SVP and General Counsel

Job Requirements

Job Summary:

The SVP and General Counsel serves as a key member of the executive leadership team and principal legal advisor to the President & Chief Executive Officer and Board of Directors, responsible for leading the legal strategy and function across the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS).

This role extends beyond traditional legal oversight to serve as a strategic enterprise advisor, enabling the organization to achieve its mission, growth objectives, and long-term sustainability in a complex and evolving healthcare environment. The General Counsel provides expert guidance on legal, regulatory, and governance matters, while helping to shape enterprise strategy, support transformational initiatives, and ensure effective risk management across a multi-entity academic health system.

This leader sets the tone for legal excellence, ethical governance, and regulatory integrity, ensuring UMMS operates with the highest standards while advancing innovation, academic medicine, and patient care.

Primary Responsibilities

The following statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job responsibilities performed.

Executive Leadership and Strategy

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the President & CEO and Board of Directors on legal, regulatory, and governance matters
• Act as a strategic partner to executive leadership, contributing to enterprise strategy, growth initiatives, and system transformation
• Anticipate and interpret emerging legal and regulatory trends, advising leadership on risk, opportunity, and strategic direction
• Support system-wide priorities, including clinical growth, access, workforce strategy, and innovation
  
  

Governance and Board Engagement

• Provide leadership and counsel on corporate governance and Board operations, ensuring adherence to best practices and regulatory requirements
• Support Board committees and governance structures across a complex, multi-entity organization
• Ensure effective governance of subsidiaries, joint ventures, and affiliated entities
  
  

Legal Strategy and Enterprise Risk Management

• Develop and execute a comprehensive legal strategy aligned with organizational priorities
• Lead enterprise legal risk management, ensuring proactive identification, assessment, and mitigation of risk
• Partner with Compliance, Risk, and Internal Audit to ensure alignment and effective oversight across the enterprise
  
  

Healthcare Regulatory and Compliance Leadership

• Provide expert guidance on federal and state healthcare regulations, including CMS, Stark Law, Anti-Kickback Statute, HIPAA, EMTALA, and related frameworks
• Navigate regulatory requirements impacting academic medicine, research, and clinical operations
• Represent the organization with regulatory agencies and external stakeholders as appropriate
  
  

Transactions, Growth, and Strategic Partnerships

• Lead legal strategy for mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic affiliations
• Support physician alignment models, academic partnerships, and research collaborations
• Enable innovation through legal guidance on new care delivery models, digital health, and emerging initiatives
  
  

Litigation, Investigations, and Dispute Resolution

• Oversee all litigation, arbitration, and dispute resolution matters across the system
• Manage relationships with outside counsel to ensure high-quality and cost-effective legal representation
• Direct internal investigations and ensure appropriate resolution and reporting
  
  

Labor, Employment, and Workforce Strategy

• Provide legal oversight of labor and employment matters, including workforce strategy, labor relations, and employment compliance
• Partner with Human Resources leadership to support a complex and evolving workforce environment
  
  

Legal Department Leadership and Operations

• Lead, develop, and inspire a high-performing legal department, including attorneys, paralegals, and support staff
• Establish priorities, allocate resources, and ensure efficient delivery of legal services
• Oversee outside counsel strategy, legal spend, and operational performance
  
  

Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and maintain collaborative relationships with clinical, operational, academic, and administrative leaders, as well as regulators and external partners
• Serve as a key ambassador for UMMS in legal, regulatory, and industry settings
  
  

Work Experience

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Ability to align legal strategy with enterprise priorities and long-term organizational goals
• Exceptional leadership skills, with the ability to influence at the highest levels of the organization
• Strategic mindset with the ability to translate complex legal issues into practical, business-oriented solutions
• Strong executive presence and ability to build trusted relationships across diverse stakeholder groups
• Sound judgment and decisiveness in complex, high-risk situations
• Superior written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to convey complex legal concepts to non-legal audiences
• Proven ability to lead within a complex, matrixed organization undergoing transformation
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and negotiation skills
• Deep commitment to ethical standards, integrity, and fostering a culture of accountability and compliance
  
  

Education & Experience - Required

• Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school; active license to practice law in Maryland or ability to obtain
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive legal experience, including significant experience in a complex, highly regulated environment
• At least 7 years of senior legal leadership experience (e.g., General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel, or equivalent)
• Demonstrated experience advising C-suite executives and Boards of Directors
• Extensive experience in healthcare law, corporate governance, regulatory compliance, transactions, and litigation management
• Proven track record of developing and executing enterprise-wide legal and compliance strategies
• Demonstrated success leading and developing high-performing legal teams
  
  

Education & Experience - Preferred

• Experience within a large academic health system or integrated delivery network
• Experience supporting academic medicine, research enterprises, and physician organizations
• Prior experience leading legal strategies for complex mergers, acquisitions, and partnershipsFamiliarity with multi-entity, nonprofit health system governance structures
  
  

Benefits

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Compensation

• Pay Range: $846,000.00 - $1,003,500
• Other Compensation (if applicable):
• Review the 2025-2026 UMMS Benefits Guide
  
  

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