About our Client

The leadership and tenacity of members and executives have allowed METRO to pursue its growth through mergers, acquisitions, and innovations. Today, it is an acknowledged leader in food and pharmacy.

Through its activities as a retailer, franchisor, distributor, and manufacturer, it operates or supplies a network of some 950 food stores under several banners including Metro, Metro Plus, Super C, and Food Basics, as well as some 650 pharmacies mainly under the Jean Coutu, Brunet, Metro Pharmacy and Drug Basics banners.

METRO INC. acquires The Jean Coutu Group (PJC) Inc. in the Spring of 2018. The combination of the two leading companies creates a retail leader strongly positioned to cater to the growing consumer needs in food, pharmacy, health, and beauty.

Purpose

Healthy Together is the expression of METRO’s purpose; to nourish the health and well-being of our communities. This is our rallying cry that brings together our customers and METRO colleagues around a shared commitment. Working together, we are taking concrete steps to create lasting change that will leave us stronger – and healthier – than ever before.

Culture and Values

Products and services
Meeting our customer’s needs is at the core of METRO’s business strategy. We aim to provide consumers with products and services that meet their expectations, and we work toward a more responsible supply chain.

Environment
METRO aims to improve its environmental performance in several ways. Our priorities: reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, manage our waste and reduce food waste.

Colleagues
The health and well-being of our colleagues are primary conditions for us to truly embody our purpose and ensure our organizational effectiveness. We, therefore, build on occupational health and safety, respectful labour relations, talent management, and an ethical, inclusive, respectful, and positive work environment.

Communities
At METRO, we are dedicated to contributing to the economic and social well-being of communities. Our priorities are to invest in the communities in which we are present and to promote local purchasing, both to support local suppliers and to meet our customers’ expectations.

Brief Description

Reporting to the Vice-President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of METRO INC., the Senior Director, Legal Deparment and Assistant Corporate Secretary – Pharmaceutical Division, leads the legal department of the Pharmaceutical Division.

Main Tasks and Responsibilities

• Supervises and coordinates the work of the members of the Legal Department of the Pharmacy Division (Jean Coutu Group, McMahon, and Pro Doc).
• Prepares, manages, and ensures compliance with the budget of the Pharmacy Division’s legal department, including the budget for legal fees related to all litigation in the Pharmacy Division.
• Supports, advises, and participates in the decision-making process of the Pharmacy Division and Metro Inc. senior management, including the President of the Pharmacy Division and the Vice President, General Counsel, on all pharmaceutical matters with a legal aspect.
• Supports and advises Metro Ontario Pharmacies Ltd. in collaboration with the Ontario Legal Department team.
• Acts as the Privacy Officer for the Pharmacy Division.
• As a member of the Pharmacy Division’s management team, sits on various Pharmacy Division committees, including the Executive Committee, ensuring compliance of actions taken and ensuring the dissemination of legal information necessary for decision-making.
• Negotiates, reviews, and drafts various agreements, particularly in the context of real estate and/or commercial transactions as well as franchising (more than 550 franchisees in Quebec, 28 in New Brunswick, and 9 in Ontario).
• Interacts with various pharmacists in the negotiation of transactions and agreements.
• Provides legal advice and opinions, particularly in the areas of real estate, franchising, commercial and civil law, allowing for effective decision-making.
• Asserts the rights of the Pharmacy Division in all types of cases.
• Coordinates mandates given to lawyers in private practice.
• Assists the Pharmacy Division in the application of and compliance with the laws and regulations to which it is subject, including overseeing the monitoring of legal and regulatory changes and participating in compliance committee meetings (Logistics and Distribution, Professional Affairs, and Pro Doc).
• Interacts and represents the interests of the Pharmacy Division with various associations (ABCPQ, AQPP, etc.) and government agencies (RAMQ, MSSS, Health Canada, etc.)
• Acts as Assistant Corporate Secretary which includes preparing and attending all meetings of the Board of Directors of the companies forming part of the Pharmacy Division, drafting and/or reviewing resolutions and minutes, assisting in the updating of corporate records, preparing, and ensuring compliance with various corporate rules and policies including those related to transaction approval and signing of agreements.
• Supervises the training of the members of the Legal Department of the Pharmacy Division and recruits new legal advisors and technicians.
• Coordinates and participates in the continuous improvement of the department’s models and processes as well as the development and improvement of business processes with other departments, particularly with shared files (e.g. real estate, Pro Doc).
• Participates in the management of litigation, including the management of evidence, the relationship with external legal advisors (including instructing them), and informing the senior management of the Pharmacy Department and METRO INC. of the evolution of these and participates with senior management in strategic decisions
• Performs all other related tasks associated with the position.

Required Qualifications

Training

• Member of the Quebec Bar

Professional Experience

• Minimum of 10 years experience in real estate, commercial, and franchising law
• Experience in the pharmacy area (an asset)

Competencies

• Strong negotiation, work organization, and personnel management skills
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Knowledge of MS Office software
• Bilingualism is essential (English and French, spoken and written) as you will be processing documents in English and interacting with people in other provinces of Canada and outside of Canada

Specific Abilities

• Team player, practicality, autonomy, and insight
• Negotiation skills
• Resource organization
• Planning
• Political skills
• Results-oriented
• Managing high-performance teams
• Problem-solving

Follow TALINKO on LinkedIn

Only the people selected for an interview will be contacted. We support the principle of employment equity.

TALINKO is a recruitment firm of middle and senior executives also offering support in the recruitment of members of the board of directors or advisory committee. We operate in different business sectors.

Please note that the masculine is used to lighten the text, without prejudice against to feminine form.