Head of Legal – Burnaby

This hybrid role requires 3 days on-site at our Burnaby, BC office and 2 days remote per week.

Welcome to Specsavers– where we’re not just about eyecare and eyewear, but changing lives through better sight. Ranked the 5th Best Workplace™ in Canada and 12th globally by Great Place to Work®, we’re proud of our optometrist-owned model that makes high-quality eyecare and eyewear accessible to all Canadians.

Founded 40 years ago in the UK by visionary husband and wife optometry duo Doug and Mary Perkins, Specsavers has remained privately owned since day one. Today, we are a $7.8 billion global business with over 45,000 colleagues across more than 2,700 retail optical locations. In Canada, our support office is based in Burnaby, BC. Since entering the market in 2021, we’ve been scaling rapidly, now with over 270 locations nationwide. With advanced clinical equipment and a wide range of affordable, high-quality eyewear, we’re transforming the way Canadians experience eyecare.

If you’re passionate about making a difference and want to be part of a values-driven organization, join us as we continue to grow. Together, we can change lives through better sight.

What You’ll Do

• As a senior legal leader, you'll provide strategic and practical legal advice to support Specsavers' continued growth in the Canadian optical and optometry market.
• Partnering closely with leaders across the business, you'll help drive commercial initiatives, manage legal risk, and enable informed decision-making across a broad range of corporate and commercial matters.
• You'll play a key role in shaping the legal strategy for the Canadian business while delivering hands-on support on day-to-day legal issues.
• Working closely with the Legal & Risk Director (General Counsel, Canada), you'll lead and develop members of the Canadian Legal Team, helping ensure the effective delivery of legal priorities and fostering a high-performing team.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day delivery of legal services by the Canadian Legal Team, working closely with the Legal & Risk Director to align delivery with the function’s strategic priorities.
• Provide strategic and day-to-day legal advice across the Canadian business, including in relation to commercial contracts, franchising, joint ventures, leasing, corporate governance, regulatory matters, privacy and data protection, marketing, employment and broader business initiatives.
• Proactively identify, assess and communicate legal risk, and partner with the business to develop proportionate, practical mitigation strategies that support informed decision-making and commercial outcomes.
• Oversee and, where appropriate, lead the drafting, review and negotiation of complex and strategically significant commercial, franchise, joint venture, partnership and leasing arrangements.
• Act as a trusted business partner to senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders, including Finance, Operations, Business Development, Regulatory, Marketing, Human Resources, Information Security, Information Technology, Product, Procurement and Data teams.
• Lead, develop and empower members of the Canadian Legal Team by setting clear objectives and priorities, allocating work effectively, monitoring capacity and performance, and ensuring consistent, high-quality service to the business.
• Coach and develop team members through regular feedback, career development and succession planning, fostering an inclusive, engaged and accountable culture.
• Support the Legal & Risk Director in setting and delivering the Legal and Risk function’s strategic priorities, including annual planning, budgeting and resource allocation.
• Exercise sound judgment in determining when matters require escalation and support the Legal & Risk Director with clear and timely reporting to senior leadership.
• Develop, implement and continuously improve legal documents, templates, policies, training materials, procedures and self-service resources.
• Lead continuous improvement in legal operations and governance.
• Collaborate with Group Legal and regional counterparts, contributing to projects and initiatives with cross-border or global impact.
• Establish and maintain effective relationships with external legal providers across Canada.
• Perform other duties as required from time to time.

What We’re Looking For

• Bachelor of Laws (LLB) or Juris Doctor (JD).
• Qualified lawyer in good standing with a Canadian law society, with the ability to practice in British Columbia or become licensed in BC if required.
• Motivated, self-starter lawyer with at least 10 years of broad-ranging corporate/commercial legal experience.
• Demonstrated people leadership experience.
• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to negotiate, structure, and draft agreements.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills.
• Ability to balance legal risk with commercial objectives.
• Collaborative and collegial leader.
• Experience supporting organizations operating across Canada.
• Clearly communicates complex legal issues to a non-legal audience.
• Ability to manage competing priorities across the Legal Team.

Compensation: $190,000 - $210,000 base salary, plus quarterly bonus, profit sharing, and benefits.

5 weeks of vacation and 1 paid volunteer day per year.

Health and dental benefits, RRSP matching and a Healthcare Spending Account active from your first day.

Mental health and wellbeing support, including $3,000 annually for practitioner care.

Quarterly bonuses, based on your performance.

Annual Profit Share program.

Free parking, access to the building gym, and a fully stocked kitchen.

On-site wellness offerings in-office.

Team and company social events.

Our Hybrid Work Model

At Specsavers, we embrace a hybrid approach that balances in-office collaboration with the flexibility to work from home.

Equal Opportunity Employer

At Specsavers, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace.

Accessibility and Accommodations

We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible workplace.