Legal Counsel (Employment Law)

ABOUT THE JOB:

The mission of the Legal Department is to protect Societe Generale from legal, regulatory, reputational, and other risks, while at the same time assisting the business units in the achievement of their legitimate business interests by providing effective and quality legal services and advice, drafting and reviewing legal documentation and ensuring that business is conducted in compliance with relevant laws and regulations.  The Legal Department is also responsible for (a) overseeing litigation, enforcement actions and investigations; (b) promoting strong and ethical legal culture within the Americas; and (c) identifying and mitigating legal risk arising. The members of the Canadian Legal Department work closely with the American Legal Department as we form the Americas Legal Group, and thereby collaborate on regional projects and strive to align on key principles, policies and procedures, and on cross-border business transactions and activities.

WHAT WILL BE YOUR DAY-TO-DAY?

In this role, your responsibilities will include:

The Legal Counsel will be primarily responsible for generally assisting the General Counsel and the Human Resources department in advising on employment related matters for the Societe Generale Canadian entities, but will also be expected to work on other matters covered by different areas of law. This will include:

• Working with the Human Resources department and business clients to provide guidance and practical solutions for labor and employment law issues;
• Providing experienced legal advice on a variety of employment related matters under Quebec, Ontario and Federal employment laws;
• Drafting and reviewing a wide range of agreements, including offers of employment, severance agreements and  other types of agreement such as non-disclosure agreements and service agreements (including agreements with third party vendors);
• Reviewing or advising on Compliance, HR and Compliance policies, and the interpretation of HR and Compliance policies and programs related to employees (including whistleblowing matters);
• Preparing and reviewing investigation files, and participate or lead (as may be required) employee investigations relating to conduct and behavior (and may be called upon to participate in other types of investigations as well);
• Reviewing different aspects of privacy and data protection laws;
• Assist the HR department in reviewing legal questions and governmental forms related to immigration laws;
• Consulting with outside legal counsel when required on various topics;
• Assisting the General Counsel to work on and complete internal controls and other projects involving the Legal  Department;
• Participating in the Legal Department’s legal watch, conducting research and drafting legal memoranda and notices on a variety of topics;
• Establishing and maintaining relationships, credibility and trust with business clients, stakeholders, legal team members and outside counsel;
• Partnering with the Human Resources department to promote company values, standards and culture; and
• Performing other tasks as assigned by the General Counsel from time to time.

The candidate must also have the ability to prioritize several simultaneous requests in a high pressure environment, while maintaining a fast and logical approach and speed of execution. The person must also be comfortable with new technologies and have an open mind to innovate to increase efficiency and execution of the work performed by the legal department.

This person will need to be results driven, mindful of organizational and business objectives, have excellent  communication (oral and written, in both English and French) and interpersonal relationship skills within and across departments and externally, including with SG colleagues in the USA and Europe.

SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS:
Must Haves:

• The person must have obtained a Bachelor of law from a Canadian University
• 5 to 9 years of experience in a Canadian law firm or the legal department of a company operating in a relevant industry 
• 4 + years of experience practicing labor and employment law in Canada.

Competencies:

• Strong knowledge of applicable provincial and federal employment and related laws including but not limited to the Act respecting Labor standards (Quebec), applicable occupational health and safety legislation, and provincial and federal human rights legislation.

Nice to Haves:

• Prior in-house counsel 
• Experience in the financial services industry, and litigation and dispute resolution experience.
   

LANGUAGE: 

Ability to communicate in English, both orally and in writing, is a requirement as the person in this position will need to collaborate regularly with colleagues and partners in the United States.

Due to US Federal Securities law applying to this position, candidates who will apply for this position will be required to submit to an enhanced background screening, including the collection of their fingerprints by a third-party vendor selected by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA")

OUR BENEFITS:

WHAT WE DO DIFFERENTLY AT SOCIÉTÉ GÉNÉRALE

Competitive compensation & benefits offering, including but not limited to:

• Minimum of 20 Vacation days + 4 personal days 
  • Supportive Maternity, paternity, parental and adoption leave policy 
  • Health spending ($2,000/year) and personal spending ($1,000/year) accounts with 75+ eligible reimbursement categories (health, training, electronics etc.)

Fully sponsored virtual healthcare assistance and Employee Assistance Program to you and your immediate family

Various Employee Resource Groups (ERG) to engage with such as Pride and Allies, American Women Network, Black Leadership Network, One planet, etc.

• A culture of continuous development by encouraging our employees various training programs (online training and coaching platform such as Coursera, GoFluent, Pluralsight, First Finance, and others)

Societe Generale is committed to offering an inclusive recruitment experience to all candidates. If you require any reasonable accommodations during the recruitment process, please do not hesitate to let our Recruiters know.

OUR CULTURE: 
At Societe Generale, we live by our 4 core values of commitment, responsibility, team spirit and innovation. We are engaged and demonstrate consideration for others. We act ethically and with courage. We focus our talent and energy on collective success. We experiment and propose new ideas. This way, we maximize our ability to serve client needs and anticipate market changes. Societe Generale is committed to strengthening bonds with colleagues, communities, and the world in which we live, because relationships are at the heart of how we operate. For more information about our Culture and Conduct initiatives, please visit this link (https://americas.societegenerale.com/en/careers/get-know-culture/)

D&I: 
Our Diversity & Inclusion Mission: Recruit, develop, advance, and retain a diverse workforce that is united in our efforts to enhance our competitive position and deliver innovative solutions to our clients.
Our Diversity & Inclusion Vision:

• Engaged workforce that is demographically diverse in a way that reflects the communities in which we operate
• Inclusive culture and workplace that recognizes employees' unique needs and utilizes their diverse talents
• Engage our community and marketplace, and position the organization to meet the needs of all its clients

For more information about our D&I initiatives, please visit this link (https://americas.societegenerale.com/en/careers/get-know-diversity/)