AVP & Counsel, MBU - Eatontown, NJ or Remote

Overview

This role supports the Accident & Health (A&H) Legal Department, which manages legal functions for a nationwide Accident & Health division. Responsibilities include high-volume contract development, management, and negotiation; litigation management; support to internal disciplines as needed; and oversight of legal support staff and interns.

Responsibilities

• Manage high-volume drafting, review, and negotiation of program and administrative agreements, reinsurance and retrocessionaire agreements, vendor and SaaS agreements, NDAs, and other commercial agreements as requested, ensuring compliance with company standards, best practices, and regulatory requirements.
• Manage the contract negotiation process with internal and external parties to drive the agreement delivery process; enlist review from senior team members as needed.
• Monitor and stay informed of contract portfolio metrics to identify opportunities for process improvements.
• Provide strategic input on enhancements to contract management systems and AI contract review tools.
• Assist with adopting AI tools by developing and implementing best practices for AI-assisted contract review; mentor team members and provide ongoing guidance and training to support integration into contract management workflows.
• Participate in the Legal Team’s template development process to ensure A&H contract clause requirements, risk mitigation provisions, and regulatory compliance standards are met.
• Support claim and cost containment audit review requests from Claims and Cost Containment teams, including reviewing attorney demand letters, drafting substantive legal responses, evaluating coverage positions, and coordinating with claims personnel on resolution strategies.
• Manage and coordinate complex claims litigation, including preparing case summaries and legal analysis, leading settlement negotiations, drafting releases and settlement agreements, coordinating with outside counsel, and providing strategic litigation guidance to claims and business teams to ensure proactive, cost-effective handling that minimizes risk.
• Serve as a strategic business partner to internal business units, providing practical legal counsel that balances business objectives with risk mitigation and regulatory compliance, including compliance with ERISA, COBRA, FMLA, ACA, NSA, and applicable insurance laws and regulations related to welfare plans and accident and health insurance.
• Advise on handling group benefit and insurance solutions, third party self-funded plan claim administration, and regulatory compliance matters; proactively identify solutions that enable the business to achieve its goals while protecting the organization’s interests.
• Lead and participate in special projects as required, including process improvement initiatives, policy development, and cross-functional business initiatives requiring legal expertise.
• Provide direct supervisory oversight of legal interns and administrative staff, including work assignment and prioritization, performance management and evaluation, professional development guidance, and day-to-day management of workflow and deliverables.
• Develop and deliver comprehensive training programs and materials on legal topics and processes relevant to legal department staff, underwriting teams, claims personnel, and other business disciplines.
• Participate in and represent the organization at relevant industry trade associations and professional organizations related to Accident and Health insurance, reinsurance, and insurance law.

Requirements

• J.D. degree, admitted to a State Bar, and eligible for or willing to obtain a NJ Limited-License In-House Counsel license within one year of employment commencement.
• 8+ years of overall legal experience, including a minimum of three (3) years of relevant in-house or law firm experience specifically related to Accident & Health insurance products and claims management.
• Strong PC skills including Excel, Word, Outlook, Power Point.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience with insurance regulatory matters.

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive compensation package.
• 401K employer match.
• Employee Stock Purchase plan with employer matching.
• Generous Paid Time Off.
• Excellent benefits including programs focused on physical, mental, and financial wellbeing.
• Tuition reimbursement, industry-related certifications, and professional training.
• Participation opportunity in discretionary equity (stock) based compensation and/or performance-based variable pay programs.

Salary Range (Base Pay)

• Annualized base pay range: $119,700.00 to $225,100.00.
• Actual compensation is determined by factors including market pay for comparable roles, responsibilities and required skills, and employee contribution (performance).

Location

• Salary ranges are provided for positions at this location (specified area not included in the posting).