Building a diverse workforce that represents the communities we serve while promoting a safe culture and work environment that dismantles systemic barriers, welcomes fresh perspectives and embraces differences as a priority is a core value at LAO. LAO encourages applicants from equity-seeking groups, including but not limited to individuals who are First Nations, Inuit or Métis, Black and racialized, as well as persons with disabilities, women and members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
We recognize the value of equity, diversity and inclusion and are committed to addressing systemic barriers, and prioritizing, attracting and retaining diverse staff. All interested and eligible people will be considered, with due consideration to all protected grounds under the Ontario Human Rights Code.
Legal Aid Ontario values integrity, respect, responsiveness, excellence, independence, accountability, openness and consistency. Our recruitment process reflects our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. Accommodations are available throughout the recruitment process as well as during employment at LAO. Please direct any accommodation requests to our recruitment team.
About the job
Primary functionThe Director General is responsible for the delivery and oversight of court-based legal aid services within the district, including criminal, family, and child protection, through an integrated model that includes duty counsel and staff services, certificate, and summary legal advice programs.
This role will be responsible for leading a large and geographically dispersed staff in the following judicial districts/locations; Algoma - Sault Ste. Marie, Cochrane - Timmins, Kenora, Manitoulin - Sudbury, Nipissing - North Bay, Parry Sound, Rainy River - Fort Frances, Temiskaming - Kirkland Lake, and Thunder Bay.
As a member of LAO's senior management team, the Director General will work effectively with Provincial Office and local management, staff and other justice sector participants, community partners, Indigenous communities and organizations to ensure that LAO services are client-focused, culturally appropriate, responsive to justice sector needs and support court modernization initiatives.
Home Location: Situated in the North District with a preference for the location to be in the Thunder Bay or Sudbury District Office.
What you bring to the team
Key accountabilities
- The Director General will lead service delivery across a large and geographically vast district and will require a strong understanding of the unique challenges associated with providing legal services across a large geographic area to dispersed communities, including rural, remote, and Indigenous communities. Success in this role requires balancing operational excellence with innovative approaches to service delivery that address geographic, cultural, and accessibility barriers, and align with court modernization objectives and the government priorities as set out in the Attorney General's annual letter of direction to LAO.
- We are seeking an individual with strong leadership skills and legal expertise combined with a solid understanding of the principles of modern public sector management. You are also a change agent, adept at systems management and creative problem solving, with excellent communication skills in both public and private forums, and great interpersonal skills with a good understanding of public sector values. You will have a strong client service orientation, and the capacity to quickly understand and implement business objectives and collaborate with other justice sector participants, including Indigenous communities to find solutions to issues.
- The Director General will be a creative, committed self-starter with excellent relationship-building skills. You will apply your management skills and previous experience to provide leadership and vision to implement LAO's Strategic Plan and annual business plans as well as ensuring that appropriate and innovative service delivery mechanisms are in place. You will be instrumental in advancing the organization's strategic objectives as well as developing and maintaining key stakeholder relationships. This role will serve as a key advisor to LAO senior leadership on Northern Ontario's unique service delivery challenges and opportunities to inform policy, program, and operational decisions.
- This role requires developing and sustaining trusted relationships with Indigenous communities and organizations, justice sector partners, community agencies, municipal leaders, and other stakeholders to ensure services are responsive to local and regional needs.
- This position will play a leadership role in advancing LAO's Indigenous Services Action Plan and reconciliation objectives through meaningful engagement, relationship building, and service improvements that support equitable access to justice for Indigenous communities. This position will also support LAO's Occupational Health and Safety, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, Vulnerable Client, and French Language Services strategies.
- The successful candidate will demonstrate experience leading large, geographically dispersed, and multi-disciplinary teams, fostering engagement, accountability, and organizational culture across multiple locations, and ensuring consistent service quality regardless of location. The Director General will also advance LAO's recruitment and retention strategy to attract top talent and build a strong management team responsible for service delivery across the North.
Required skills & experience
- Member in good standing with the Law Society of Ontario.
- Minimum 10 years' experience as a lawyer.
- Proven management experience, with a track record of leading and managing change initiatives.
- Solid understanding of the justice sector, the needs of low-income Ontarians, and the challenges of legal aid service delivery.
- Demonstrated understanding of the challenges associated with delivering public services across large geographic regions, including rural, remote, and Northern communities, and the ability to develop responsive and innovative service delivery approaches.
- Demonstrated experience building and maintaining relationships with Indigenous communities, organizations, and justice partners, with an understanding of Indigenous perspectives, community priorities, and barriers to accessing justice services.
- Knowledge of a broad range of legal aid services, including those provided by legal clinics and student legal services organizations.
- Knowledge of the law relating to criminal, family, and child protection law.
- Experience leading large, geographically dispersed teams and managing operational performance across multiple locations through effective communication, collaboration, and employee engagement strategies.
- Proven ability to understand and interpret financial, statistical, and performance measurement data.
- Proven experience in managing financial and administrative functions and in directing and developing multi-disciplinary teams, including lawyers, paralegals, and legal aid workers.
- Demonstrated innovation and initiative.
- Strong consultation, facilitation, mediation and negotiation skills.
- Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills.
- Travel throughout the District is required to support staff, engage with justice sector partners, community stakeholders, and community relationships across urban, rural, and remote locations.
Additional Qualifications
The following qualifications would be considered strong assets:
- Strong working knowledge of Microsoft 365 applications and customer relationship management (CRM) software.
- Knowledge of civil, refugee and immigration, and administrative law matters.
- Fluency in both French and English.
To apply submit a cover letter & résumé.
Only those candidates selected for an interview will be notified by email.Please note that all applicants are encouraged to provide a valid email address for communication purposes. Applicants may receive written correspondence regarding this job posting directly to the email address provided on their resume or to the one used to set up their Candidate Profile if applying on Njoyn. As an applicant, it is your responsibility to ensure that you check your email regularly.
First time applying to LAO? You will need to create a profile AND then apply for the position. Already have an Njoyn account? Just sign in and select "my jobs" to apply. Once you have successfully applied, you will receive a confirmation email.
Trouble applying? For telephone support please call 1-877-427-7717 or email support: candidate.njoynhelp@cgi.com
Don't meet every qualification?
If you are excited about this position and meet most, but not all, of the listed qualifications, please still consider applying. We recognize that no one person might have every qualification in this job ad, and you just might be the right candidate!
How we support diversity, inclusion and accessibility
We are building an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We encourage everyone interested in working with us to apply, including people with disabilities, Indigenous, Black and racialized individuals, as well as people from all ethnicities, cultures, sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions.
Our hiring process is accessible, consistent with Ontario's
Human Rights Code and the
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. We are working to prevent and remove barriers in our hiring processes and can offer
accommodation to address specific needs related to Code-protected grounds such as disability, family status and religion. For more information about accommodation during the hiring process please
contact us.Learn more about the work the OPS is doing to create an inclusive, anti-racist, accessible and diverse workplace:
What we offer
At Legal Aid Ontario, we are committed to fostering a supportive and rewarding work environment for our employees. Our comprehensive benefits package reflects our commitment to enhance employees' professional and personal well-being, reflecting our values of equity, inclusion, diversity and belonging.
Your health and wellnessOur health and wellness program includes:
- Dental, health and life insurance
- Short-Term Disability and accidental death & dismemberment insurance
- Permanent employees are eligible for long-term disability insurance
- An employee assistance program (EAP) that offers professional, confidential counselling services to employees and members of their immediate families. The EAP operates programs that address common life issues such as childcare, smoking, financial difficulty, and more.
- Legal Aid Ontario offers a Health Spending Account (HSA) which is an allotment of funds provided by LAO for health and dental expenses, above what the regular plan provides.
Your work-life balanceEmployees enjoy generous paid time-off including:
- 17 vacation days at hire,
- Sick days
- Discretionary days
- Three paid days for religious or cultural observances
- Statutory holidays and The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Remembrance Day and Easter Monday
Your careerLAO supports your career development by offering professional development and networking through several programs, including training to support a positive culture of equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging (EDIB), and lunch and learns to build client service skills
- Informal Employee Networks for staff with shared identities to connect, support each other and build professional networks
- Law Society of Ontario (LSO) accredited training to support learning and professional development for all employees
- EDIB-focused training
- Mentorship programs, including an Indigenous-focused mentorship program
Your futureEmployees are eligible to enroll in the defined benefit Public Service Pension Plan which provides financial security during retirement.