Director of Compliance and Assistant Counsel

Delta Dental of New Jersey and Connecticut; Newark (NJ); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

401(k) Matching

Tuition Reimbursement

Paid Time Off

Job summary

Delta Dental of New Jersey & Connecticut is seeking an Assistant Compliance Counsel to provide strategic legal and regulatory guidance on federal/state insurance, healthcare, AI, and privacy laws. You will help with policy development, training, and incident response, and work in a hybrid Parsippany, NJ office two days per week.

You will lead privacy and data-security initiatives, draft policies, review BAAs and vendor agreements, and collaborate with HR, IT, and operations to embed privacy

Qualifications

• JD from an ABA-accredited law school.
• Bar admission to practice in New Jersey; Authorized House Counsel certification from Connecticut within 6 months.
• 3+ years in healthcare compliance and commercial contracts; healthcare/insurance or consulting background helpful.
• IAPP privacy certification a plus; if not held at hire, obtain CIPP/US within 12 months.

Responsibilities

• Advise business partners on HIPAA, privacy, and related compliance matters; advise on questions, complaints and incidents.
• Draft, maintain, and update privacy and HIPAA-related policies, procedures, and records.
• Develop and deliver compliance training and coordinate HIPAA Security activities with IS leadership.
• Review, draft, and negotiate BAAs and vendor contracts focusing on privacy and data protection.
• Support day-to-day legal and compliance matters across operations, marketing, privacy, and security.

Skills

Regulatory compliance

Contract review

Privacy

Healthcare law

Education

Juris Doctor (JD) from ABA-accredited law school

Job description

Job Summary

The Assistant Compliance Counsel provides strategic legal and compliance counsel to internal business partners on federal and state insurance, healthcare, artificial intelligence, and consumer privacy laws and regulations applicable to insurance, ERISA and health plans, third-party administrators, and related activities.

This role supports the effectiveness of the Compliance Program through policy and training development, monitoring and reporting, regulatory change management, contract review (including Business Associate Agreements and other commercial agreements), and investigation/response to privacy and security events. Success requires sound judgment, clear communication, and the ability to work independently in a small, collaborative legal team.

This is a hybrid role, with an expectation of working onsite in our Parsippany, NJ office two days per week (Tuesday and Wednesday).

Essential Functions & Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary point of contact for HIPAA, privacy, and related compliance matters; advise business partners on compliance questions, complaints, and reported incidents.
• Manage privacy and security events (including potential breaches) by developing a response strategy with key stakeholders, coordinating data collection, completing/documenting risk assessments, managing regulatory notifications/responses, and advising on customer/group client engagement.
• Draft, maintain, and update compliance and HIPAA-related policies, procedures, and records to support audits, monitoring, reporting, and operational consistency.
• Develop and deliver compliance training and communications (including HIPAA training), maintain training materials, and track completion; coordinate HIPAA Security compliance activities with the Information Security Officer.

Regulatory Support

• Monitor regulatory developments (including insurance regulatory, HIPAA Privacy, consumer privacy, and emerging AI/cyber issues); prepare monitoring and compliance reports, and provide practical guidance to stakeholders.
• Lead regulatory change management for new and pending laws by drafting alerts and implementation guidance; evaluate enterprise initiatives and information-handling practices for legal, regulatory, and policy compliance, and recommend mitigation options.

Contract Review & Legal Support

• Review, draft, and negotiate Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) and a range of commercial and vendor contracts, with a focus on privacy, data protection, artificial intelligence, and appropriate risk allocation.
• Provide counsel on risk remediation and best practices in privacy, information security, and data governance; identify security and privacy risks and advise leaders on mitigation strategies.
• Support day-to-day legal and compliance matters across the organization (including operations, marketing, privacy, and security programs) as needed.

Operational & Cross-Functional Partnership

• Partner with HR, IT, Customer Service, and business teams to embed privacy practices into daily operations.
• Enhance the Compliance Program through effectiveness reviews, risk assessments/testing, and follow-up on remediation actions.
• Follow up on reported non-compliance by conducting/coordinating internal investigations and documenting findings; support case management, data analytics, and organizational compliance communications and reporting.

DDNJ Competencies

• Accountability
• Adaptability-Flexibility
• Communication-Listening Skills
• Customer Focus
• Confidentiality
• Ethics and Values
• Problem Solving-Analysis
• Attention to Detail
• Ability to Maintain Composure
• Dependability
• Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
• Technical and Functional

Experience, Education, and Certifications Required

• Juris Doctor (JD) from an ABA-accredited law school.
• Admission to the bar to practice law in New Jersey is required; successful candidates must obtain Authorized House Counsel certification from the State of Connecticut within 6 months of hire.
• Three (3+) years of experience in healthcare compliance and commercial contracts (organizational compliance and/or regulatory affairs preferred); experience in healthcare, insurance, or consulting roles a plus.

Certifications

IAPP privacy certification (CIPP/US, CIPM, CIPT, and/or AIGP) a plus; if not held at hire, successful candidate must obtain, at minimum, the CIPP/US designation within 12 months of appointment.

Required Physical Abilities

• Ability to sit and perform extensive close keyboard and PC work
• Ability to walk, talk or hear
• Occasionally required to stand and reach with hands and arms

Working Environment

• Ability to meet deadlines and attendance standards.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
• This classification will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement.

Compensation

In addition to salary, Delta Dental of New Jersey’s offerings may also include, for eligible employees, discretionary and formulaic incentive awards. Available offerings may vary by geographic location, job level, skills, experience, qualifications, education and date of hire.

New Jersey Pay Range: $130,000 USD - $150,000 USD

About Delta Dental Of New Jersey & Connecticut

Delta Dental of New Jersey, Inc. is New Jersey's leading dental benefits company, providing or administering coverage to more than 2.2 million people through contracts with groups and individuals in New Jersey and Connecticut. In Connecticut, Delta Dental of Connecticut, Inc. is a licensed insurer that writes dental and vision coverage on an insured basis, and Delta Dental of New Jersey administers self-funded dental benefit programs.

Offering dental benefits since 1969, Delta Dental of New Jersey's mission is to promote oral health to the greatest number of people by providing accessible dental benefit programs of the highest quality, service, and value. Through its philanthropic arm, the Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation awards more than $1M in grants annually to support access to dental care and education for underserved children, seniors, veterans, and those with special needs, as well as funds workforce development programs for dental assisting and dental hygiene across New Jersey and Connecticut.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short and long-term disability, spending accounts, and matching 401k.
• Learning and development, recognition programs, active wellness and diversity initiatives, tuition reimbursement, and generous paid time off to recharge – even paid time off to volunteer at causes that you care about.
• The benefits set forth in this posting reflect DDNJ’s benefits policies in place at the time of posting, as are made available to other similarly situated employees of DDNJ, although participation is at all times in accordance with and subject to the eligibility and other provisions of such plans and programs.
• DDNJ reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to prospectively modify or terminate any of its benefits plans or programs at any time and for any reason, to the extent permitted by applicable law.
• DDNJ complies with all applicable state and federal wage and hour, pay equity and pay transparency laws.

Delta Dental of New Jersey Inc is an equal opportunity employer

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, genetics, disability, marital status, age, veteran status, domestic partner status, medical condition or any other characteristic protected by law.