Senior Legal Counsel

Nicklaushealth; Sunset Corners (FL); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Nicklaushealth seeks a Senior Legal Counsel – Enterprise Strategic Initiatives to provide legal leadership for high-priority strategic initiatives across the health system and its affiliates. The role partners with executive leadership, the PMO, strategy, and finance to advance growth, transformation, and enterprise-wide priorities.

The attorney will manage legal matters from planning through implementation, including structuring, due diligence, negotiation, governance approval, and

Qualifications

• Juris Doctorate from an accredited US law school.
• Active Florida Bar license.
• 15+ years of progressively responsible legal experience in health care systems.

Responsibilities

• Serve as principal legal advisor on strategic initiatives across the health system and affiliates.
• Lead cross-functional teams with PMO, strategy, and executive sponsors to manage legal issues and deliverables.
• Draft, negotiate, and review complex strategic agreements and contracts.
• Oversee governance matters, board materials, and transactions from planning to post-transaction integration.
• Direct outside counsel and manage legal spend for enterprise initiatives.
• Provide proactive legal risk guidance to executives and operational leaders.

Skills

Strategic transactions

Legal leadership

Regulatory compliance

Negotiation skills

Cross-functional

Diligence & governance

Education

J.D. required

Job description

Job Summary

The Senior Legal Counsel – Enterprise Strategic Initiatives provides legal leadership and counsel for high-priority strategic initiatives involving the health system and its affiliate entities. This attorney partners with executive leadership, the in-house Project Management Office (PMO), strategy, business development, finance, operations, clinical leadership, and other internal stakeholders to advance growth, transformation, and enterprise-wide priorities. Supports initiatives such as pediatric healthcare affiliations, facility development, and other strategic projects. Manages legal matters from initial planning through implementation, including structuring, regulatory analysis, due diligence, negotiation, documentation, governance approval, and post-transaction to operationalization support. This role requires on-premises work at the Health System's Miami offices (both CHQ and Miami hospital) 2-3 days per week as determined by operational needs.

Job Specific Duties

• Serve as a principal legal advisor on strategic initiatives affecting the health system and the affiliate entities and provide legal support for health system affiliations, collaborations, facility development and expansion, and other strategic, growth and enterprise transformation initiatives and transactions.
• Provide legal leadership for enterprise strategic initiative projects. This includes but is not limited to: a) Participate as the Legal Department representative on cross-functional project teams, steering committees, and internal workgroups and partner with executive sponsors, project managers, project leads, and workstream leaders to identify legal issues, establish responsibilities, manage deliverables, and resolve barriers to project completion. b) Collaborate directly with project leads and legal representatives from counterparties, affiliates, and other organizations involved in strategic initiatives; facilitate communication among internal stakeholders, external organizations, consultants, and legal teams to support informed decision-making and maintain project momentum. c) Establish and maintain a close working relationship with the health system’s in-house PMO to coordinate legal work with project plans, timelines, milestones, dependencies, and implementation activities. d) Support the transition of completed initiatives from transaction or project teams to operational owners and assist with post-closing integration, implementation, compliance monitoring, and resolution of operational issues.
• Develop legal strategies that support organizational objectives for enterprise strategic initiatives while appropriately addressing legal, regulatory, financial, operational, and reputational risks. Counsel executive leadership, strategy leaders, and operational teams on the legal and regulatory implications of proposed transactions and initiatives.
• Draft, review, and negotiate complex agreements, including affiliation agreements, purchases services and asset purchase agreements, leases, management services agreements, clinical services agreements, technology agreements, and other strategic contracts.
• Assist with corporate governance matters (e.g., draft and review resolutions, minutes and board presentations, assist with bylaws review and interpretation) related to enterprise strategic initiatives; attend board or committee meetings upon request of the SVP & General Counsel.
• Direct and manage outside legal counsel based on the scope, complexity, subject matter, and strategic importance of each initiative. This includes, but is not limited to, defining outside counsel responsibilities, deliverables, timelines and staffing expectations, and management of legal expenses.
• Support development, drafting, and maintenance of organizational policies and standard practices, as required, to support strategic initiatives.
• Provide proactive legal advice to address and/or mitigate regulatory, litigation and other legal risk to the organization; provide training and education for leaders, physicians and staff, as applicable.
• Monitor legal and regulatory developments that may affect the health system’s strategic plans and collaborate with executive leaders and government relations team to address. Recommend appropriate action to address applicable requirements.
• Serve as a leader within the Legal Department and the Health System, including providing direction, training and mentorship to attorneys and staff; and practice fiscal responsibility through improvement and innovation (e.g., Game Changers).
• Support the SVP and General Counsel and other members of the Legal Department on various matters as needed; perform other job-related duties and projects as required.

Minimum Job Requirements

• Juris Doctorate - Law Degree from an accredited US Law School
• Attorney - Active Florida Bar License
• At least 15 years of progressively responsible legal experience, including substantial experience advising hospitals, physician organizations, integrated health systems, or other complex health care organizations.
• Experience in health care operations (e.g., hospital, physician practice, quality, patient safety, compliance, revenue cycle, and risk management).

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Significant experience structuring, negotiating, and implementing complex health care transactions or strategic arrangements, including affiliations, acquisitions, facility-development projects, or similar enterprise initiatives.
• Knowledge of federal and state health care laws and regulations affecting integrated health systems, including hospital operations, physician practice group operations, ambulatory services, provider-based departments, fraud and abuse, EMTALA, licensure, accreditation, and related operational requirements.
• Experience with transactional due diligence; corporate governance and board approvals; nonprofit and tax-exempt organization requirements; real estate, construction, or facility-development matters; and regulatory approval requirements.
• Effective oral and written communication and influencing skills, including the ability to translate complex legal and regulatory requirements into understandable and actionable guidance for hospital leaders, physician leaders, and operational teams.
• Excellent analytical, critical thinking, and strategic skills; ability to identify and resolve complex and sensitive issues and provide practical, solution-oriented advice across both hospital and physician enterprise settings.
• Ability to assess legal and operational risk related to physician arrangements, clinical affiliations, service line relationships, medical staff matters, quality, patient safety, privacy, revenue cycle, and regulatory compliance.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively alongside Legal Department members and other teams across the health system, and with external stakeholders (as applicable), and to establish and maintain effective working relationships with executive leaders, hospital leadership, physician leadership, and medical staff leaders.
• Proactive, driven, adaptable, professional who can prioritize and balance multiple projects, respond with urgency, handle ambiguity, be resourceful, and recalibrate advice in view of shifting priorities, legal developments, and risk tolerance.
• Highly dependable, professional, and demonstrates integrity, good judgment, and respect for confidentiality and privilege.

Job: Management

Department: LEGAL-1000-955903

Job Status: Professional