General Counsel and Head of Compliance – San Francisco, CA (929-SLS)
Hybrid (In-office minimum 3 days per week: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) Our client, a publicly traded HealthTech company has exclusively retained Solutus Legal Search to assist the executives with their search for a General Counsel and Head of Compliance Officer to lead its high-performing legal function. This legal executive will report directly to the Founder & CEO and will manage a team of 12 legal professionals. As the company’s senior legal and compliance leader, and principal advisor to the executive team and board, you will lead with business acumen – safeguarding the company from risk while enabling innovation and growth. You will own public company legal and compliance operations including corporate securities/governance, IP protection, and employment law, product and commercial counseling, and regulatory and privacy programs for a tech-first digital health business. You’ll mature legal operations, shepherd strategic M&A transactions, strengthen IP and data‑rights position, and partner cross‑functionally to enable developer velocity and scalable go‑to‑market execution. The Ideal Candidate 15 years of experience spanning top‑tier law firms and in‑house roles across venture‑backed startups/high‑growth companies and public companies in technology (digital health strongly preferred). Proven success scaling legal teams in tech companies: building org structures, processes, and legal operations to support rapid growth. Lead teams of 10 professionals across legal, compliance, privacy, and legal ops in remote/hybrid environments. Healthcare, AI and privacy expertise with a strong understanding of the digital health regulatory landscape and emerging AI governance. Strong corporate law experience including entity formation and governance, board/committee support, capitalization and equity programs, venture/private financings, corporate policies/secretarial practices; capital markets familiarity a plus. Led or co‑led M&A transactions and strategic investments, including diligence, negotiation and drafting (LOIs, merger/asset purchase agreements, disclosure schedules), regulatory approvals, closing mechanics, and post‑close integration. Designed and operated risk‑based compliance programs; experience with monitoring/auditing, internal investigations, and regulator interactions (e.g., OCR, FTC, state AGs). Experience partnering with founder‑led organizations. Strong interpersonal skills, responsiveness, working with a sense of urgency. Business partner who views value in facilitating the business. JD with strong academic credentials and active bar membership in good standing. Core Competencies Legal Excellence : Deep command of healthcare, privacy, AI, and data protection laws; adept at risk assessment, pragmatic counseling, and contract strategy; understands payer/employer/provider dynamics in digital healthcare delivery. Healthcare Regulatory & Compliance Oversight : Manages OCR/state AG/FTC interactions and remediation; integrates legal and compliance for a unified approach. Executive Partnership & Business Acumen : Trusted advisor to the CEO, senior leadership team, and board; anticipates business needs, translates regulation into enablement, and makes timely decisions under uncertainty. Team & Talent Management : Scales teams with clear roles, reporting lines; sets vision, coaches talent, and builds cross‑functional relationships across legal team and other key business functions; implements career paths, performance management, and professional development; partners effectively with recruiting to attract top talent. Operational Excellence : Scales workflows / processes, and quality controls; scales knowledge management and training; uses KPIs, metrics and dashboards to drive accountability. Strategic & Commercial Acumen : Structures strategic partnerships and complex deals; leads M&A diligence and contracting; understands complex payment flows and regulatory trends. Crisis Management & Communication : Partners with Security and leadership to lead cross‑functional crisis response; crafts clear communications for executives, board, regulators, customers, and media; makes sound decisions with incomplete information. Core Responsibilities Serve as primary legal and healthcare compliance advisor to the senior leadership team and board; prepare and deliver board materials on legal, compliance, and risk matters. Lead public company legal operations: manage SEC reporting, Section 16 filings, earnings disclosure and Reg FD compliance, insider trading policy and 10b5-1 plans, exchange listing standards, proxy statement and annual meeting processes; partner with Finance, IR, and Internal Audit on disclosure and controls. Own privacy, AI, data protection, and healthcare regulatory strategy; oversee HIPAA compliance, and incident response readiness. Lead commercial legal for enterprise sales and partnerships; maintain templates, playbooks, and negotiation strategy across payer, employer, partner, and provider agreements. Oversee corporate matters, including governance, equity and financing support, M&A, and (as needed) and securities compliance. Scale and manage healthcare compliance program operations: policies, training, monitoring/auditing, investigations, corrective action plans, and regulatory exam management. Scale and direct legal operations: AI implementation, tooling roadmap, outside counsel strategy, and budgeting. Manage litigation and disputes, subpoenas, and regulatory inquiries, coordinate with Security, Clinical, and Product teams on risk mitigation. Recruit, develop, and retain a high‑performing team. Monitor emerging laws, regulations and industry trends (privacy, AI, healthcare, reimbursement) and translate into product, security, and go‑to‑market guidance. What You’ll Accomplish Lead best‑in‑class public company legal operations : Deliver accurate, timely SEC reporting, proxy and annual meeting execution, earnings disclosure and Reg FD compliance, board/committee governance, and listing standards compliance. Scale an integrated Legal & Compliance function : Refine operating model and governance unifying legal, privacy, and compliance, with measurable impact and effective board‑level reporting. Elevate regulatory and privacy posture : Mature and oversee a risk‑based compliance program for HIPAA, GDPR, state privacy laws, AI governance, and healthcare regulations; ensure audit readiness and effective monitoring, training, and remediation. Lead strategic transactions : Own legal workstreams for M&A, strategic alliances and licensing, complex data/AI collaborations, and key vendor arrangements. Strengthen IP position and data rights : Develop and execute an IP strategy aligned to digital care and AI roadmap; drive invention harvesting and a steady cadence of high‑quality patent filings; protect trade secrets, datasets, models, and clinical content; maintain robust trademark/brand protection. Scale commercial velocity : support and scale processes to handle increased contracting volume and speed, and improve negotiating leverage. Grow a high‑performing team : Recruit and develop a top talent team; implement career paths, performance and compensation frameworks, and succession planning; mature legal operations to drive efficiency and quality. J-18808-Ljbffr
