies of our senior leadership team.
• A demonstrated ability to think creatively, broadly, and strategically and a commitment to learning.
• Judgment, diplomacy, and a comfort-level with complex and often ambiguous situations, with an ability to distil technical matters and maintain strategic focus.
• Ability to work under pressure with poise and deliver thought leadership and high-quality legal advice in urgent, high impact situations.

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