Legal Counsel, Health Plan, Clinical Contracts and Governance

Kids Are Our Everything.

Department

Pay Range

About the Role:

This position, reporting to the VP, Deputy General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, supports day-to-day legal operations relating to health plan(s) matters (including CN's Special Needs Health Plan), clinical contracts, international contracts, financial and borrowing matters, foundation matters and governance. The position acts as a trusted advisor to executive and operational leadership. The role serves as a key partner to hospital operations, finance, foundation, human resources, strategy, supply chain, and clinical leadership.

The successful candidate will possess significant healthcare industry experience, strong business judgment, and a demonstrated ability to translate legal requirements into practical operational solutions. The position also demands steady leadership and oversight of legal professionals, paralegals, contract specialists, and administrative staff while supporting departmental strategic initiatives and operational excellence.

Minimum Education

Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school.

Required License:

Must be licensed as a lawyer in MD, DC or VA Upon Hire (Required)

Minimum Work Experience

9 to 12 years of progressively responsible legal experience.

Significant experience representing health plans, hospitals, health systems, academic medical centers, physician organizations, or other healthcare providers.

Demonstrated experience serving in an in-house legal leadership role within a hospital, health plan or healthcare system.

Prior law firm experience strongly preferred.

Proven experience managing legal departments, legal operations, outside counsel, and multidisciplinary professional teams.

Experience advising executive leadership, governing boards, and operational leaders on complex healthcare matters.

Required Skills/Knowledge

Strong knowledge of health plan, hospital operations and healthcare delivery systems.

Advises on health insurance companies, HMO and self-funded plans. Negotiates provider contracts, insures compliance with Federal and State regulations and related contracts, resolves coverage disputes and represents CN before state insurance and federal regulatory agencies.

Deep experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating complex commercial agreements and strategic transactions.

Experience supporting executive-level strategic initiatives and organizational growth.

Expertise in health plan and healthcare regulatory compliance, including provider regulatory matters, licensure, accreditation, and reimbursement-related issues.

Working knowledge of healthcare workforce immigration programs, including physician and employee immigration matters.

Demonstrated financial acumen and ability to analyze operational and business implications of legal decisions.

Exceptional leadership, communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.

Strong project management and organizational abilities.

Ability to balance legal risk with business objectives and operational realities.

Knowledge of federal and state healthcare laws and regulations.

Functional Accountabilities

Strategic Legal Counsel

• Serve as a legal advisor to executive and operational leadership on strategic and operational initiatives.

• Provide practical, business-focused legal guidance that supports the organization's mission, growth strategy, and operational objectives.

• Identify legal, operational, financial, and reputational risks and develop effective mitigation strategies.

• Present legal analyses and recommendations to senior executives, committees, and the Board of Directors as requested.

Commercial Contracting and Transactions

• Support legal services for enterprise-wide contracting activities including clinical contracts such as provider service agreements, joint ventures, joint operating agreements and management contracts.

• Draft, review, negotiate, and manage complex healthcare, technology, supply chain, professional services, clinical, research, and operational agreements.

• Provide legal support for mergers, acquisitions, affiliations, joint ventures, management agreements, clinical collaborations, and other strategic transactions.

• Supports a standardized contracting processes and playbooks to improve efficiency, consistency, and risk management.

Regulatory Affairs

• Provide counsel on federal and state healthcare regulatory requirements affecting hospital operations.

• Advise on licensing, accreditation, reimbursement, Certificate of Need, Certificate of Public Need, provider enrollment, fraud and abuse, and related healthcare regulatory matters.

• Monitor emerging legal and regulatory developments and advise leadership regarding organizational impact.

• Partner with compliance, audit, finance, and operational teams to support enterprise-wide regulatory initiatives.

Leadership and Team Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop attorneys, legal operations professionals, paralegals, contract specialists, and administrative staff.

• Foster a highly collaborative, service-oriented, and accountable team culture.

• Promote continuous improvement, innovation, and operational excellence.

• Manage outside counsel relationships and related legal expenditures.

Benefits That Support You:

• Comprehensive health coverage, including medical, prescription, infertility, and transgender health services.
• Generous paid time off, including vacation accrual from day one, sick leave, holidays, and a personal day.
• Financial wellness support, including a 401(k) plan and healthcare and dependent care spending accounts.
• Employer-paid life, AD&D, and long-term disability coverage, with optional supplemental plans.
• Additional perks, including tuition assistance, fitness resources, employee assistance, commuter benefits, and more.

Why Join Us:

• Nationally Recognized Excellence - Consistently ranked among the Top 10 Children's Hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
• Leading Pediatric Care - One of the largest and most comprehensive children's hospitals in the country, offering nationally ranked specialties and cutting-edge treatments.
• Innovation & Research - A premier academic medical center with a strong commitment to pediatric research, education, and advancing the future of child health.

The disclosed salary range includes the minimum and maximum rates within which Children's National believes an individual's base pay rate will fall for this position. It is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the maximum of the pay range. The exact pay rate for this position will be based on a variety of factors in alignment with the Children's National compensation philosophy. These factors are legitimate and non-discriminatory including, but not limited to, the current market conditions; organizational needs; the individual's combination of prior work experience, level of education, knowledge, skills, and other qualifications. Children's National is committed to providing a fair and competitive total rewards package to each of our employees. This base salary range does not include our comprehensive benefits package or any additional compensation for which this position may be eligible.

Childrens National Hospital is an equal opportunity employer that evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, identity, or other characteristics protected by law. The "Know Your Rights" poster is available here: and the pay transparency policy is available here:Know Your RightsPay Transparency Nondiscrimination Poster.

Please note that it is the policy of Children's National Hospital to ensure a "drug-free" work environment: a workplace free from the illegal use, possession or distribution of controlled substances (as defined in the Controlled Substances Act), or the misuse of legal substances, by all staff (management, employees and contractors). Though recreational and medical marijuana are now legal in the District of Columbia, Children's National and its affiliates maintain the right, in accordance with our policy, to enforce a drug-free workplace, including prohibiting recreational or prescribed marijuana.