Information & Privacy Officer, Office of General Counsel

Required Position

Full-Time Appointment

Responsibilities

Vacancy Status: Existing position

Reporting to the Senior Legal Counsel, and adhering to strict requirements of confidentiality, the Information & Privacy Officer is responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining the university’s privacy and access to information framework, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation, and fostering a culture of privacy and transparency across all academic and administrative units. This role involves leading privacy initiatives, managing access to information requests, and providing expert advice within a dynamic university environment.

Compliance & Reporting

• Develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive process for Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs) in accordance with amended Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (‘FIPPA’) requirements, including leading PIA work and collaborating with IT on the system.
• Provide advice on the interpretation and application of complex privacy legislation, including, but not limited to, the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA), Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA), Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the Personal
• Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). Advise on all related access and privacy matters affecting the institution, guiding institutional compliance and risk mitigation.
• Primary institutional liaison for privacy-related matters with external government regulatory bodies, including the Information and Privacy Commissioner. Coordinate and submit mandatory reporting to the Commissioner and prepare annual privacy reports for the Board of Governors.
• Lead the institutional response to internal and external incidents, privacy breaches, complaints, and privacy inquiries. This includes managing Freedom of Information (FOI) requests from initial record gathering and exemption application to redaction, mediation, and preparing representations for appeals.
• Develop and deliver training in both official languages to staff on legislative requirements, university policies, and procedures, promoting privacy awareness and records management across the university.

Information & Records Management

• Coordinate the retrieval of records, draft decisions, track and process requests, and maintain detailed records to ensure compliance with deadlines.
• Interpret privacy legislation in order to make informed decisions regarding the application of exemptions and exclusions to the information requested, if applicable, including researching relevant orders and judicial review decisions.
• Coordinate the implementation, education, maintenance, and adherence to institutional records and privacy-related policies and procedures.
• Monitor directives from the IPC office as well as legislative, regulatory, best practice and sector developments in privacy and records management, advising management on operational impacts and ensuring policies and practices remain compliant.
• Develop audit procedures for privacy and records management programs and liaise with enterprise risk management and insurance for privacy audits.
• Analyze records for possible disclosure, coordinate retrieval of records, apply exemptions, and draft decisions, in compliance with FIPPA requirements.
• Build and maintain dashboards and reporting tools for regulatory filings and compliance activities.

Collaboration & Administrative Support

• Work collaboratively and constructively with all academic and administrative units to gather required information, fostering a culture of accountability, transparency, mutual respect and build trust for timely FOI responses and overall alignment.
• Communicate complex privacy and access requirements clearly and patiently, building trust and understanding across diverse groups.
• Evaluate complex and sensitive information, assess time extensions, fees, and exemptions, and provide clear, practical advice and recommendations.
• Work with administrative and academic units and lend expertise, as requested and assigned, to support the university’s records, information and privacy management initiatives.

Perform other duties as assigned.

 

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Law and Justice, Paralegal, Information Management or a related field.
• Master’s/Graduate degree preferred
• Three (3) to five (5) years in in privacy and records management, preferably in a public sector or university environment.
• Five (5) to eight (8) years of experience coupled with a college diploma may be considered.
• CIPP/C (Certified Information Privacy Professional/Canada), CRM (Certified Records Manager), or MLIS (Master of Library and Information Science) is considered an asset.
• Excellent Verbal and Written Communication Skills.
• Demonstrated problem-solving, attention to detail, and conflict resolution skills.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills; ability to meet deadlines.
• Excellent analytical and critical thinking skills.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience in managing institutional records, adhering to retention policies, and ensuring data integrity.
• Proven ability to handle, secure, and analyze large research datasets in accordance with privacy and security protocols.
• Proven ability to work independently with minimal supervision, take initiative, and collaborate effectively within a team environment.
• Proven discretion and sound judgment when managing highly confidential business, financial, or personnel data.
• Experience in building and maintaining dashboards and reporting tools for regulatory filings and compliance activities.
• Familiarity with digital records management, including the contingencies and risks associated with managing electronic records.
• Comprehensiveknowledge of Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) and the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA), with familiarity with CASL, GDPR, and PIPEDA.
• Familiarity with university governance, business processes, and departmental needs.
• Understanding of equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility principles in the workplace and in service delivery
• Demonstrated ability to interpret privacy legislation to apply exemptions and exclusions to information requests, including researching relevant orders and judicial review decisions.
• Excellent interpersonal, negotiation, and influencing skills to foster cooperation, build trust, and encourage adherence to timelines.
• Ability to work fluently (verbal and written) in both official languages, French and English, is an asset.

Applications are being accepted to fill an active vacancy within the University

***We are aware that some applicants are experiencing difficulty using our careers portal. Should you complete an application through our online form and receive an error, please submit your application to careers@laurentian.ca***

The official University hours of operation shall be from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, during, and including, the months from September to April, and from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m Monday through Friday during and including May to August., amounting to thirty-three and three-quarter (33.75) hours per week.

At Laurentian University, we recognize that work-life balance is essential for both personal well-being and professional success. Our policy offers employees some flexibility to better balance personal needs while maintaining effective service delivery.

Laurentian University is an inclusive and welcoming community committed to employment equity. Applications are encouraged from members of equity-seeking communities including women, racialized and Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, and persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities/expressions. Laurentian University’s bilingualism policy provides a provision regarding the language requirement for persons self-identifying as First Nations, Métis or Inuit.

Laurentian University is committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free experience to applicants with accessibility needs. Requests for accommodation can be made at any stage during the recruitment process. Please contact Human Resources for more information (careers@laurentian.ca).

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Applications will only be accepted through our online form.