Senior Specialist, Board Governance

OUR COMPANY BACKGROUND & CULTURE
UPP is the first pension plan of its kind in Ontario's university sector, proudly serving over 41,000 members across five universities and fourteen sector organizations. Our purpose is to bring greater retirement peace of mind to the university sector by investing with integrity and serving members with care. As a sector-wide plan designed for growth, our doors are open to all Ontario universities.
Together, we're a team of progressive thinkers and agile doers operating within a fast-paced culture of collaboration and respect. We believe in bringing smart and capable people together to create, solve, and grow with a clear shared vision and values of integrity, inclusivity, ingenuity, and impact. Our culture is intentionally welcoming and purposefully rooted in equity, diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation (EDI&R). We believe diverse teams, perspectives, and lived experiences contribute to better decisions and a better workplace.
As a pension plan, UPP approaches investing through a long-term lens to generate and safeguard value. Our commitment to investing responsibly accounts for material risks that impact our investment portfolio to generate sufficient risk-adjusted returns to meet the pension needs of our members.
Join us in building a bright future for our members, our organization, and each other.

THE ROLE

Reporting to the Director, Board Governance, the Senior Specialist, Board Governance plays a central role in supporting UPP's governance operations, policy management framework, and Board Secretariat. This role ensures the effective coordination and administration of Board and Committee activities, the integrity and consistency of UPP's policies and procedures, and the delivery of high-quality administrative and document-management support for the Legal & Governance team.

Working closely with internal business units, UPP's executive leadership team, and members of UPP's Board of Trustees, the Senior Specialist, Board Governance supports UPP's governance function, assists in the production, review, and posting of Board and Committee materials, and monitors the lifecycle of UPP's Policies and Frameworks to ensure accuracy, cohesiveness, and timely review and renewal. The Senior Specialist, Board Governance is a key contributor to the efficiency, professionalism, and reliability of UPP's governance model.

As a young and evolving organization, UPP's governance functions are still being built and refined. The Senior Specialist, Board Governance will play an important role in supporting the governance function by developing and embedding good governance practices as UPP matures.

This role is based in Toronto's financial district and has a hybrid work model (approximately two days per week in the office). This role may require occasional travel within Ontario.

SPECIFIC ACCOUNTABILITIES

The Senior Specialist, Board Governance will be responsible for a variety of duties, including but not limited to the following: 

Governance and Policy Management

• Acts as the primary point of contact among UPP's business units in support of good governance practices.
• Supports the Director, Board Governance and the Chief Legal Officer in the provision of strategic governance advice and Board management.
• Supports the maintenance of UPP's inventory of policies and procedures, including tracking renewal cycles, review dates, required approvals, and ensuring timely advancement to relevant committees and the Board for consideration.
• Assists policy owners in drafting, revising, and formatting policies and procedures in alignment with UPP's governance standards and policy framework.
• Monitors policies for cohesion, completeness, and internal consistency; identify gaps, outdated content, or misalignments and escalate as appropriate.
• Maintains accurate documentation of policy updates, version histories, and related approvals.
• Supports the record retention process for UPP policies and Board-related documents.
• Conducts or facilitates research and analysis to assist the Board Chair, Committee chairs, and Trustees as needed.

Board and Committee Meetings Operations

• Assists in developing and maintaining annual forward calendars, workplans, and meeting schedules for the Board and Committees.
• Coordinates meeting logistics and support the preparation, review, and distribution of high-quality Board and Committee materials. This includes proofreading, formatting, advising on organization of content, and ensuring timely submission by contributors.
• Manages the posting of Board and Committee materials to the Board portal (Diligent), ensuring proper categorization, version control, and access permissions.
• Supports the preparation and routing of meeting agendas, minutes, action-item logs, resolutions, and follow-up documentation.
• Assists in ensuring that all governance processes, including notice requirements, document workflows, and communication channels, operate efficiently and in accordance with UPP's governance framework.
• Provides logistical and clerical support for in-person and hybrid Board and Committee meetings.

Other Administrative Support

• Provides direct administrative support to Board Trustees, including calendar management, scheduling, correspondence, travel coordination, expense processing, and general day-to-day support.
• Supports the administration of UPP's secure Board portal (Diligent) and manages user access, document repositories, and retrieval processes.
• Supports the preparation, organization, and drafting of documents, presentations, and briefing materials; ensure accuracy, consistency, clarity, and alignment with governance standards.
• Manages incoming requests and communications on behalf of the Board Secretariat ensuring timely responses and appropriate triage.
• Supports special projects, research, and cross-functional initiatives within the Legal & Governance team.
• Provides backup support to other executive assistants or governance staff during peak periods or absences. 

Governance Stewardship and Continuous Improvement

• Contributes to enhancements in governance processes, templates, workflows, and documentation standards.
• Supports onboarding and offboarding activities for Board and Committee members and assists with trustee education programs.
• Identifies opportunities to improve efficiency in policy review cycles, meeting preparation, and document-management practices.
• Undertakes additional duties as assigned to support the effective operation of the Board Secretariat and governance function.

Investment Legal Support (AML/KYC and Transaction Facilitation)

• Assists the Paralegal and Senior Legal Counsel in collecting, organizing, and formatting AML/KYC documentation for new and existing investment counterparties.
• Coordinates with the Investment team, external counsel, and transaction counterparties to support smooth information flow during onboarding, diligence, and deal execution.
• Tracks, maintains, and updates internal repositories of AML/KYC materials and related investment documentation.
• Supports transaction workflows by monitoring deliverables, organizing documentation sets, ensuring consistent formatting, and maintaining version control throughout the deal lifecycle.

Pension Administration Legal Support

• Assists in reviewing, formatting, and maintaining UPP's Plan Text and other pension plan documents, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and adherence to governance and regulatory requirements.
• Supports the Paralegal and Pension Services legal team in coordinating updates to Plan documents, including drafting, formatting, and organizing amendments and supporting materials.
• Coordinates with FSRA as needed by assembling submissions, preparing supporting documentation, and tracking regulatory communications in collaboration with Pension Services legal counsel.
• Maintains pension administration legal files, ensuring accurate documentation of updates, approvals, and historical versions, and supporting effective recordkeeping across the pension governance framework.

Other

• Performs such other duties which pertain to the office of the Board Secretariat as may be assigned by the Director, Board Governance, Chief Legal Officer, CEO or Board Chair from time to time

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• 5+ years of experience in governance, legal administration, corporate secretariat functions, or a similar role supporting senior leadership or Boards.
• Experience in a pension plan, financial services institution, or regulated environment is an asset.
• Experience with board-portal technology (e.g., Diligent) and strong proficiency in Microsoft Office, including advanced Word and PowerPoint skills.
• Experience managing complex calendars and coordinating high-volume workflows for multiple stakeholders.
• Experience working with document-management and board governance systems (Diligent) and maintaining structured corporate records is an asset.

ATTRIBUTES

• Exceptional attention to detail, organization, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong judgement, analytical skills, and high professional standards of professional conduct
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to simplify complex matters in a concise manner with tact and diplomacy.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities with minimal direction and meet tight deadlines.
• Excellent proofreading skills.
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality, including the handling of confidential information and good judgement in dealing with sensitive matters and information in a discreet manner.
• Comfortable with flexible work hours at times to ensure results are met in a fast-paced environment of changing and conflicting priorities and high timeline standards.
• Results oriented, with the ability to rank priorities and deliver key initiatives.
• Self-motivated, proactive problem solver, with a hands-on attitude
• Strong commitment to innovation and continuous improvement
• Alignment with UPP's desire to be a leader in Responsible Investing, ESG, and climate change.

LIFE AT UPP
Do work that matters. We are duty-bound to serve our members' interests, and it's a responsibility we don't take lightly. That's why we've ingrained sustainability in our work from day one—to ensure our members have a resilient future to retire into, both today and for generations to come.
Stronger together. Collaboration is how UPP was born, and it's how we work with each other and our partners day in, day out. No one at UPP is just a number (even if they are excellent at math) and every win is a shared win.
Grow every day. You'll have the opportunity to work on unique, once-in-a-career projects that maximize your skill set and probably teach you some new ones—at any stage in your career.
Prioritize wellness. At UPP, wellness takes many forms. Ultimately, it's about ensuring our people are cared for in the ways that matter to them. Check out some highlights of our inclusive employee-focused benefits program including:

• Defined benefit pension plan
• Flexible hybrid work model
• Work from abroad up to eight weeks/year
• Comprehensive group benefits including medical, dental, vision etc.
• Extended paramedical and mental health service coverage
• Health care and lifestyle spending accounts
• Fertility treatments, paid parental leave, and gender affirmation coverage
• Education Assistance program