Lead Insurance Counsel - Unclassified

State of Nevada; Carson City (NV); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

The State of Nevada's Public Employees’ Benefits Program (PEBP) invites applications for Insurance Counsel to provide legal guidance on state and federal compliance affecting group health and life insurance for active employees and retirees.

The Counsel will ensure legal integrity, support executive leadership and the Board, and collaborate with the Deputy Attorney General on governance, procurement, appeals, and plan administration.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school.
• Active Nevada Bar in good standing or eligibility for admission within 6 months.
• Minimum 3 years of legal practice.
• Foundational knowledge of health, administrative, or insurance law.
• Experience advising on compliance, appeals, contract oversight, or regulatory interpretation.
• Preferred: experience with group health insurance, public agencies, or Nevada procurement/open meetings/public records rules.

Responsibilities

• Ensure PEBP complies with Nevada statutes and NAC rules.
• Interpret mandates and advise on operational changes.
• Support reporting, public records, open meetings, and audits.
• Provide guidance on ethics, transparency, and accountability.
• Oversee COBRA administration and notices.
• Coordinate with the Office of the Attorney General and external counsel as needed.
• Advise executive leadership and the Board on governance and policy.

Skills

Regularity compliance

Public sector law

Contract negotiation

Client advisory

Governance

Education

Juris Doctor (J.D.)

Nevada bar admission eligible

Job description

***THIS RECRUITMENT MAY CLOSE WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE DEPENDING ON THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS RECEIVED. APPLICANTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE***

Job Summary

The Public Employees’ Benefits Program (PEBP) Insurance Counsel provides legal guidance and advice on matters affecting state and federal compliance for the PEBP, which provides group health insurance and basic life insurance to active employees and retirees. This position ensures the program’s legal integrity and compliance with federal law, Nevada statutes and regulations, and public-sector administrative requirements. The Counsel supports executive leadership and the Board by providing authoritative guidance on regulatory obligations, governance, procurement, appeals, and plan administration. The role collaborates closely with the Deputy Attorney General to ensure all actions align with state law, statewide policy, and public-sector standards for accountability, transparency, and ethical conduct.

Essential Qualifications

Minimum qualifications:

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school.
• Active membership in good standing with the State Bar of Nevada, or eligibility for admission through reciprocity with the ability to obtain Nevada licensure within 6 months of hire.
• Minimum 3 years of experience practicing law.
• Foundational knowledge of health, administrative, insurance, or related area of law
• Experience advising clients on compliance, appeals, contract oversight, or regulatory interpretation

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience with legal issues involving group health insurance, self-insured plans, fully insured plans, COBRA, HIPAA, Affordable Care Act, and state insurance laws
• Prior work with public agencies, state-administered benefit programs, or government regulatory bodies
• Familiarity with Nevada public-sector requirements, including procurement rules, administrative hearings, open meeting laws, and public records obligations

Job Duties

Public-Sector Compliance & Governance

• Ensure PEBP operates in compliance with Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS), Nevada Administrative Code (NAC), and statewide policies governing public agencies
• Interpret federal and state mandates affecting PEBP and advise leadership on necessary operational or policy changes
• Support compliance with reporting, public records laws, open meeting requirements, legislative reviews, audits, and statewide oversight processes
• Provide legal guidance related to public accountability standards, ethical obligations, and transparency requirements expected of state programs

COBRA Administration & Compliance

• Advise on federal COBRA and Nevada continuation coverage requirements
• Develop and maintain COBRA policies, notices, forms, and procedures
• Address complex COBRA-eligibility scenarios, including cases involving multi-state employment, intergovernmental transitions, and variable-qualified beneficiaries.

Appeals Management

• Oversee participant and provider appeals processes in accordance with Nevada state law and any applicable plan or contract provisions
• Review appeals determinations and support state administrative hearings and coordinate as needed with the Office of the Attorney General with such disputes
• Coordinate with third-party administrators and external counsel as needed
• Review determinations to ensure compliance with statutory obligations, plan rules, and fair-hearing standards

Executive Guidance

• Present legal updates, compliance risks, and strategic recommendations to executive leadership
• Present to Board on behalf of the Executive Officer on legal or compliance matters
• Prepare legal analyses addressing policy changes or statutory amendments risks
• Interpret statutory and regulatory changes impacting the plan and provide recommendations to mitigate or address compliance risks
• Provide guidance to the Executive Officer on governance practices expected of state authorities and the Board

Plan Design & Plan Documents

• Ensure plan design updates comply with applicable state and federal laws and public-sector requirements for benefit administration
• Draft and maintain Plan Documents, Summary Plan Descriptions (SPDs), policies, and amendments reflecting statutory mandates and administrative rules

Contract Review & Negotiation

• Draft, review, and negotiate agreements with vendors, TPAs, PBMs, ERIs (stop-loss carriers), consultants, and others as requested by the Executive Officer
• Ensure contract language aligns with Nevada procurement statutes, state contracting standards and regulatory compliance
  • Strengthen protections in contracts for data security, performance guarantees, indemnification, and HIPAA/BIPA compliance

Regulatory Monitoring & Compliance

• Track changes in federal and state laws affecting PEBP
• Recommend policy or operational adjustments to maintain compliance with DOL, IRS, HHS, CMS HHS, NV Division of Insurance, and state administrative requirements. Proactively adapt policies and materials to maintain compliance with DOL, IRS, HHS, and Nevada insurance regulations.
• Support legislative analysis, regulatory filings, audits, and compliance reviews relevant to PEBP.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Legal & Regulatory Expertise

• In-depth knowledge of federal and state laws applicable to public-sector benefit plans like PEBP
• Understanding of COBRA, ACA, IRS, HIPAA and PEBP statutes and code.

Analytical & Advisory Skills

• Ability to analyze complex regulatory and public-sector compliance scenarios
• Skillful in providing clear, actionable legal guidance to government leadership, the Board, and staff

Drafting & Documentation

• Proven ability to draft precise legal documents, including plan documents, notices, contracts, memoranda.

Communication & Collaboration

• Excellent verbal and written communication; comfortable presenting to boards, executives, and vendors.
• Effective relationship-builder; able to coordinate across internal and with external partners.

Ethical Standards & Judgement

• High integrity and judgment aligned with public-sector ethics standards
• Ability to manage confidential and sensitive information discreetly.

Project & Time Management

• Strong organizational skills with ability to manage multiple priorities and projects.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize under tight deadlines.

The State of Nevada is an equal opportunity employer dedicated to building diverse, inclusive, and innovative work environments with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them. All applicants are considered without regard to race, color, national origin, religion or belief, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, domestic partnership, genetic information (GINA), or compensation and/or wages.