Board Secretary

Morgan Philips is proud to support the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation in the search for a Board Secretary. The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation is an independent, non-partisan Canadian registered charity. It was created in 2001 as a living memorial to the late former prime minister. The Foundation supports cutting-edge research in the humanities and social sciences, ensuring concrete tie-ins with issues that affect our everyday lives. It supports students pursuing a PhD, honours top researchers and establishes strong connections with leading figures in the professional field. By fostering collaboration between the Scholars, Fellows and Mentors who receive our support, the Foundation brings together exceptional leaders who work together to find tangible solutions to the key challenges of our time. 

The mandate

Reporting to the President and CEO and to the Chair of the Board of Directors, the incumbent’s responsibilities will be four-fold:

• responsible for Board and committee meeting management;
• ensure record keeping and administration for Board and committees;
• oversee governance and compliance;
• execute all communicative efforts and support for the Board. 

The Board of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation is a voluntary board composed of professionals of the highest levels from a large variety of backgrounds. The incumbent needs to ensure continuity, and institutional capacity. They will oversee all the logistics related to the meetings and will deal timely and appropriately with Board Members and respond to all their requests. Content capacity, discretion and reliability are of the utmost importance.

Responsabilities: 

• Governance and Compliance
• Prepare board and committee agendas in collaboration with the Board Chair and the CEO
• Produce high-quality, timely and confidential minutes (bilingual EN/FR) for all board and committee meetings
• Ensure that policies are up-to-date
• Oversee the appropriate review period and assignment of governance documents
• Track and ensure follow-up on decisions
• Maintain the governance calendar
• Monitor compliance issues
• Advise on best practices in governance
• Support the Board Chair and committee chairs proactively
• Ensure compliance with bylaws, policies, and applicable legal and regulatory requirements
• Maintain official corporate records, including bylaws, board policies, resolutions and governance documents
• Support adherence to best practices in board governance
• Circulate agendas, minutes and supporting materials
• Maintain up-to-date register of directors, officers, committee memberships, and terms 
• Certify board resolutions and official documents when required
• Ensure minutes are reviewed, approved and securely stored
• Track board motions, resolutions, and key governance actions
• Support orientation and onboarding of new board members

Core competencies: 

• Commitment to the organization’s mission and values
• Professional judgement, professionalism and integrity
• Strong collaboration and interpersonal skills
• Clear and concise written communication
• Accountability and follow-through
• Discretion and reliability

Desired profile:

• Bilingual (French and English; oral and written)
• Education at Master Level (Humanities & Social Sciences; Law preferably, but not exclusively) or similar degree or appropriate work experience; at least 10 years of work experience
• Strong understanding of board governance and board operations
• Previous experience as a board secretary, corporate secretary, or similar role is considered an asset
• Excellent written communication and minute-taking skills
• Excellent technical skills and knowledge of software, such as Zoom, Teams, PDFs, Excel, Calendar bookings, etc.
• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion
• Familiarity with nonprofit or charitable organization is considered an asset

Specific working conditions: 

• Based in Montréal
• Office presence is required to integrate into the team and understand their work; limited hybrid working conditions are possible
• Possibility of a part-time position
• Attend three annual Board meetings, Annual General Meetings and committee meetings as required, online and in person; some travel may be required
• Generous benefits and advantages
• Compensation will be commensurate with the responsibilities of the role and the nature of the organization

To apply:

The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation has retained Morgan Philips Canada on an exclusive basis to lead this search. Interested candidates are invited to submit their résumé and a letter of interest, in full confidence, to:

Claude Martel  |  Executive Vice-President, Morgan Philips Canada
View email address on jobs2.morganphilips.com

The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation and Morgan Philips Canada are committed to the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion.