Director, Litigation
Job Number: 50835
Reporting to the Deputy City Solicitor and Branch Manager, Legal Services, The Director, Litigation has a unique opportunity to make a significant impact on the city's legal landscape.
As the leader of the City’s Litigation Section, you will guide a team of highly skilled legal professionals, ensuring the delivery of exceptional legal services. Our Litigation Section includes three practice groups - Civil Litigation, Administrative Law, and Labour and Employment. Your understanding of these legal practice areas, along with the City's business plans and objectives, will be invaluable in developing and implementing strategic priorities for the Legal Services Branch.
You will actively engage with City Administration and Council, providing timely and insightful legal advice that drives progress and aligns with the mission, vision, and values of Edmonton. In some cases, you may take on complex and sensitive litigation matters yourself and represent the City before courts, boards and tribunals.
What will you do?
- Lead employee development and coaching, performance evaluation and feedback, health and wellness, safety, conflict resolution, staff recruitment and succession planning
- Identify continuous improvement opportunities and develop strategies to support team development
- Manage lawsuits against or by the City, including analyzing complex legal issues, conducting legal research, drafting pleadings, conducting examinations for discovery, interviewing witnesses, retaining experts, negotiating with outside lawyers, and representing the City in court and at arbitrations
- Contribute to the development of the Legal Services Branch priorities and strategy, while also ensuring the successful implementation of key initiatives and objectives
- Collaborate closely with City Administration and City Council to navigate issues, identify priorities and provide timely advice
- Provide legal and strategic advice to client areas/Departments, Executive Leadership and City Council, as required
- Build trust and establish strong relationships with City Council, the Executive Leadership Team, departments and branches across the organization, and other partners such as other orders of government and community organizations
- Provide advice and recommendations to the Deputy City Solicitor on significant developments on important matters
- Attend Council and Committee meetings as needed, to provide legal and strategic advice on matters before Council and Council Committee and address sensitive legal matters
- Anticipate business opportunities, influence policy, planning and initiatives, and foster a culture of accountability through performance measurement
Qualifications:
- Completion of a Juris Doctor (JD) or Bachelor of Laws (LLB) Degree is required
- Member in good standing with the Law Society of Alberta
- Experience in an equivalent legal leadership role
- Experience in a legal leadership role
- Experience leading and managing change, building organizational talent and capacity to achieve organizational outcomes
Assets:
- Supplementary education and experience in the public sector, local government, municipal law or administrative law is an asset
Skills required for success:
- Ability to build a respectful workplace culture through a values-based influencer approach and working collaboratively
- Understanding of complex municipal subject matter and building influential relationships with City Council, external agencies, orders of government, community organizations, and internal departments and branches
- Proven ability to communicate with strong political acumen, strategic planning, issue resolution and decision-making skills
- Proven ability to present complex ideas to diverse audiences, build positive relationships and establish clear expectations
- Experience delivering service excellence, embracing diversity and promoting inclusiveness
- Demonstrate alignment with the Cultural Commitments of Safe, Helpful, Accountable, Integrated and Excellent, fostering an environment for others to do the same. For more information on the City’s Cultural Commitments, please visit
- Demonstrate the foundational competencies, key behaviours and attributes of the City’s six leadership competencies: Courage, Inclusivity, Values-Based Influencer, Collaborative Networker, Systems Thinker and Creative Innovator. For more information on the City’s leadership competencies, please visit
Conditions of Employment and Work Environment:
- Hire is dependent on Criminal Information Check satisfactory to the City of Edmonton. There may be a cost associated with this requirement
- This position ​may be eligible for a hybrid work arrangement ​with ​the flexibility to work from both home and the worksite
- Hours of Work: 36.9 hours per week, Monday - Friday
- Salary: (Annually) $137,715.00 - $196,736.00
- 1 permanent, full-time position
The City of Edmonton values applicants with a diverse range of skills, experiences and competencies, and encourages you to apply. We strive to provide reasonable access and accommodations throughout the recruitment process. To request an accommodation, please contact employment@edmonton.ca. Learn more about our benefits. Talent sourced through this process may be considered for similar opportunities within the City of Edmonton.
Talent Acquisition Consultant: JM/MZ
Classification Title: MS4 - Professional Solicitor
Posting Date: Oct 28, 2024
Closing Date: Nov. 17, 2024 11:59:00 PM (MST)
Number of Openings (up to): 1 - Permanent Full-time
Union: Management
Department: Legal Services
Work Location(s): Chancery Hall, 10th Floor, 3 Sir Winston Churchill Square Edmonton T5J 2C3
Please apply through the Company Website.