Deputy General Counsel - Employment Law (Canada) (Surrey)

Deputy General Counsel – Employment Law (Canada)

Location: Remote (Canada-based). Jurisdiction: Canada (Federal & Provincial). Minimum Commitment: 20 hours per week. Department: Legal Guild – Employment Risk & People Infrastructure. Reports To: General Counsel.

We’re not hiring legal help—we’re building a founding partner to help design the employment systems of a global creative company from scratch. This is a rare opportunity to architect culture through law.

Overview

As Deputy General Counsel – Employment Law (Canada), you will lead all employment law and workplace legal operations across our Canadian entities. From talent contracts and investigations to compliance and policy, you’ll be the go‑to partner for legal, HR, and leadership teams.

You’ll ensure that everything we do—hiring, managing, compensating, and growing talent—is done with legal clarity, cultural alignment, and strategic foresight.

What You’ll Own

• Employment Law Strategy: Lead employment law design across Canada (federal & provincial), focusing on Québec, Ontario, and BC.
• Policy & Agreements: Draft and maintain compliant, modern employment agreements, handbooks, contractor terms, codes of conduct, and related documents.
• People Ops Partnership: Work directly with HR, Execs, and Ops on hiring frameworks, terminations, accommodations, DEI, and compensation.
• Workplace Investigations: Oversee and conduct internal investigations with legal and ethical integrity.
• Risk & Compliance: Track provincial changes, lead compliance projects, and advise on how law intersects with growth.
• Remote Work & Classification: Advise on contractor vs. employee rules, remote jurisdictional frameworks, and hybrid team structures.
• Litigation Oversight: Manage external counsel on any employment disputes, labour board claims, or legal escalations.
• Culture‑Legal Bridge: Embed values into legal processes—ensuring policies support innovation, inclusion, and equity.

What We’re Looking For

• Licensed to practice law in Canada (Québec Bar or Ontario Bar preferred).
• 8+ years of employment law experience in Canada—ideally with a blend of in‑house and firm‑side work.
• Robust grasp of multi‑province employment law: contracts, compliance, wrongful dismissal, human rights, investigations.
• Experience partnering cross‑functionally with HR, leadership, and operations teams.
• Excellent async communication and documentation habits (Notion, Confluence, GDocs, etc.).
• Risk‑aware but growth‑minded; you know how to protect and empower.
• Bonus: Fluency in French and experience with Québec employment law.
• Bonus: Prior work with creative, tech, or media companies or IP‑driven businesses.

Compensation

• No upfront cash compensation.
• Equity (shares) at founding partner level (vesting standard).
• Future token‑based rewards (pending legal approvals).
• Salary activates with revenue‑based milestones.
• Remote‑first, async‑native counsel‑to‑creation model.

Our Promise

We’re building infrastructure for creativity, culture, and compliance at scale. We want our legal systems to be ethical, scalable, and empowering—and we want a partner who sees the law as a tool for progress, not just protection.