About the Role
Canada's Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI) is a national, independent, not-for-profit organization that resolves disputes between consumers and financial services firms in both official languages. OBSI investigates unresolved disputes and shares its knowledge to help consumers and firms.
Responsibilities
- Provide legal research, analysis, and advice on corporate, banking, securities, employment, privacy, investigation-related, and administrative law matters.
- Support risk identification, assessment, and response for OBSI’s operations, policies, investigations, and regulatory obligations.
- Review and draft legal correspondence, memoranda, briefing notes, policies, procedures, and guidance materials.
- Monitor legal, regulatory, policy, and industry developments relevant to OBSI’s mandate and operations.
- Foster a culture of professionalism, collaboration, accountability, continuous improvement, and public service.
- Support compliance with banking and securities regulatory requirements, OBSI’s Memorandum of Understanding, and Terms of Reference.
- Support privacy compliance activities, including inquiries, complaints, breach assessments, and policy updates.
- Assist with the investigation and response to compliance and service complaints.
- Provide legal oversight and support for compliance audits.
- Support the maintenance of compliance, complaints, privacy, and audit tracking tools.
- Identify trends, potential compliance issues, systemic concerns, or opportunities for process improvement.
- Provide legal support to OBSI’s reconsideration process.
- Assist with regulatory reporting to various oversight bodies.
- Work with internal stakeholders to ensure the accuracy, clarity, completeness, and consistency of reports.
- Draft, review, and coordinate materials relating to reportable compliance issues and regulatory reporting requirements.
- Support corporate governance and corporate secretarial matters, including Board and committee support.
- Assist with the preparation of corporate secretarial and governance materials for senior management and the Board of Directors.
- Periodically review and revise governance documents, policies, procedures, and internal records.
Requirements
- Licensed lawyer in good standing with the Law Society of Ontario.
- Approximately 3-7 years of relevant legal experience, preferably in corporate law, administrative law, privacy law, regulatory compliance, financial services, investigations, dispute resolution, or governance.
- Experience providing practical legal advice in an organizational, regulatory, public interest, ombuds, financial services, or not-for-profit environment is an asset.
- Strong legal judgment, including the ability to assess risk, identify relevant facts and issues, and provide clear, practical recommendations.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Strong interpersonal skills, including diplomacy, professionalism, and discretion.
- Strong planning, organizational, and time-management skills.
- Ability to work independently while recognizing when escalation or consultation is required.
- Familiarity with banking and investment industry practices, products, services, legislation, regulation, and dispute resolution processes is an asset.
- Familiarity with OBSI’s mandate and operating environment.
- Strong proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite of programs.
- Demonstrated commitment to maximizing productivity through information technology and continuously improving information technology skills.
Skills
- Legal research
- Legal analysis
- Legal advice
- Risk management
- Drafting legal correspondence
- Drafting memoranda
- Drafting briefing notes
- Drafting policies
- Drafting procedures
- Drafting guidance materials
- Monitoring legal developments
- Monitoring regulatory developments
- Monitoring policy developments
- Monitoring industry developments
- Compliance support
- Privacy support
- Complaints investigation
- Audit support
- Reconsideration support
- Regulatory reporting
- Governance support
- Corporate secretarial support
- Microsoft Office suite proficiency
- French language proficiency (asset)
Location
- Downtown Toronto
Work Type
- Hybrid
- 2 days a week in the office
Experience Level
- 3-7 years of relevant legal experience
Education Level
- LLB/JD or equivalent law degree
Salary/Compensations
- $115,000 – $130,000
About the Company
- OBSI is a national, independent and not-for-profit organization.
- OBSI helps resolve and reduce disputes between consumers and financial services firms in both official languages.
- OBSI is responsive to consumer inquiries, conducts fair and accessible investigations of unresolved disputes, and shares its knowledge and expertise with stakeholders and the public.
- If a consumer has a complaint against an OBSI participating bank or investment firm that they are not able to resolve with the bank or firm, OBSI will investigate at no cost to the consumer.
